Who Owns Jaguar And Where Are Its Cars Built?

Before the end of 2024, Jaguar caused a stir with the unveiling of a rebrand and its newest — and boldest — concept car, the Type 00. The announcement signaled the British car company's decisive shift toward manufacturing electric vehicles. However, this rather significant change is nothing but the newest chapter in Jaguar's rich and storied history.

The Jaguar cars, with their leaping cat symbol and elite reputation, have been on the market for almost a century now. They gained popularity not only for their elegant and sporty looks but also for their robust and innovative performance. And as such, the once small motorcycle sidecar company in Blackpool, England, slowly became one of the world's leading luxury vehicle brands.

But while the carmaker's journey originally began in the United Kingdom, it has seen some changes in ownership and operations throughout the years. So, who owns Jaguar now? And where are Jags currently built? To answer those questions, here's the 411 on Jaguar's current ownership and manufacturing locations.

Over the decades since Jaguar came to be, ownership of the brand has been passed from one company to another. To start, Jaguar was originally the Swallow Sidecar Company founded in 1922 by partners William Lyons and William Walmsley. Back then, they were only focused on producing motorcycle sidecars since motorcycles were more common than cars. The company was quick to grow, taking only three years to reach sales of 100 sidecars per month.

However, Lyons' real vision was to become a car manufacturer. So to realize this dream, the company expanded into producing car bodies, eventually being renamed to the Swallow Sidecar and Coachbuilding Company. Lyons didn't stop there, though. The name was shortened to SS as they started making their own cars using the engines supplied by Standard Cars.

In 1934, Lyons and Walmsley split, and the company transitioned into the world of car manufacturing. A decade later, in 1945, the entire SS brand name was dropped, and the firm adopted the name Jaguar Cars Limited for two reasons: one, to avoid any association with the Nazi SS, and two, to better position itself as a distinct brand. From there, Jaguar cars blew up with models like the XK120 and E-TYPE.

In the years after World War II, Jaguar further expanded. It acquired the Daimler Car Company, Coventry-Climax (which then manufactured marine diesels, forklift trucks, and fire pumps), and Guy Motors (producer of powered vehicles). However, to make an even bigger name for itself, in 1965, Lyons formed a partnership with the British Motor Corporation, and created the British Motor Holdings Group. The company later joined with Leyland Motor Corporation Limited and became the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). Unfortunately, by 1975, the government had to take ownership of the BLMC after it suffered from economic challenges.

Nearly a decade after the nationalization, Jaguar regained its private status in 1984 through the efforts of its managing director John Egan. Just five years after Jaguar became a private company again, Ford took over. The American carmaker brought with it the financial backing and infrastructure Jaguar needed to ramp up and even expand its production. However, Ford eventually sold Jaguar — along with Land Rover — to its current owner, Tata Motors, in 2008. Not only was it a way to cut costs, but Ford also didn't feel that either company aligned with its brand.

Tata Motors is based in Mumbai, India, and belongs to the larger Tata Group, the biggest multinational conglomerate company in India. Tata Motors is a known manufacturer of SUVs, electric cars, buses, and trucks. In 2013, it merged Jaguar and Land Rover into the singular Jaguar Land Rover Limited, which still stands today.

There are currently six Jaguar manufacturing sites worldwide, half of which are located in the luxury car's birth country, England. The facilities in England are specifically based in Birmingham, Solihull, and Wolverhamptom. Birmingham serves as the main assembly facility for the Jaguar F-TYPE, XE, XF, and XJ models, while Solihull is for making the F-PACE model. On the other hand, Wolverhampton is where engines for the Jaguar cars are assembled. Aside from the vehicle production itself, England, specifically Gaydon, Warwickshire, is also home to Jaguar's design studio. Interestingly, this design studio sits right next to the British Motor Museum, which features a dedicated Jaguar zone displaying classic Jags like the XJR-9 (the 1988 Le Mans winner), the 1950 XK120, the 1954 D-type prototype, and the one-of-a-kind XJ13.

Outside of England, the remaining three Jaguar manufacturing facilities are spread across the globe: one in Changshu, China, another in Graz, Austria, and the last one in Pune, India. Similar to the Wolverhamptom plant, the China-based site is for engine assembly. However, this is also where some of the Jaguar XE and XF production takes place. Meanwhile, the Austria location handles the manufacturing of the Jaguar I-PACE and E-PACE models, and the India facility assembles parts for the Jaguar XJ and XF.