Jaguar – A brief history of how this iconic automobile brand became Indian

Shivani Kava, Feb 28, 2021, 12:45 PM IST

Source: Unsplash

Jaguar cars are among the coolest cars in the world. Despite known as the British luxury vehicle company, Jaguar Cars is owned by Tata Motors in India.

Various Jaguar models are still manufactured in the United Kingdom and the famous logo can still be found across the lineup.

Jaguar didn’t always manufacture Sedans, sports cars, and SUVs.

In Blackpool, England, Billy Lyons formed a partnership with his neighbour William Walmsley and that is the story of how the Swallow Sidecar Company was born.

Later the duo switched direction and began building the coach instead of sidecars, the SS line, becoming the first real sports car.

This lead to the very first Jaguar launch in 1935.

All the cars manufactured by Lyons and Walmsley had the initials SS, as a reminder of their sidecar roots.

Later the initials were dropped off as they resembled labels of WWII Nazi troops.

The Jaguar became the new logo.

The Jaguar XJ6 was the last car designed by Sir William Lyons and was a testament to his bold touch. He was clearly proud of his design, and even appeared in the advertising campaign professing the XJ6 as “the greatest Jaguar ever.”

Perhaps he was correct.

The XJ6 effectively replaced Jaguar’s existing saloon range, and it went on to become Lyon’s longest-lived creation.

The XK8 went on to become the fastest-selling sports car in Jaguar’s history at the time.

Soon Jaguar became known for stunning sports cars like Jaguar XK120, Jaguar E-TYPE, and others.

In 1965, Jaguar cars became part of British Motor Holdings Limited, which merged with the Rover manufacturer Leyland Motor Corporation and became the British Leyland Motor Corporation.

Due to financial difficulties, the British Leyland Motor Corporation was nationalized in 1975. By 1984, Jaguar became its own company again.

Later in 1999, Ford Motors purchased Jaguar and the Land Rover in 2000.

Ford Motors sold both the Land Rover and Jaguar to Tata Motors in 2008.

Jaguar Electric

Jaguar I-PACE, the company’s first all-electric performance SUV is able to go from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds in near silence and with no tailpipe emissions. The company claims that going electric offers a more sustainable, smarter driving experience that embraces dynamism and design.

Recent Endeavors 

Jaguar Land Rover India announced the appointment of Shakti Auto Cars as its new Retailer Partner in Bengaluru, in January 2021, with Venkatesh Tatuskar as its Director.

The new, state-of-the-art 3S facility is located in the upscale Brookfield area of Bengaluru, close to the major IT hub of the Whitefield area.

The Jaguar range in India includes XE (starting at ₹ 46.64 Lakh), XF (priced at ₹ 55.67 Lakh), F-PACE (priced at ₹ 66.07 Lakh), and F-TYPE (starting at ₹ 95.12 Lakh). All prices mentioned are ex-showroom prices in India.

Jaguar Land Rover vehicles are available in India in 24 cities, through 28 authorized outlets in Ahmedabad, Aurangabad, Bengaluru, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Kolkata, Kochi, Karnal, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Pune, Raipur, Surat, and Vijayawada.