Jaguar, a company known for making luxury cars and for its US TV ads which used the British pronunciation of the name, now belongs to Tata Motors of India. The surprise about this is that Tata also makes what is billed as the “world’s cheapest car.” For a company to be successful with such divergent models is fairly unusual. Tata Motors is still reeling under the weight of the debt resulting from the purchase, but is continuing to put money and development effort into the Jaguar arm. New models are coming out, some of which are more than mere rehashes of previous versions. The Jaguar XK line is one family of Jaguar model which exemplifies this. These cars have a lightweight but very stiff chassis which allows it to have a level of fuel efficiency not usually associated with this auto company’s products. This chassis also allows it to be repaired more easily in the case of a crash, as well as resisting crash damage better in the first place. A new fuel-efficient engine is another big development for Jaguar. Even though they guzzle less gas, these AJ-V8 Gen III engines are able to deliver more torque and power than the prior engines used by Jaguar cars. They are also less polluting, with significantly improved CO2 emission levels. This engine, combined with the improved chassis, allows the supercharged XKR Coupe to reach 100kph—about 60MPH—in just 4.8 seconds. Unfortunately, all models are electronically limited to 250kph, which is a limit automobile “hackers” will surely work on figuring out how to override. The improvements to Jaguar’s cars don’t stop with under-the-hood changes. The new cars also look better, while keeping the classic parts of the Jaguar appearance that people like. The cabins have also been upgraded, with better trim and finishes that show off the craftsmanship Jaguar is known for. All in all, these new Jaguars prove that the maker of the “world’s cheapest cars” knows how to handle a luxury line, at least when it comes to design, innovation, and satisfying new market demands like efficiency and reduced pollution. Now, all that is left is the marketing. Time will tell whether Tata Motors knows how to actually sell these fine automobiles, or if they will miss the boat when it comes to actually getting them off of car dealers’ lots and into buyers’ garages.

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