Or rather, lack thereof.
Jaguar made one of the biggest announcements of its 85-year history last week by declaring it'll be an electric-vehicle-only brand by 2025. Sister company Land Rover will still retain combustion-engined models at least through the end of the decade and intends to become a global leader of luxury electric SUVs. Jaguar's EV-only decision follows that of GM and Ford of Europe. It's only a matter of time until more automakers do the same. The news certainly has major significance for Jaguar dealerships and CEO Thierry Bollore's latest comments has some very concerned about what lies ahead.
Automotive News reports Bollore confirmed he intends to move Jaguar away from SUVs. The Jaguar F-Pace has been its best-selling model for the past few years.
Bollore previously admitted a fully electric sports car, such as an F-Type successor, is also not a high priority. The brand's only current EV, the I-Pace, has not been a strong seller. Dealers are now wondering what will be left to sell without a robust SUV lineup. The next-generation all-electric XJ sedan has been canceled and the XE is no longer sold stateside, leaving just the XF.
A couple of dealers who spoke on condition of anonymity following Bollore's presentation came away with very different predictions about what's in store. One thinks Jaguar is finished while the second believes it'll thrive with EVs, especially with Gerry McGovern in charge of the brand. McGovern leads JLR's UK design studio with decades of industry experience.
He also has a reputation for thinking outside of the box. But if Jaguar is preparing to hand SUV duties over to Land Rover, what will it sell? No definitive answers are available yet but a company spokesperson offered the following statement: "By the middle of the decade, Jaguar will have undergone a renaissance to emerge as a pure-electric luxury brand with a dramatically beautiful new portfolio of emotionally engaging designs and pioneering next-generation technologies."
Starting now, Jaguar is working with its dealers "to fully prepare for that next generation of the brand, while we also go to market with the current new Jaguar lineup to 2025." In any case, Jaguar's lineup will look very different less than five years from now than it does currently.
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