We've been here before David with this discussion. To say that Jaguar is right up there with the Japanese is an astounding statement to make. Jaguar is not a normal car, its absolutely exceptional and represents (Or at least should) the pinnacle of engineering. I know that the Japanese have a reputation for quality, and I know as I've just bought the wife a new Suzuki, but Jaguar is in a different class from anything Japanese and the quality should be in a different league. Sorry Stuart, but that is comlete nonsense when it comes to build quality., which is what I was talking about. The highest build quality standards are availabe from Toyota. These vehicles are delivered without fault and go on forever. Honda run them close. According to customer satisfaction surveys, Jaguar is right up there with them.....at least as far as the XJ is concerned. This is an enormous advance - and achieved at a time when Mercedes build quaity has plummetted into the depths and BMW is having more than its fair share of problems.>
The difficulty in this argument is that ALL of those companies sell cars & make money. "Faux-Ford" Jaguar doesn't because the public knows at their core the cars are phonies. Further, the issues confronting BMW & Benz are on the technology cutting edge. They DON'T have "build quality" issues, they do have electrical issues related to extreme content compexity. Bottom line, the buyer knows the MB or BMW they buy ios a thoroughbred, the Jaguar is a tarted up Lincoln or Ford. Residual values on Jaguars are horrific, relecting the markeplace's knowledge that the cars, while not junk, simply aren't the real thing.
This is a massive problem for Ford to fix, and I'm not confident they have the will to do it. Jaguar is a flyspec within the Ford organization and will receive scant funding. Six years ago during the S-Type launch in Dubai UAE, Chairman Nick Scheele announced to the dealers a product plan that included the F-Type sports car (dedicated platform to compete with Porsche), X-Type cabriolet, coupe & wagon, XJ & XK replacements by 2004. Only two of those products came to pass, and other than the wagon, the X-Type variants were killed because the platform can;t be adapted to them. The F-Type was killed almost as soon as it was announced, the XJ was compromised and the XK kicked back years. Where did the money go? To the Land Rover trucks, where Ford is more at home.
As a result of this incompetent management, key Jaguar dealers are either selling or giving up the franchise outright. This is a horrendous development for Ford/Jaguar, as a number of these organizations stepped up with massive investments in the late 80's based upon Ford's announced intentions for the brand.
Keep an eye on this newsgroup and you will come across owners of modern Jaguars with leaky boot seals, window winders that break and the classic was an S type that packed up when the owner took it in a car wash. One, don't believe everything you read on usenet.< No, don't IGNORE what you read on the usenet. It reflects the realities of the brand's problems in the marketplace.
Two, the tiny number of moaners we get in here are far too small a sample to make any sort of judgement on. < However, Jaguar's dismal sales results, massive losses and corporate downsizing relect the mood of the marketplace. That is, Jaguar is a FLOP under it's current strategy, and has scant hope of a recovery any thime soon based upon Ford management & culture.
Properly sampled surverys show that most customers are more than satisfied. Of course the occasional car with a minor fault is going to escape, The point is, there are far fewer now than there were in the past and the situation is still improving. After all, not so many years ago we accepted that all Jaguars had minor faults as a matter of course. It was something you put up with for the pleasure of owning a Jaguar.>
Unfortunately, in the process of exorcising the The Prince of Darkness from Jaguar, Ford's bean-counter-thug based culture cost it its soul. In the pre-Ford days we all loved the cars, despite their infuriating faults. Now the faults are gone, but so is the soul. One cannot bannish reality from the S & X-Types: they are Fords, pure & simple.
Doubtless the quality has improved since Ford, but thats a bit like the Iraqi situation - An improvement but still a hell of a way to go !!! Massive advances have been made. Far in excess of anything we could have hoped for. The lates XJ is now a genuine contender for the title of best car in the world on all fronts - not just on looks and comfort.< Unfortunately critically compromised by Ford bean-counter dictated sub-par interior components, which make it look like a rental fleet special when compared to the competition. Another $1000 on-cost to the car and it's beyond brilliant. Ford CANNOT bridge this gap, it is impossible for them to grasp the realities of the limited volume, high end market. The only salvation fro Jaguar is to be sold off to VW, Renault, etc., strong European organizations that understand what this business is all about.