New CEO at Jaguar Land Rover
JLR appoints old Land Rover/PAG hand
Jaguar Land Rover has today announced Dr Ralf Speth as the car maker's new CEO, following the departure of former CEO David Smith in January.
Speth will be in charge of all JLR operations and will report directly to Carl-Peter Forster, who has recently taken the helm at JLR's parent company, Tata Motors.
Speth has plenty of experience of the two brands - he was vice president of Land Rover when the company was under BMW control. Speth also had a spell as the boss of production, quality and product planning at Premier Automotive Group when both Jaguar and Land Rover fell under that part of the Ford umbrella.
Mr Ravi Kant, vice chairman, Tata Motors says: "The introduction of Dr. Ralf Speth into Jaguar Land Rover under the guidance of Carl-Peter Forster will considerably strengthen the management of the Company and enhance the position and reputation of the two iconic brands in line with the long term strategy of the Company."
I'm 63 now, and am very young in the mind (my wife would say "childish"!), so, although I've always found Jaguars rather classy compared to any other make (apart from Aston Martin and English Bentleys), I've always considered them as cars rather "for the old".
I was recently starting to think that my next car would be a Jaguar.
Well, now that it's a Tata, it has lost all it's aura.
So, classy cars don't exist anymore: you have to choose berween a Tata XJR, a VW Continental, a VW Gallardo, a VW Veyron, a BMW Silver Wraith, and so on.
What is left? Astons (heavenly), Morgans (horrible), TVRs (I wouldn't dare to have one out of England).
Oh well, go about in a Kia Rap, a Sqwash-quay Graffiti or a ghastly SUV!
I was recently starting to think that my next car would be a Jaguar.
Well, now that it's a Tata, it has lost all it's aura.
So, classy cars don't exist anymore: you have to choose berween a Tata XJR, a VW Continental, a VW Gallardo, a VW Veyron, a BMW Silver Wraith, and so on.
What is left? Astons (heavenly), Morgans (horrible), TVRs (I wouldn't dare to have one out of England).
Oh well, go about in a Kia Rap, a Sqwash-quay Graffiti or a ghastly SUV!
Ownership isn't what gives a marque it's identity. Aston ownership now lies in the Middle East - does that put you off your Aston (or didn't you know)? As for TVR their bankrupt (and were Russian).
As a British Asian, that owns two classic Rovers, I'm actually really impressed that TATA had the guts to purchase JLR from Ford, try and right size the manufacturing footprint and put in place a World Class (European) senior management team that ultimately protects the long term interests of two famous marques. If you don't want a XJ, XF or XK then that's your loss.
Well, now that it's a Tata, it has lost all it's aura.
So, classy cars don't exist anymore: you have to choose berween a Tata XJR, a VW Continental, a VW Gallardo, a VW Veyron, a BMW Silver Wraith, and so on.
What is left? Astons (heavenly), Morgans (horrible), TVRs (I wouldn't dare to have one out of England).
Oh well, go about in a Kia Rap, a Sqwash-quay Graffiti or a ghastly SUV!
So the company owner alone makes something 'classy' then does it? Nothing to do with the product itself then? Or even the brand itself, for that matter?
I guess a FIAT Enzo is off your lottery-win list then? Or a VW Veyron or Carrera GT?
Ironically, it was the 'Buy British' campaign that was the beginning of the end of our Motor Industry... British manufacturers depended on partisan buying behaviour, rather than producing competitive cars, so that crap like the Marina, All-aggro, Princesses, the lardy XJ-S, Sunbeam Horizons, Talbot Tagoras, and a host of other lemons made our cars easy to beat once people got over their racist attitude towards the Japanese and the Germans.
Remember Jaguar was actually costing Ford money most of the time they owned it - hence the sweetener of Land Rover to get shot of it...

ETA, you did realise Jaguar was owned by the company that became famous for the 'Dagenham Dustbin' up until Tata bought it, didn't you?
I was recently starting to think that my next car would be a Jaguar.
Well, now that it's a Tata, it has lost all it's aura.
So, classy cars don't exist anymore: you have to choose berween a Tata XJR, a VW Continental, a VW Gallardo, a VW Veyron, a BMW Silver Wraith, and so on.
What is left? Astons (heavenly), Morgans (horrible), TVRs (I wouldn't dare to have one out of England).
Oh well, go about in a Kia Rap, a Sqwash-quay Graffiti or a ghastly SUV!
Mind you they even fecked that up and had to buy it back as they hadnt managed to move all the assets they thought they had

So the company owner alone makes something 'classy' then does it? Nothing to do with the product itself then? Or even the brand itself, for that matter?
I guess a FIAT Enzo is off your lottery-win list then? Or a VW Veyron or Carrera GT?
Ironically, it was the 'Buy British' campaign that was the beginning of the end of our Motor Industry... British manufacturers depended on partisan buying behaviour, rather than producing competitive cars, so that crap like the Marina, All-aggro, Princesses, the lardy XJ-S, Sunbeam Horizons, Talbot Tagoras, and a host of other lemons made our cars easy to beat once people got over their racist attitude towards the Japanese and the Germans.
Remember Jaguar was actually costing Ford money most of the time they owned it - hence the sweetener of Land Rover to get shot of it...

Oh, for the good old days of British Leyland Jaguar!As far as I am concerned, the impact of Ford, VW, BMW, Tata and others has been for nothing but good, just as RR's takeover of Bentley was in 1931, or would you consider it unacceptable to buy any Bentley manufactured after 1930 as well, or is it just the Indian connection that you find 'distasteful'. Oh for the days of the Raj when these people knew their place, eh?!
have owned a fair share of cars mentioned. Just got rid of a Jag and now gone to Volvos. Volvos and Jags for the last 12 years up till then never had such cr@p cars allways needing the AA call out. Service every 5k miles. It was the Japs who gave the British car workers the kick up the @rse they needed. I lived in Coventry during the 60's, Never seen so much aggro in all my life. Anybody who says the good old days needs shooting........ they were not good old days they were cr@p. We have never had it so good, never mind the unemployment being stuffed left right and centre by this NuLab lot I prefer today than the 60's. The only good thing about the 60's was the birds showing their fanny's under their mini skirts
have owned a fair share of cars mentioned. Just got rid of a Jag and now gone to Volvos. Volvos and Jags for the last 12 years up till then never had such cr@p cars allways needing the AA call out. Service every 5k miles. It was the Japs who gave the British car workers the kick up the @rse they needed. I lived in Coventry during the 60's, Never seen so much aggro in all my life. Anybody who says the good old days needs shooting........ they were not good old days they were cr@p. We have never had it so good, never mind the unemployment being stuffed left right and centre by this NuLab lot I prefer today than the 60's. The only good thing about the 60's was the birds showing their fanny's under their mini skirts

We used to dream of a sticking accelerator pedal, etc...

And by the way the word is pussy. You will confuse our American friends who don't really understand what a fanny is.
And by the way the word is pussy. You will confuse our American friends who don't really understand what a fanny is.
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