Payne Q&Auto: The big cat is back at Jaguar

Posted by hpayne on July 1, 2016

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Long derided as an “old person’s car,” Cadillac’s reinvention as an athletic brand has drawn headlines and rave reviews. But it is not alone. Caddy’s Old World English peer, Jaguar, is also shaking off its arthritic image to re-emerge as the track star of old.

It’s more “Chariots of Fire.” Less Duke of York.

Like Cadillac, Jaguar’s resurgence is happening under new corporate governance. Cadillac has separated itself from Mama GM’s apron strings and set up shop in the Big Apple under the experienced hand of Johan de Nysschen – not un-coincidentally the ex-chief of competitor Audi North America. Meanwhile, Jaguar – cast out by Ford – has been adopted by Tata. The Indian conglomerate has given Jaguar a big studio in which to paint and the classic marque is making great auto art again.

Watching over North American operations is another German-badge defector: Joe Eberhardt, 52, a 25-year veteran of Mercedes.

“If you go back in Jaguar history, there is a lot of DNA that is reborn in today’s cars: performance, design, and value. That’s what gave Jaguar a fascinating run in the ’60s and ’70s,” said Eberhardt at the Aspen, Colorado, media launch of the cat’s latest litter, the XE sedan and F-Pace crossover.

“(Then) the cars became more exclusive and … and we had some durability and reliability issues. So it was important in launching these cars that we redefine what Jaguar stands for.”

For all its noble British lineage, Jaguar these days appears a luxury version of Japan’s Mazda: a niche performance brand built on a sports car. Mazda has the Miata. Jaguar the F-Type.

Here’s Mazda spokesman Tom McDonald last June: “There’s a little bit of Miata in every car we make.”

And here’s Eberhardt: “There is a little bit of F-Type in every product. It’s absolutely key and core to the brand.”

With the big cat back and roaming the landscape, Jaguar now follows with its two most important vehicles: the entry-level XE and it first-ever SUV, the F-Pace.

Whether it is the tail lamps on the light, aluminum-bodied F-Pace or side cues or its double wishbone suspension, F-Type infuses F-Pace. “Ian Callum is the one best designers in the business and he is developing a face for the brand,” says Eberhardt.

Cadillac too has bolstered its lineup with the lightweight XT5 crossover, promising more SUVs to come. But though Cadillac and Jaguar benchmark to the Teutonic trio of Merc, BMW, and Audi, Jaguar is less eager to go head-to-head in every niche.

“We debated that internally for a long time,” says Eberhardt. “You have to mention all expectations of a car. We have to cover the luxury portion, have to cover design … but maybe give it more performance just to give someone a reason to try.”

That focus – and the brand’s own elite status as a racing success – allows it to go after the biggest luxury fish in the pond, Porsche, in a way few can. Jag was the 1950s King of LeMans after all. That status undisputedly belongs to Porsche now after its 18th 24-hour win this month.

“The Macan dynamically is a target,” says Eberhardt with a hint of admiration in his voice. “(It) is almost a perfect car. We are almost there, but we are also $12,000 cheaper.”

It’s not just cost where Jaguar smartly conforms to market reality. It also recognizes that being an eccentric Brit has more negatives than positives. Reliability matters. “We needed to take reliability out of equation, so we launched Jaguar EliteCare,” says the Jaguar executive. “We have the best-in-class, bumper-to-bumper 5-year or 60,000-mile warranty.”

The cat’s swagger is back with its best lineup in years. Its success is crucial to taking on – not only the German competition – but the rising costs of government mandates. Short term, Jaguar is confident that it can meet global warming-driven mpg mandates with its Range Rover-proven diesel technology, even as it girds for fallout from VW’s diesel cheating scandal.

“Customers want the benefits of diesel which are greater range and better fuel economy,” says Eberhardt. “We don’t know what the reaction of these segments will be to diesel, but in a couple of months we’ll see.” Already a success in Europe, he expects the F-Pace’s US diesel take to be around 20 percent.

But by 2025 the road will get steeper as California, for example, outright mandates manufacturer sales of zero-emission, battery powertrains.

“That’s 15.4 percent (of sales) to be exact,” says Eberhardt. “We’re in discussion with (California) because the implications for that are much bigger for us given our scale. There will be EVs in our future.”

 

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