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Jaguar X-Type
Here's a look at seven brand extensions that are a real stretch
In 2002, Ford decided to redesign its mass-market Mondeo car (sold in Europe) and introduce it as an inexpensive extension of its luxe Jaguar brand. The idea followed the lead of the competing "Baby Benz" and BMW cars that proved popular among younger drivers in the 1980s and 1990s. Ford publicly predicted that the Jaguar X-type would help bump overall Jag sales to 200,000 models a year. But the so-called cheap Jaguar didn't fool consumers, who saw it as a cheap Ford with a Jaguar hood ornament.