Look at that photo of a Jaguar XFR-S doing a smoky burnout! Doesn't it seem like it would be great for Jaguar to get in on Australian V8 Supercars like Nissan, Volvo and Mercedes? But if you ask Jag, not only is the answer "no," it's "hell no."
Speaking to Australia's Motoring, Jaguar Land Rover Asia Pacific Managing Director David Blackhall said the brand has been approached by two teams to compete in racing's most hoon-tastic series.
It seems like a perfect fit at first glance. Jaguar has a rear-wheel drive sedan with a V8 in the correct 5.0-liter size. But Blackhall said "the business decision around that is frankly insane." It's too expensive, it doesn't give them global coverage, and it's not where the Jaaaaag brand needs to be, Blackhall said.
He questioned Mercedes' and Volvo's involvement as well with this hilarious quote:
"I don’t know what it does for AMG to get flogged by a V8 Commodore week after week, but it's their brand, their issue. And the same thing will happen to Volvo to be honest."
Jaguar global chief Adrian Hallmark also ruled out going back to F1 anytime soon:
"For us, the only bet is F1 if you really want to get media coverage on a global level," said Hallmark. "We've been there. And the fizzy drink that took over [Jaguar's F1 team] is not doing too bad. But we wouldn't go back again."
You guys are no fun. Oh, who am I kidding? Of course you are.
Hat tip to Autoblog!