A cornered cat makes weird jumps, shall we say. Because the ailing Jaguar has announced this week that it will scrap all its models, except for the electric I-Pace. Instead of the XE, XF, E-Pace, F-Pace and F-Type, a number of completely new, all-electric models will be launched. No suvs, no sedans, but something else…
Things are not going so well for Jaguar. The quintessential British luxury brand is at a loss and does not lose its cars on the paving stones. So something has to be done. Thierry Bolloré, general manager of Jaguar Land Rover, is a man of drastic measures. He previously announced that Jaguar will be fully electric from 2025, but strangely enough, the new electric XJ was killed.
Jaguar develops its own electric platform, called Panthera
Bolloré told the German magazine Auto Motor und Sport that all current Jaguar models will no longer receive a successor. Only the I-Pace remains. Jaguar is working on its own platform, called Panthera. Based on that, a series of new models will be launched. No SUVs or crossovers, Bollorè hastens to say, but no traditional sedans either. So what, Bollorè remains vague about that. He just wants to say that future Jaguars will be low.
‘Buyers like Jaguar, but still go for Audi or BMW’
“Our cars have never been better than in 2021,” said Bollorè with a shrug, “but those positive qualities are not appreciated. If you listen to buyers in the premium segment, they think Jaguar is nice and beautiful and interesting, but in the end they buy an Audi or BMW. That’s our problem. People buy originals. We’re not originals. So Jaguar’s positioning has to change.”
‘Jaguar must make distinctive cars, without competition’
Bollorè thinks Jaguar should look closely at sister brand Land Rover / Range Rover. “Land Rover models are unique in their positioning and are selling well. Jaguar must therefore become a brand with distinctive cars, for which there is really no competition.” And that is why the XE, XF and XJ were fired. They simply cannot compete with the German alternatives. Suvs, Bolloré does not want that either, because Land Rover already has that part of the market.