AutoWeek's got a great piece on Jaguar design chief Ian Callum and his vision for the future of Jaguar products. While we find the new Jag XK to be a lovely car, it doesn't quite have the "holy crap" factor that the E-Type or even the last XK had when it was new; in fact, it looks a wee bit like a rent-controlled Aston. Which makes sense, considering Callum is responsible for AM's current look. As Automobile's Robert Cumborford notes, "It is all the more disappointing in that the Jaguar design team is so much better than this car shows. It shouts of unimaginative focus-group feedback to marketers who lacked the courage to let the designers do their jobs without restraint."
Callum, however fazed he may be with the criticism of the new car, doesn't let on, preferring to talk about his plans for the next generations of Jags. We should see the venerable British marque steering away from the sense of design stasis that has been largely in place since the 1970s. There's a reason the new XJ looks so similar to the 1968 model how do you really improve on it? Yet improve Jaguar must; if Aston Martin can turn out gorgeous, modern cars that scream "British Supercar!" and manage to turn a profit after 40 years in the hole, there's no reason Jaguar can't be turned around, especially since they've long dispensed with Lucas electrics. We're rooting for ya, Ian.
Related:
Jaguar Releases Photos, Info on XK Coupe [Internal]