Jaguar XF, Cat's ninth life?

In 1989 Jaguar became part of Ford's ill-fated Premier Automotive Group, but the Blue Oval never quite made the most of the once revered luxury brand. Jaguar made consistent losses for Ford throughout 19 years of ownership, until Ford eventually cut loose and sold it to Tata Motors in 2008. The 2001 X-Type compact executive is often cited as a good example of why Jaguar never flourished under Ford's guidance: it was miles behind rivals like the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class at launch and was often derided as little more than a re-skinned Ford Mondeo. It was a sales flop and the bigger S-Type executive saloon never quite hit the mark either. Jaguar needed to leave retro behind and move forward.

And with the S-Type's replacement, the XF saloon, move forward it did. Unveiled in 2007, the XF is a dramatic departure from Ford-era cars and is already far exceeding sales expectations. At its launch it was widely reported that Jaguar's future rested on the XF's showroom success; Jaguar is about to unveil an all-new, XF-inspired XJ saloon. Mission accomplished?

Mark Nichol