Hairy Bikers and Other Petrol Heads

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
I've owned four Jaguars (none of them from the current range) over the last 25 years and all have been superb cars. But no more - I'll be changing brand. What's all this rebranding about? They are throwing away 80+years of heritage, not to mention one of the best V8 engines in any production car. (And much as I admire Porsche I include them. However, never having owned a Ferrari...) :D

Brian
 

Tim Humphreys ex Mudhen

Western Thunderer
I've owned four Jaguars (none of them from the current range) over the last 25 years and all have been superb cars. But no more - I'll be changing brand. What's all this rebranding about? They are throwing away 80+years of heritage, not to mention one of the best V8 engines in any production car. (And much as I admire Porsche I include them. However, never having owned a Ferrari...) :D

Brian
Couldn't agree more Brian. With a starting price of around£100k for the new models, when they arrive, not affordable either.

Tim
 

Mike W

Western Thunderer
Regading the Land Rover. I don't have one but several friends say the latest ones are superb, one commenting that it is the best tow car he's ever had. But for him money is no object, which might make a difference.

MIke
 

simond

Western Thunderer
I have had several, starting around 40 years back with Harriet the Chariot, the v8 engined S1A, followed by a rather decrepit 3 door RR, a v8 3.9 S1 Disco, a TD5 S2 Disco and for the last 8 years, an S4 disco which is a brilliant car, which I hope lasts another 8 years or more.

I also had rather a lot to do with the battery design for the Electric ones that ply the Eden Project hill, and I designed the first wind-up window system for Defender, oooh, err, that was quite a while ago too!

so I’m quite keen on them, but I think they’ve lost the plot. And I’m no fan of Grenadier either, though that might be seen as political…

if money were no object, I think a v8 G-Wagen might appeal, though I’d have something electric too.
 

3 LINK

Western Thunderer
I have a Mercedes C63 at the moment, and it looks like it will be one of the last to be made, as the new C63 now has a 2 litre, 4 cylinder engine fitted with 2 electric motors. And although it has more bhp and is quicker than the old v8 model , it has gone down like a lead balloon in the States with literally zero sales. Taking out the V8 engine is like taking the cars soul away, any petrol heads would understand what I am saying….

Martyn.
 

oldravendale

Western Thunderer
All these comments pretty well mirror the way I'm feeling right now. I'm hanging on to my last Jag, an XK for as long as I can. With only 60K miles on the clock it should see me out. Somehow Honda have managed to go all electric without compromising the brand. And I know it's an entirely different brand dynamic but I suspect you know what I mean. (Mrs D has owned many Honda Jazz and we went to buy a new one but they only do electric. Their move to totally electric has been seamless, whether I agree with it or not. And no, we didn't buy one.) The choice was therefore IC or hybrid. As an IC car she narrowed the choice to between a VW and a Skoda (which I know are the same cars with different badges) and at the end of the day preferred the Skoda. She found the hybrid alternatives too complicated! Who am I to argue? Anyway, I'm not proud. :D

The downside came when our builder called for a job and advised me how to double the value of the new car - put some petrol in it! He's so rude.

Brian
 

simond

Western Thunderer
I have no skin in the game, but the New Statesman doesn’t agree

“…. The JLR board are unsentimental and hardheaded business people who have understood that the Jaguar brand, for all its charm, has only really made headway in the Anglosphere. In ditching the heritage (at least for now) in favour of a more “disruptive”, futuristic aesthetic, Jaguar hope to connect with a younger, more global audience (including in China, where Land Rovers are already very popular). And this modernisation goes beyond style. Unlike the car giant Volkswagen – which, like much of German industry, is caught between the death of the combustion engine and the new world of electric motors waiting to be born – Jaguar is going all-in on electric. The company recognises that, irrespective of government meddling and environmental hectoring from the progressive media, the motor industry is undergoing a paradigm change and the electric powertrain is the inevitable future. None of this (including the brand reboot) ought to be a surprise: Jaguar originally announced its “reimagine” strategy in 2021.
As for going “woke”, the JLR board will be delighted by the fuss. Anheuser-Busch, the US brewing giant, probably came to regret using the transgender social media personality, Dylan Mulvaney, to promote Bud Light beer in 2023. The ensuing row and a conservative-led boycott of the company’s products led to a substantial drop in sales and a consequent share price reduction. But studies have suggested several “woke” rebrands actually worked – simply by getting eyeballs on a product if not exactly shifting any social mores. JLR are deliberately seeking to be provocative and address an entirely new audience. By not having any Jaguar cars available to buy until 2026, JLR doesn’t need to concern itself with a short-term fall in sales – a near 100 per cent drop during the next 12-18 months is already baked-in. It seems upsetting the regulars on GB News is a small price to pay if the world is talking about the Jaguar brand again.….”


I guess “wait and see”.
S
 
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