INTERVIEW RICHARD HAIGH
The recent change in the nationality of the firm's shareholders shouldn't lead to any major alteration in direction, said Jaguar's man in Thailand, shortly after unveiling the new XF model here
ALFRED THA HLA
The firm that designed and built some of the most seductive cars of the last century hasn't been English-owned for quite a while now. And, in case you hadn't heard, it recently changed nationality yet again.
It started out as the Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922 and had a name change to SS Cars Ltd in 1934 before adopting the familiar Panthera onca logo as Jaguar Cars Ltd in 1945. The company was bought by the Ford Motor Corporation in 1989.
Almost one month to the day before the July 1 Thai premiere of the Jaguar XF at Siam Paragon, Tata Motors of India completed its purchase of Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford for a cool US$2.3 billion (about 76 billion baht).
Although one might have thought that this would result in the infusion of some Indian ideas, a spicing up of the leaping jaguar's performance, so to speak, Richard Haigh, managing director of Jaguar & Land Rover Importers Asia-Pacific, doesn't see any dramatic transformations on the horizon.
"I have a long history with the company [since 1979] and we've had numerous changes of ownership over that period and what you tend to find is that even if there is a change of shareholders it doesn't necessarily change the business.
"Certainly the recent acquisition by Tata is very positive, as far as Jaguar and Land Rover business go. We have improved our future from the financial perspective and Tata will keep an eye on their investment. But I don't see any differences around me."
Taking a global perspective, Jaguar is going through a "period of renewal", the phrase used by Haigh to refer to the brand's market resurrection after a spell in the doldrums before the launch of the XKR, 18 months back, and the unveiling of the XF at the Frankfurt Motor Show late last year. "We believe the XF is going to pay dividends ... wait till you drive it," he said with a smile.
Asked to comment on the exponential rise, of late, in the cost of fuel, Haigh responded with typical English understatement: "As far as Asia is concerned, no one likes to see climbing oil prices. As far as our sector [goes] ... generally speaking, those people who are in the market for our products are less affected then the mass market."
He was confident that the XF would present the opportunity "to generate more volume for its market", as he put it.
"We're not selling cheap cars. These cars are priced at five million baht north - and the air is a bit thin up there. We'd probably get 10% market share in this sector."
Jaguar is represented here by Jaguar Cars (Thailand) which is managed by the Inthraphuvasak family, most recently in the limelight because part-time racer Vuthikorn Inthraphuvasak has been named a "brand ambassador" for the XF. However, due to its taxation policies, Thailand ranks in the lower quartile of Jaguar markets in Asia (Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines).
So how does Jaguar compete with marques which are more established here such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW?
"I think we compete on an equal footing, but we're probably at the premium end of those marques. Jaguar starts with the XF 3.0-litre but other offerings are much lower down the scale so it wouldn't be fair to compare an XF 3.0 with a 520 BMW.
"We're a niche premium manufacturer at the top end with 70,000 to 80,000 vehicles per year - not a million."
Several analysts have noted that Jaguar's withdrawal from Formula One participation might put a dent in its brand image plus its ability to adapt advanced technology for use in the mass production of cars. Jaguar seems content, however, to continue its association with 24 Hours of Le Mans racing instead, since the components and technology used in that event more closely approximate to those used in standard cars; it takes a lot more time to translate F1 technology into something for everyday use.
Shifting gears to the environment, Haigh noted that his firm has always emphasised aluminum and lightweight technology in its larger XK and XJ line-up.
"A much lighter vehicle which requires less effort to move forward will produce less CO2. We are focused, as all manufacturers have to be, and time will prove that Jaguar is the most competitive in its sector in terms of CO2 emissions."
As Haigh compared notes with guest emcees Nino Buranasiri and Lydia Visuthada at the XF launch at Siam Paragon the other week, this writer learned that Jaguar (and Land Rover) is to relocate its regional HQ here following approval by Thailand's Board of Investment of the company's business plan for regional operations.
So it appears that Bangkok will, after all, be the hunting lodge for Jaguar as it surveys the wide open plains of the Asean market.
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10 questions for Haigh
- What's your favourite car? (besides a Jag or Land Rover)?
The Aston Martin.
- Favourite industrialist?
Sir John Harvey Jones [1924-2008], chairman of ICI [Imperial Chemical Industries].
- Favourite athlete?
Because I'm a Brit, it's a toss-up between McLaren Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton and Britain's top tennis player Andy Murray.
- Favourite timepiece?
I like functional watches, like the TAG Heuer I'm wearing.
- Favourite human being?
Mahatma Gandhi [1869-1948; pioneer of Satyagraha resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience and other non-violent methods].
- Favourite movie?
I'm a fan of Nicholas Cage's action movies.
- Favourite rock band?
Led Zeppelin [UK combo formed in 1968, featuring Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar and keyboards) and John Bonham (drums); sold 300 million albums and was one of the major bands of the '70s; disbanded in 1980].
- Favourite politician?
Sir Winston Churchill [1874-1965; British prime minister from 1940-45 and 1951-55].
- Greatest achievement?
Establishing Jaguar in the Asia-Pacific region and, prior to that, doing a similar job for Land Rover in Europe.
- If you were in charge of national automotive policy for a day, what would you do?
[Ensure] transparency in the rules that are applied and, in time, the adoption of WTO principles and the reduction of taxes.
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