Jaguar Put Down The Crack Pipe And Didn't Name F-Pace SUV The "X-Type"

Jan. 15, 2015 12:45 PM ET by Jay Traugott Industry News / 55 Comments

Resurrect the name of a discontinued sedan nobody liked? Seriously?!

Back in the late 1990s, someone at Jaguar, then owned by Ford, had the brilliant idea (note: full dosage of sarcasm) to take the European Ford Mondeo sedan and turn it into an entry-level Jaguar. That became known as the X-Type, which launched in 2001. It was a clear warning sign that Jaguar was in deep shit. Build quality was decent enough but every self-respecting Jaguar fan knows a Jag is not a rebadged Ford, no matter how many design changes are made.

The X-Type name, we all assumed was damned to hell forever. Only it almost wasn't. Jaguar, according to its head designer Ian Callum, came close to naming its upcoming SUV the X-Type. F-Pace was the final decision, which isn't at all an odd choice (sarcasm continued) and, believe it or not, Callum himself favored X-Type. When it came down to three names after X-Type was eliminated, Callum also voted for F-Pace. "I like it because I think it's got a bit of texture and character to it and I think after time people will get used to it," Callum explained. Whatever. At least X-Type remains dead. Hopefully forever.