Jaguar was founded in 1922 as the Swallow Sidecar Company. SS cars, as Jaguar’s were once known, lost their moniker following World War II when the company wished to distance itself from the Nazi organization. Jaguar’s first cars appeared in 1935. In the 1950s, the company began selling its brand in the United States.
In the 1960s, Jaguar released some of its signature models, including the E-Type, a sports car available as a convertible or a coupe. In the 1970s, Jaguar released the XJ line of coupes to their already popular group of sedans. Throughout the 1980s, Jaguar prospered before running into financial trouble late in the decade.
After becoming a subsidiary of Ford, Jaguar made some significant changes. By the late 1990s, the company had made an effort to produce high-quality vehicles that were reduced in price. They added vehicles to their line, and tried to appeal to a broader audience. Unfortunately, these changes failed. In 2008, Jaguar was sold to Tata, an Indian auto manufacturer.
Today Jaguar offers a line of classy, attractive, and slimmed down automobiles which once again are aimed at high-end buyers. Their lines include the XK, XJ, XE, and XF models and feature a range of sedans and coupes starting in the low $50,000 range. However, most Jaguars come in around $80,000 (and up) and are certainly designed to appeal to drivers seeking the best in luxury and performance. All in all, Jaguar is heading in the right direction – forward with a sense of style reminiscent of its past British roots.
