Jaguar has a plan, but the only folks who seem to feel good about it are the folks at Jaguar. The public has forgotten the storied British brand, and dealers in Canada are suing the company for its seeming neglect of the franchise.
What’s the plan? To recreate Jaguar as an “ultra-luxury” purveyor of limited-production electric vehicles.
Why does Jaguar need a plan? Jaguar needs a plan because the luxury carmaker sold fewer than 4000 vehicles in the U.S. in the first half of 2024, most of which were the brand’s F-Pace compact crossover.I have written before about how Jaguar got itself in this predicament; you can read that post here. More importantly, we need to look at Jaguar’s “plan,” with dispassionate eyes, because there are a number of hard truths facing the company—especially in the U.S. market—and a meaningful comeback, especially as an ultra-luxury brand—seems pretty unlikely.
Cutting Jaguar Dealers
Part of the Jaguar plan, which includes rolling out three electric vehicles over the next three or four years, is to shed its dealer count. This makes some sense, as given Jaguar’s current sales volume, brand stores are currently starved for business.
The well-liked but aging and slow-selling F-Type is among the Jaguar models being dropped this year.
Jaguar began 2023 with 195 dealers, but ended the year with just 149. At one point, most Land Rover dealerships were pared with Jaguar franchises, but as the Jag-store count drops, more and more Land Rover shops are going it alone. At last count, there were roughly 200 Land Rover dealers in the country.
As a point of reference, there are 77 Bentley dealerships in the U.S., and 384 Mercedes-Benz stores.
(Note: Both Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Indian industrial conglomerate Tata, and share not only a U.S. distribution channel, but basic architectures and technology, as well.)
Dropping Models
The store-count numbers are especially topical, as this last week, Jaguar announced an end to the sale of four of its five remaining models. Gone immediately are the F-Type coupe and convertible, the XF midsize sedan, E-Pace subcompact crossover, and the i-Pace electric crossover. Jaguar’s sole remaining vehicle is the F-pace compact crossover—which will soldier into 2025 alone.
Bleak as all this sounds, Jaguar officials promise us, “The transformation of Jaguar into an all-electric modern luxury brand is on track.” Never mind that Jaguar has struggled to sell an electric vehicle, the i-Pace small crossover, since its introduction in 2019—and just killed that model off.
Future Cars
The timing is a little unclear, but Jaguar has three new models scheduled for U.S. launch over the next 3-4 years. All three are built on Jaguar’s new Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA). Here’s what we’re being told to expect:
The F-Pace will be Jaguar’s only U.S.-market model for 2025.
Grand Touring Sedan
The first vehicle, which could debut at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show, is being called by Jaguar, “A copy of nothing.” Described as a touring sedan, the first of the new Jaguars could be a rival for Porsche’s Taycan 4-door electric sports car. At $125,000, the new Jag is priced well below ultra-luxury offering from the likes of Bentley or even Mercedes-Benz. Jaguar promises the car will travel more than 400 miles on a single charge. This car may be called the Jaguar GT.
Midsize Crossover
Jaguar has shared no information about this vehicle, but as a midsize crossover, it will strike at the heart of the luxury market. Competition could include the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq, and Volvo EX80, though all of these hew closer to the mainstream than Jaguar intends to position its new EVs. This vehicle should be revealed in 2026.
Compact Crossover
We know nothing about the third of the new Jaguar EVs due in the near future, but a compact crossover should help bolster sales. The small crossover is rumored to hit showrooms for the 2027 model year.
While Jaguar promises that its new cars will be copies of nothing, it is a little disappointing that the planned EV models will slot so easily into established market categories. That said, premium-vehicle outliers, including the Mercedes-Benz R-Class (a minivan or sorts), Lexus LF-A (slow-selling super car), and Volkswagen Phaeton (a Bentley-based sedan branded VW) have not fared well in the market place. Can the new Jaguars be both refreshingly different and comfortably familiar? Jaguar seems to be shooting for both.
Final Thoughts
One last question: Why bother transforming a classic British marque best known for style and sophistication—and, honestly, poor reliability—into anything? At this point, it seems as if it would simply be easier to start from scratch. I would argue that what brand equity remains in the Jaguar name is ill suited for the new-age, all-electric, super-premium brand company leaders seem hell bent on forcing it to become. And, honestly, can’t Land Rover simply become that brand?
This author would love to see Jaguar make a heroic comeback, however my rooting interest may fade as the brand continues to distance itself from its storied past. After all, what is Jaguar once you’ve scrubbed all the wool carpet, big 6-cylinder engines, and heritage design from its resume? Something of a low-volume, upmarket Tesla, I fear–and there’s little point in calling that company Jaguar.
There was a time when every brand model was easily recognized as a Jaguar. That is not the case with carmaker’s recent crop of cars and crossovers. Seen here is the V12-powered XJ-S coupe.
What’s Next for Jaguar? (Future Cars)
Dead Brand Walking.
Jaguar has a plan, but the only folks who seem to feel good about it are the folks at Jaguar. The public has forgotten the storied British brand, and dealers in Canada are suing the company for its seeming neglect of the franchise.
Jaguar news and reviews
What’s Next for Jaguar?
Overview
What’s the plan? To recreate Jaguar as an “ultra-luxury” purveyor of limited-production electric vehicles.
Why does Jaguar need a plan? Jaguar needs a plan because the luxury carmaker sold fewer than 4000 vehicles in the U.S. in the first half of 2024, most of which were the brand’s F-Pace compact crossover.
I have written before about how Jaguar got itself in this predicament; you can read that post here. More importantly, we need to look at Jaguar’s “plan,” with dispassionate eyes, because there are a number of hard truths facing the company—especially in the U.S. market—and a meaningful comeback, especially as an ultra-luxury brand—seems pretty unlikely.
Cutting Jaguar Dealers
Part of the Jaguar plan, which includes rolling out three electric vehicles over the next three or four years, is to shed its dealer count. This makes some sense, as given Jaguar’s current sales volume, brand stores are currently starved for business.
Jaguar began 2023 with 195 dealers, but ended the year with just 149. At one point, most Land Rover dealerships were pared with Jaguar franchises, but as the Jag-store count drops, more and more Land Rover shops are going it alone. At last count, there were roughly 200 Land Rover dealers in the country.
As a point of reference, there are 77 Bentley dealerships in the U.S., and 384 Mercedes-Benz stores.
(Note: Both Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Indian industrial conglomerate Tata, and share not only a U.S. distribution channel, but basic architectures and technology, as well.)
Dropping Models
The store-count numbers are especially topical, as this last week, Jaguar announced an end to the sale of four of its five remaining models. Gone immediately are the F-Type coupe and convertible, the XF midsize sedan, E-Pace subcompact crossover, and the i-Pace electric crossover. Jaguar’s sole remaining vehicle is the F-pace compact crossover—which will soldier into 2025 alone.
Bleak as all this sounds, Jaguar officials promise us, “The transformation of Jaguar into an all-electric modern luxury brand is on track.” Never mind that Jaguar has struggled to sell an electric vehicle, the i-Pace small crossover, since its introduction in 2019—and just killed that model off.
Future Cars
The timing is a little unclear, but Jaguar has three new models scheduled for U.S. launch over the next 3-4 years. All three are built on Jaguar’s new Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA). Here’s what we’re being told to expect:
Grand Touring Sedan
The first vehicle, which could debut at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show, is being called by Jaguar, “A copy of nothing.” Described as a touring sedan, the first of the new Jaguars could be a rival for Porsche’s Taycan 4-door electric sports car. At $125,000, the new Jag is priced well below ultra-luxury offering from the likes of Bentley or even Mercedes-Benz. Jaguar promises the car will travel more than 400 miles on a single charge. This car may be called the Jaguar GT.
Midsize Crossover
Jaguar has shared no information about this vehicle, but as a midsize crossover, it will strike at the heart of the luxury market. Competition could include the Audi Q8 e-tron, BMW iX, Cadillac Lyriq, and Volvo EX80, though all of these hew closer to the mainstream than Jaguar intends to position its new EVs. This vehicle should be revealed in 2026.
Compact Crossover
We know nothing about the third of the new Jaguar EVs due in the near future, but a compact crossover should help bolster sales. The small crossover is rumored to hit showrooms for the 2027 model year.
While Jaguar promises that its new cars will be copies of nothing, it is a little disappointing that the planned EV models will slot so easily into established market categories. That said, premium-vehicle outliers, including the Mercedes-Benz R-Class (a minivan or sorts), Lexus LF-A (slow-selling super car), and Volkswagen Phaeton (a Bentley-based sedan branded VW) have not fared well in the market place. Can the new Jaguars be both refreshingly different and comfortably familiar? Jaguar seems to be shooting for both.
Final Thoughts
One last question: Why bother transforming a classic British marque best known for style and sophistication—and, honestly, poor reliability—into anything? At this point, it seems as if it would simply be easier to start from scratch. I would argue that what brand equity remains in the Jaguar name is ill suited for the new-age, all-electric, super-premium brand company leaders seem hell bent on forcing it to become. And, honestly, can’t Land Rover simply become that brand?
This author would love to see Jaguar make a heroic comeback, however my rooting interest may fade as the brand continues to distance itself from its storied past. After all, what is Jaguar once you’ve scrubbed all the wool carpet, big 6-cylinder engines, and heritage design from its resume? Something of a low-volume, upmarket Tesla, I fear–and there’s little point in calling that company Jaguar.
2018-2020 Jaguar XF Sportbrake: Future Collectibles
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