I was thinking about potential suitors for Jaguar yesterday, and my attempts to make a Korean connection, when a Daewoo Leganza overtook. Now, Daewoo, as it was, no longer exists, but of all the Korean companies around then, it was one that wanted to be Jaguar—when one considers that the Leganza’s styling, by Giugiaro, was based on his Jaguar Kensington concept of the early 1990s. (There’s a hint of Toyota Aristo here, too, which Giugiaro also designed.)
   Giugiaro remembered how Jaguars were futuristic with amazing proportions, and sought to re-create it on XJ12 Series III running gear and modern clothing. With hindsight, his ideas would have probably saved Jaguar from the mess it is in now, especially with younger buyers. Kensington still looks good today.
   But as the always-clear Jerry Flint pointed out in Forbes this past week, there are no real suitors for Jaguar. His solution: get someone to run the division who understands luxury cars. His eyes are on Dr Ulrich Bez, the man who turned around Aston Martin. He might be right, and it is sure better than flushing a few billion down the toilet. Posted by Jack Yan, 22:07  permalink

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