Is Jaguar Inches Away from Death's Door?
Rumors of Jaguar’s death may be greatly exaggerated, or are they? Recent posts on social media claim to feature a letter from a Jaguar dealer that tells an owner of the brand’s demise. While we don’t tend to fall for shaky internet rumors, there’s enough smoke around Jaguar to warrant a closer look for fire.
The Facebook post that started the discussion landed on The Car Guys group. User Chris Henry pasted text they claim is from a dealer that said, in part, “New reports suggest that JLR (Jaguar-Land Rover) is working towards spinning Jaguar off to sell it as a separate business unit. My guess is they’ll find a Chinese backer looking to enter the market with some brand recognition. Their plan is for low volume production in the future that doesn’t fully support the existing dealer network.”
Despite the confidence behind these claims, there’s a whole lot of respectable reporting to refute it. Automotive News and Road and Track reported that Jaguar would shutter its production lines this summer, but noted that the automaker will have enough surplus inventory to keep dealers stocked until next year. That said, we don’t know how allocations will work or if the vehicles will be order-only.
At that point, Jaguar is expected to start shipping its next-generation electric vehicles, with the first set to debut later this year ahead of a 2025 release date. Sounds pretty definitive, no? Even so, it’s worth noting that the company is shedding dealers at an alarming pace, so the speculation isn’t coming from left field.
We'll let Jaguar have the last word. The company itself told us, via a spokesperson: "Jaguar production at our Castle Bromwich site (XE, XF and F-TYPE) will come to an end in June 2024, followed by our Graz site (E-PACE and I-PACE) in December 2024.
F-PACE production at Solihull continues with no end date announced.
We have curated a range of exclusive specifications reflecting the richest options and engine mix of our XE, XF and F-TYPE models. Clients can find these curated specifications and pricing on our website and can purchase through our retail network. E-PACE, F-PACE and I-PACE are still available to build on the configurator.
In regards to our electrification strategy, our statement below: 'Jaguar will be radically reimagined as an all-electric luxury brand by 2025. The first of three new Jaguars is a 4-door GT with a range of up to c. 435 miles, built in Solihull. Priced from £100k, it will go on sale 2024 with new Jaguars on the road in 2025.'"
[Image: Arcansel via Shutterstock]
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Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.
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Would think they should have hedged their bets by retaining the capacity to make some ICE sedans, but they say they are discontinuing production and changing over the factory for the coming EVs. The coming 4 door GT sounds nice, but would also be nice if ICE powered.
They removed the supercharged v6 from the XF in 2021 but could easily have continued it as it was the same platform, slightly restyled. Could do that now, but they are stopping production.
I just wonder if there is any re-thinking at Jag now.
I have a 2017 XE with the supercharged v6 and it is a delight to drive and, IMO, still very good looking.
The problem here is that paring up Jaguar with Land Rover worked.
"I'd like something in a nice British sedan"
"Let me show you this Jaguar"
"I'd prefer an SUV crossover thing"
"Let's show you this Land Rover instead"
And then they decided to "GM in the badge sharing era" the thing.
"But we want a version of that vehicle with our brand on it"
"What the hell? You guys are the same company and work in the same showroom - all you're doing is shifting sales from one side of the room to the other."
Jaguar crossovers make as much sense to me as a Land Rover badged F-Type or XKR. I still say people may be buying fewer cars, but they're still buying them. and people may be buying fewer coupes because fewer are being offered. Jaguar has never been and will never be a big volume player - to make it one destroys the prestige perception that makes it what it is (was?) See X-type.
The truly unfortunate part is if some Chinese EV conglomerate buys the name and heritage for peanuts, comes up with a stunning low-volume vehicle priced at $500K that's used in every music video instead of a Maybach or Bugatti - imagine a Lagonda that truly looked distinctive, and everyone is going to say "Oh, well, I could've done that."
"Then why didn't you?"