Jaguar will reportedly tread water for the three years on the product-rollout front, before turning its sights to selling only upmarket luxury EVs.
According to Le Monde, Jaguar will not release any new models between now and 2025 as it concentrates all of its time and energy on developing the previously promised high-end EV-only models.
“The brand is looking forward; 2025 is barely three years away,” Philippe Robbrecht, the new head of Jaguar Land Rover France, told the newspaper.
The company’s current line of models, which have all been recently refreshed, will soldier on pretty much as-is for the next couple of years with fewer drivetrain choices, and simplified trim and equipment packages.
By 2025, many models in Jaguar’s existing range – if they survive that long – will be some of the oldest cars available in their segments with the F-Type going into production in 2013, XE (2015), XF (2015), F-Pace (2016), E-Pace (2017), and I-Pace (2018).
In February this year Jaguar announced it would become an all-electric brand from 2025.
To do this, Jaguar will use a new EV-only platform either developed in-house or, perhaps, from an external supplier. The company’s existing platforms, as well as the recently developed MLA architecture, all support internal combustion engines and were judged to be insufficiently high-tech for an upmarket all-electric brand.
The expensively developed MLA platform, which made its debut under the fifth-generation Range Rover, will be now be used exclusively by Land Rover.
MLA was initially scheduled to go into production first with the new Jaguar XJ, but this vehicle was cancelled as it did not the company’s vision for the reborn brand, even though it was exceptionally close to being production ready. The related J-Pace crossover has also been axed.
The XJ that was never released
These moves were announced by Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore, who joined the firm in 2020 after a stint as CEO of Renault between 2018 and 2019.
In addition to jettisoning internal combustion engines, Jaguar will abandon its long-held ambition of being the English BMW, and will instead target the likes of Bentley and Porsche.
Jaguar’s post-2025 lineup is thought to feature just three cars: two crossover-style vehicles, and a two-door coupe.
The slimmed-down range is expected to sell in smaller numbers than today’s six-strong lineup, but will have bigger profit margins and a lower breakeven point.
Jaguar’s reduced sales outlook will likely see the company reduce its headcount further, although there are no plans to close any of its factories.
To put this all into context, BMW sold 2,028,659 cars and SUVs across the globe in 2020, while Jaguar managed just 102,494.
Porsche’s 272,200 high-profit sales helped to fill the Volkswagen Group’s coffers, while Bentley moved around 12,000 vehicles.
