1969 Jaguar E-type Xke Coupe Restored New Paint, Interior on 2040-cars

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Jaguar Land Rover is going to call itself 'JLR' and spin off brands

Embracing the current popular philosophy that less is more, the executives at Jaguar Land Rover plan to officially rename their company “JLR” and to create a new “house of brands” that will emphasize name equity and refocus its vehicle offerings. In simple terms, the British-based, India-owned company will split into four separate brands: Range Rover, Discovery, Defender and Jaguar. While this shift may appear to be essentially a function of marketing and dealership bookkeeping, the over-arching reason is to give some of the brands more visibility. Details of the plan, which would reconfigure showrooms in Britain into discrete brand footprints, were discussed this week at a presentation by JLR CEO Adrian Mardell. “The reality is Range Rover is a brand and so is Defender,’” said creative officer Gerry McGovern. “Customers say they own a Range Rover. In luxury, you need absolute clarity. Land Rover Range Rover SV Autobiography doesnÂ’t give it. We love Land Rover, but there isn't as much equity as Range Rover, and Defender is increasing massively.”  Underlying the effort is plans to reinvent Jaguar as an electric-only luxury brand, Mardell said that this was “unfinished business” for him since he joined Jaguar 32 years ago. “The Jaguar of 32 years ago is where weÂ’re going back to and the right place for us to be." He further acknowledged that JLR had been “quiet” recently in the face of semiconductor chip shortages, but allowed that that situation was easing at his company.

Jaguar will build 9 XKSS continuation cars at $1.4m each

The Jaguar D-Type was, for its time, a cutting-edge race car. It was also a car that could, theoretically, drive from Jaguar's Browns Lane factory to the race in France and back. This was an era in which top-tier race cars weren't all that different from their road-going counterparts. You couldn't really do the same in an Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro, now could you? The XKSS was a D-Type with the barest nod to road-going conveniences, like proper wind protection. With some unsold D-Type racers cluttering up the shop after three successive Le Mans wins, Jaguar converted 16 into XKSS spec, and had more in the works. It wasn't a comprehensive transformation, really. A windshield and a passenger door were added; a cabin partition and the striking fin behind the driver were removed. Otherwise, it wasn't much different than the all-conquering Le Mans-winners. And then tragedy struck. A fire destroyed nine of the cars, and the company never picked up where it left off after the mess was cleaned up. Hence Jaguar aficionados, and the company itself, keenly felt the absence of the "lost" cars. After the success of the continuation E-Type lightweights built by the Jaguar Classic division of Special Operations, the company will finish the run. Nine cars will be hand-crafted for a select group of customers and collectors, much as the company did for the lightweights. Jaguar expects the cars to fetch more than $1.5 million each. Considering the mystique of these "lost" cars, and the fact that Steve McQueen is heavily associated with the XKSS, they may trade hands for considerably more after the initial owners part with them. Jaguar expects to start delivering the continuation XKSS cars early next year. Related Video: New York Auto Show Jaguar Convertible Performance Classics jaguar special operations jaguar xkss

Jaguar laying groundwork for a reborn XK

There have been rumors about plans to replace the Jaguar XK since before the gentleman's coupe ended production in 2014. Depending on which rumor you read, a reborn XK could remain compact and offer a 3.0-liter turbodiesel, grow a bit and move upmarket to challenge the Mercedes S-Class Coupe, or grow even more and challenge the Bentley Continental GT as "an elegant four-seater coupe." About the only three consistent details have been that the new XK would ride on a reworked F-Type platform, that the XK would become Jaguar's new flagship, and brand design director Ian Callum providing all the quotes about a potential resurrection. Now Hanno Kirner, the head of product strategy at Jaguar Land Rover, has added quotes that could portend the return of the big two-door cat. Kirner told Autocar that Jaguar "will continue to invest in sports cars," and that "I use the plural quite deliberately." That is, the F-Type won't be left to carry the sports car mantle by itself. Questions remain about the definition of the term "sports car," and whether that really means a return of the XK. Kirner suggested it's possible that a future offering could be "a body variant" of the F-Type. Callum's been fighting for the XK's return ever since Jaguar made the decision to kill it. The designer said the two-seat F-Type wasn't intended to kill the bigger 2+2, and at one point his team had already finished design work on the third-generation XK. However, the F-Type sold so well that the company marketers decided the automaker didn't need both cars. A number of things needs to happen before any XK gets the green light, though. The next-gen F-Type is in the works and could come as soon as next year, and Jaguar will want to make sure the two-seater continues its run of steady sales. The XK spirit lives on in the current F-Type, since the F-Type sits on a reworked version of the XK's aluminum architecture, and the second-generation F-Type will evolve that aluminum platform again. It's said that the platform could morph back into a 2+2 without undue hassle, but any new XK wouldn't likely arrive before 2021 even if approved. Callum remains on the case, saying in October 2017, "I want a two-seater [the F-Type] and a 2+2. We're working on something now." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.