Who Owns Jaguar, And How Much Money Does It Make?

Jaguar, the iconic British car brand known for its sleek and sophisticated models like the F-Type and the XJ, is part of Tata Motors, the Indian automotive giant that also owns Land Rover. The two brands were merged into Jaguar Land Rover in 2013, a subsidiary of Tata Motors that operates independently.

Jaguar has a long and rich history of ownership changes and transformations, dating back to 1922 when it was founded by William Lyons and William Walmsley as the Swallow Sidecar Company.

Let’s explore how Jaguar became part of Tata Motors and how much money it makes from its vehicle sales.

Who owns Jaguar? A look at ownership history

Jaguar is part of Tata Motors, an Indian multinational automotive company based in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded in 1945 by Jamsetji Tata as a locomotive manufacturer and later diversified into commercial vehicles and passenger cars. Today, Tata Motors is the largest automobile manufacturer in India and the second-largest in Asia by market share.

Recent performance of Tata Motors, Jaguar’s Parent Company. Image source:| TradingView

Jaguar has experienced several ownership changes over the years. The brand was initially founded in 1922 by William Lyons and William Walmsley as the Swallow Sidecar Company which started as a small enterprise, with the aim of producing stylish and affordable sidecars for motorcycles. However, it soon expanded into producing bodies for passenger cars and eventually complete cars under the SS brand.

In 1945, the company changed its name from SS Cars to Jaguar Cars to avoid the negative associations of the SS initials after World War II. But later gained fame and recognition for its sports cars and luxury saloons, such as the XK120, the Mark 2, and the E-Type.

In 1966, Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation (BMC), the owner of Austin and Morris, to form British Motor Holdings (BMH). Two years later, BMH merged with Leyland Motor Corporation, the owner of Rover and Triumph, to form British Leyland, the largest British car manufacturer at the time.

However, British Leyland faced financial and operational challenges in the 1970s, due to labour conflicts, quality problems, and competition from foreign competitors. The company was later nationalized in 1975 and reorganized into several divisions.

In 1984, Jaguar was made a separate company within the group in 1984 and was listed on the London Stock Exchange. It soon enjoyed a resurgence in the 1980s, with the launch of new models such as the XJ6, XJS, and XJ40.

And In 1990, Ford acquired the company for $2.5 billion and placed it under its Premier Automotive Group, along with Aston Martin, Land Rover, and Volvo. Immediately after buying the company, Ford started investing heavily in Jaguar’s product development and expansion, but soon faced financial troubles also in the 2000s due to the global recession and a decline in demand for its products.

In 2008, Ford decided to sell its luxury brands to Tata Motors for $2.3 billion, to raise cash and focus on its core business.

In 2013, Tata Motors merged the two brands into a single entity, Jaguar Land Rover, and gave it operational and financial autonomy. The company also provided Jaguar Land Rover with access to its global network and resources, as well as support for its innovation and growth.

Ever since JLR went under Tata Motors, it has continued to grow and innovate, launching new models and expanding its global presence. The brand has also invested in electric vehicles, autonomous driving, and connected car technology, to keep up with the changing trends and customer expectations.

Jaguar’s timeline up to the Tata Motors merger:

• 1922 – William Lyons and William Walmsley founded the Swallow Sidecar Company 
• 1935 – The company launched its first car, the SS Jaguar
• 1945 – The company changed its name from SS Cars to Jaguar Cars 
• 1966 – Jaguar merged with the British Motor Corporation to form British Motor Holdings 
• 1968 – British Motor Holdings merged with Leyland Motor Corporation to form British Leyland 
• 1975 – Jaguar was nationalized along with British Leyland 
• 1984 – Jaguar was privatized and listed on the London Stock Exchange 
• 1990 – Ford acquired Jaguar for $2.5 billion 
• 2008 – Ford sold Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata Motors for $2.3 billion 
• 2013 – Tata Motors merged Jaguar and Land Rover into Jaguar Land Rover

How much money does Jaguar make?

JLR does not report separate financial results for Jaguar and Land Rover, but rather for the combined entity. 

Therefore, the financial performance of Jaguar is not directly available, but can be inferred from the overall performance of JLR.

According to the Jaguar Land Rover annual report for the financial year 2023, the company had a revenue of £22.8 billion (about $29 billion) in 2023. This was an increase of 9.7% from the previous year, mainly due to the recovery of the demand and sales from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

JLR Business Model| Source: JAGUAR LAND ROVER AUTOMOTIVE PLC

Additionally, it reported a decrease in free cash flow of £0.5 billion (about $635m) in the fiscal year 2022/2023, compared to £1.2 billion (about $1.5 billion) in the previous year.

According to the report, JLR sold a total of 354,662 vehicles in the fiscal year 2022/2023, a decrease of 0.7% from the previous year. Of these, 102,494 vehicles were Jaguar models, representing 23.3% of the total sales. This was a decrease of 36.5% from the previous year, when Jaguar sold 161,601 vehicles, representing 30.4% of the total sales.

JLR’s main markets in the fiscal year 2022/2023 were China(down 5.0%), North America (down 15.1%), Europe (down 0.5%), and overseas of the total sales (down 6.3%), respectively. The UK seems to be the only market that showed an increase in sales, with a growth of 0.9% from the previous year.

Conclusion

Jaguar’s journey, from its humble beginnings in 1922 to its current home with Tata Motors, is a tale of style and adaptation. The 2013 merger with Land Rover added a dynamic chapter, forming Jaguar Land Rover under Tata’s guidance.

In the financial year 2023, Jaguar Land Rover showed a strong performance with $29 billion in revenue and $635 million in free cash flow. Yet, challenges surfaced with reduced cash flow and a drop in Jaguar car sales.

Beyond the numbers, Jaguar is embracing an electric future and exploring the Chinese market, signaling a commitment to staying relevant.