When new CEO Thierry Bollore announced his bold new Reimagine strategy, meant to revive the fortunes of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), he made several bold claims.
Now only would the company become a net-zero-carbon business by 2039, but every Jaguar and Land Rover model will be offered with an electric-only version by the end of the decade, and Jaguar will become an electric-only luxury brand from 2025 onwards.
Big ambitions indeed, but they raised yet more questions about the immediate future of both brands. Questions we aim to answer here.
What will happen to the Jaguar range?
Jaguar is heading for a total rethink, to become an EV-only brand by 2025. Under the new Reimagine plan, there appears to be a recognition that Land Rover is the one that does classic SUVs, while Jaguar must devise “a dramatically new portfolio of emotionally engaging designs” that doesn’t clash with the financially more successful Land Rover.
Does that mean Jaguar’s Jaguar XE and Jaguar XF saloons are goners too?
Bolloré won’t confirm that – but he won’t deny it, either. He says he wants the rethink of Jaguar to be so free that he’s not prepared to say anything that might place a limit on what happens next.
So he didn’t confirm an electric Jaguar F-Type?
No, he didn’t, although he did say that the subject of EV sports cars was recognised as an extremely important question, which he and his colleagues were “considering carefully”.
What about the Jaguar E-Pace, a successful seller that’s made in Graz, Austria, by Magna Steyr?
No specifics were given, but the suggestion that Jaguars will be EV-only by 2025 and that the future range will place a lot less stress on SUVs certainly seems to limit its prospects.
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Every manufacturer realises you cannot be successful without SUVs. Porsche selling SUVs doesn't tread on Audi's toes. If Thierry thinks that Jaguar must dispense with SUV's, he doesn't know the car industry or is winding Jaguar down to irrelevance. If LR does the offroad SUVs and Jaguar does on onroad focused SUVs, then they can both justify their existence side by side.
When Thierry speaks about JLR's future, to me he says nothing. Perhaps he doesn't want to say anything because its commercially sensitive. In which case why say anything?
The canning of the XJ is baffling unless changes to factory requirements over the next few years would conflict with assembling it anywhere. OK, I'm clutching at straws here.
I fail to see any answers in this at all. It is plain there is no substantial plan for Jaguars future in his mind and they will be left to come up with some 'emotionally engaging designs' which can't be alternative SUV's (the single largest most profitable segment), because that treads on Land Rovers toes.
Also, wishing to achieve something is far from a plan to actually achieve it. So for instance, wishing to achieve double digit profitability while reducing volume simply isn't going to work against much better funded, higher volume (better built and more advanced) rivals.
Either JLR are going to have to produce some pretty extraordinary vehicles in the next ten years from limited resources or they will end up as another British outpost of a German owned car company (like Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin and Mini) or simply fade away altogether.
What about Evoque/ ex Freelander type vehicles?
I see that JLR has admitted that they are missing out on annual sales of 100,000 vehicles due to their reputation for poor quality, and are simplifying vehicle architecture as part of this. Also warranty costs are already down by 25%. About time - it's not rocket science to make what customers want...