The on-again, off-again “E-Type successor” saga that’s been dragging on for more than a decade finally ended with the launch of the F-Type roadster at this year’s Paris Auto Show.
Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark stated to Autocar magazine that the without the F-Type “our heritage would not be complete” and that the new sports car will form the core around which the rest of the brand’s future range will be built.
“From now on, the F-Type is our orientation point”, he said. “Without a sports car in our range, it has been possible for people to lose orientation about what Jaguar stands for. Other manufacturers who have strayed successfully from their core range have only done so if they have continued to invest in that model.”
Hallmark didn’t mention names, but a certain Stuttgart-based auto maker comes to mind…
He also dismissed criticism that the F-Type is priced too high, especially in the UK, saying that it offers Porsche 911 or Aston Martin Vantage performance “at prices well below them”.
British publication Autocar says Jaguar‘s boss conceded that the company’s next models will most likely be an SUV and a small premium saloon: “Whatever we do will be driven by the three pillars of our brand: innovation, design and performance leadership. Those three can be applied to different degrees in different cars, but they must always be present.”
By Andrew Tsaousis
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