Because Jaguar occupies both the performance and luxury markets, its competition is particularly diverse. It includes BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Cadillac, Lexus, Infiniti, as well as Lincoln, another Ford subsidiary.

The company has been owned by the Ford Motor Company since 1990.

History

Founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, it was renamed Jaguar Cars after World War II because of the unfavorable connotations of the initials, SS. The company is now owned by the Ford Motor Company. Jaguar is known for its luxury saloons and sports cars, market segments it has been in since the 1930s. The name is pronounced /ˈdʒægjuːə/ in the UK, /ˈdʒægˌwɑɹ/ in the USA.

Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation (the Austin-Morris combine) to form British Motor Holdings in 1966. After merger with Leyland and Rover, the resultant company then became British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968.

Financial difficulties and the publication of the Ryder Report led to effective nationalisation in 1975 and it became British Leyland Ltd known just as BL.

In 1984, Jaguar was floated off as a separate company on the stock market - one of the Thatcher government's many privatizations. It was then taken over by Ford in 1989-1990. In 1999 it was made part of Ford's new Premier Automotive Group along with Aston Martin, Volvo Cars and Lincoln. Land Rover was added to the group in 2001 following its purchase from BMW.

The company was originally located in Blackpool but relocated to Coventry to be at the heart of the British motor industry. Today, Jaguars are assembled at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham and Halewood in Liverpool. The historic Browns Lane plant closed in 2005 leaving aluminium vehicle production at Castle Bromwich and steel at Halewood.

Jaguar owns the Daimler car company (not to be confused with Daimler-Benz), which it bought in 1960 from the Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA). Since then Daimler has been little more than a brand name for Jaguar's most luxurious saloons.

Historical Models

Although the post WW II market had seen Mark IV and Mark V sales as satisfactory, their appearance was essentially unchanged from pre-War models.

Introducing the large Mark VII Sedan in 1951, a car especially conceived for the American Market, Jaguar cars soon found itself overwhelmed with orders. The Mark VII and its successors gathered rave reviews from magazines such as Road and Track and Motor.

In 1956 a Jaguar Mark VII won the prestigious Monte-Carlo Rally.