Jaguar to ditch current nameplates for alphanumeric badges?

An automaker can't make it in the fringe anymore. Everything's going either upmarket or mainstream, and Jaguar has opted primarily for the latter. The company that not so long ago offered essentially one sedan and one two-door is rapidly expanding to a full lineup. So what's the next step? According to the rumormeisters over at Autocar, it's ditching its current model naming strategy.

According to the UK publication, Jaguar is preparing to jettison nameplates like XJ and XF in favor of a more conventional alphanumeric system like those employed by its German and Japanese rivals. The thinking is that while the faithful know Coventry's naming system, it's not immediately evident to newcomers and outsiders where one model sits in the line-up vis-a-vis the next. Besides, it won't be the first time Jag has slapped alphanumeric badges like XJ8 on the flanks of its cars.

One model could possibly hold out, though, as the C-X75 heads down the road to production. Filling the shoes of the iconic XJ220, the company is reportedly toying with the idea of naming the new supercar XJ330. The original was named for the 220 mph top speed it was aimed to reach (but never did), and the new model is targeted to hit a more realistic 205 mph – or 330 km/h on the metric scale.