Jaguar and Land Rover are renowned British automobile marques which have a long and complex history of mergers and separation. Jaguar came into existence back in the 1930s while Land Rover was set up in 1940s. In 1968, both the companies came together for the first time as a part of the British Leyland conglomerate. Later, Jaguar was acquired by Ford Motor Company and Land Rover by BMW. After a few years, Jaguar and Land Rover merged again under the leadership of Ford Motor Company. Jaguar Land Rover didn’t perform well under Ford’s administration.
That’s when Tata Motors stepped in with ambition of reviving the iconic brands and bought the JLR from Ford in 2008 for 2.5 billion dollars. Ever since then, there’s has been an upward increasing graph for the JLR business despite all the ups and downs.
The revenue for the fiscal year of 2008-09 stood at 5.9 billion dollars. This figure doubled itself to 13.2 billion dollars in 2010-11. 2014-15 saw the revenue surge to an unprecedented 29.8 billion dollars and this figure steadily increased to 33.19 billion dollars for 2017-18. So far, Jaguar Land Rover is thriving under Tata.
The very first car that rolled out of the JLR house under the Tata administration was the Jaguar F-Type- a two-door, two-seater sports car. This car was and still one of the most gorgeous sports car made in the history of roadgoing cars. The car is an absolute stunner. It is based on JLR’s D6a platform and is the successor of the Jaguar’s famous E-Type sports car. The F-Type was initially launched as a soft-top convertible but later in 2013, there came in the fastback coupe version.
The F-Type has evolved quite a bit over the years. The 2019 F-Type comes with 3 engine options. The 4 cylinder, the 2-liter engine makes about 300 horses and delivers 400 Nm of torque. The 3-liter V6 engine in the convertible makes 335 horses while in the coupe it makes about 375 horses. The 5-liter V8 engine, however, makes colossal 543 horsepower in the convertible and 567 horsepower in the hardtop coupe almost hitting the supercar territory.
The base spec Jag comes with rear wheel drive, 8-speed automatic box only while you can get the V6 engines mated to either an 8-speed automatic box or a 6-speed manual box. You also get an all-wheel-drive system with the V6 trim. The V8 engine can also be had with an 8-speed auto or a 6-speed manual but it comes only with an all-wheel-drive system only. Power train discussions are incomplete without mentioning the exhaust note. The V8 engine is the loudest (obviously). It is brash and throaty and really pumps up the adrenaline. Step on the gas and it is pure music to the ears.
The F-Type is a track focussed car. It does handle really well and power delivery is also quite linear across all the engine variants. It steering where the F-Type disappoints a little bit. The wheel lacks feedback and feels a little bit light for a sports car. The stiffer suspension set up further make the ride firm and some sharp bumps and pothole might travel through your spine but you can still live with it or avoid bad roads. Braking abilities of the Jag are pretty impressive. The Jag comes to a halt at a distance of 150 feet when brakes are hit at 70 MPH. Fuel economy isn’t really what you should look for in cars in this category. You might get a Honda or Toyota if you want to save on fuel or a Tesla if you care for the environment. The F-Type is purely for petrolheads and enthusiasts.
The looks, the specs, and features attracted a lot of people. Jaguar fans had been waiting for a long time for something big and with the F-Type Jaguar did live up to their expectations. The F-Type was a big success not just for Jaguar or JLR but also for Tata Motors as the parent company. It was Ratan Tata’s pet project to revive JLR as a brand. JLR was acquired from Ford to show Ford how things are done. JLR was acquired to avenge the insult Ford had inflicted on Tata Motors years ago.
Current day, Jaguar Land Rover sales are soaring. The company has seen 17% growth in sales globally and this growth was largely driven by models like Jag F-Type, F-Pace, XE, XF, Land Rover Discovery, and Range Rover Evoque. With all that being said, JLR is growing bit-by-bit, day-by-day making its mark in the space. With the addition of models like F-Pace, E-Pace and I-Pace sooner or later, Jaguar will certainly give a tough time to the big 3 Germans. Product diversification has helped JLR to grow at a rapid pace in a short period of time. Additionally, Jaguars interests in Formula-E and electric mobility have lifted the image of the brand. Look at all the developments that have been in the JLR house, one can certainly say the JLR is on the right track under the Tata administration.
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