Jaguar

Jaguar Cars is a British-founded subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company famous for its luxury saloon and sports cars.

Because Jaguar occupies both the performance and luxury markets, its competition is particularly diverse. It includes BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Cadillac, Lexus, Infiniti, as well as Lincoln in the U.S..

The company has been owned by the Ford Motor Company since 1989.

History

Founded as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, by two motorcycle enthusiasts, William Lyons and William Walmsley, it was renamed Jaguar Cars after World War II because of the unfavorable connotations of the initials, SS. The company is now owned by the Ford Motor Company. Jaguar is known for its luxury saloons and sports cars, market segments it has been in since the 1930s. The name is pronounced /ˈdʒægjuːə/ in the UK, /ˈdʒægˌwɑɹ/ in the USA.

Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation (the Austin-Morris combine) to form British Motor Holdings in 1966. After merger with Leyland and Rover, the resultant company then became British Leyland Motor Corporation in 1968.