QOTD: How Would You Fix Jaguar?
Last week, we brought you news that Jaguar is seeing sales plummet.
We've already asked you how to fix Stellantis. Now let's see if you can do the same with the iconic British brand.
If it were me, I'd go back to timeless and elegant design to start -- look at the XF and go from there. I'd keep the lineup simple -- a compact sedan to fight the Lexus IS and BMW 3 Series, a mid-size sedan to fight the 5 Series, and a large flagship sedan.
Then do the same with crossovers -- small, medium, and large. Large here meaning more Porsche Cayenne in size -- not Jeep Wagoneer.
Speaking of Jeep, your mid-sizer would be around the Grand Cherokee in size and your compact would be along the lines of the Cherokee. Something like that.
Then, finally, add one F-Type-replacing sports car as a halo car to get people in showrooms.
And, of course, make sure all these models are fun to drive, luxurious, priced right, and reliable (yes, I know).
Now it's your turn. Sound off below.
[Image: Jaguar]
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Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.
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Jaguar was always known for beautiful cars at reasonable prices relative to comparable (looking) cars, i.e. Jag/Aston Martin. Even the modern ones were priced well against the competition; good bang for the buck, because the public always assumed they cost more than the really did. Now they have deliberately turned their back on the existing customer base, both in terms of image and affordability. The exclusive/expensive EV always seemed like a bad idea to me, and stopping production was a bad mistake, in terms of continuity of the brand.
I don't know if there is time to turn the ship around. If they have a great looking new model they should show it now, to counteract the negativity produced by their stupid advertising.
Moreover, they should still have factories that are able to produce updated versions of their last line of cars, with better (more powerful) engines.
I have enjoyed owning Jaguars for many years, and still find the current XE and XF fun to drive and great to look at.
Your suggestions are basically to do what they were doing only better and more refined and targeted, and I agree. I had a 2018 F-Pace and I drove a 2025 almost on a whim when I was driving by a dealer and ended up trading in the 2018. The difference was night and day. The inline 6, PiviPro, improvements in interior, overall construction, ride quality, and tech, was like two different manufacturers. The I-6 is a really nice engine. By the way I had zero problems over the history of the 2018, zero. And all maintenance was included for 5 years. In my opinion, Jaguar could have continued those improvements, do a significant design update of the XF and XE, somehow gotten 250 pounds of weight off the F-Type, that would have been good. Their cars were competitive in their segments. Yes, the F-Pace was in between a Macan and Cayenne, making a direct comparison more difficult, and most reviews compared it to the Macan, which was sharper. I think the I-Pace design was a mistake. I think they were aiming for a futuristic look when they should have gone for a sleek rounded Jaguar shape (forget that Tesla Model S already kind of took Jaguar’s design language for a four door sedan). They probably could have just made a lower sleeker F-Pace style and done quite well. The I-Pace design just came out a little awkward. I don’t have much faith that Jaguar can pull off the next phase. I’m afraid non-car people are in charge. I hope I’m wrong.