Sad news, Jaguar fans: the storied marque’s model lineup is about to get a whole lot slimmer. Automotive News reports that the last current Jaguar to remain in production will be the F-Pace SUV, as all other models have either already received the axe, or will be killed off before 2024 is through. For the British brand, the era of internal combustion will end with a whimper rather than a bang, and there’s something disheartening about that.
While early warning doesn’t make the news any easier, we saw something along these lines coming. The Jaguar XE sedan, XF sedan, and F-Type sports car are already dead, and we already knew that the E-Pace compact crossover and the I-Pace electric crossover would be on the chopping block by the end of the year as Jaguar launches its grand electric vision.
However, what is surprising is Automotive News’ report that Jaguar CEO Adrian Mardell stated those five models had “close to zero profitability.” How do you end up with something like a subcompact luxury crossover with near-zero profitability? Aren’t those things supposed to print money?
Well, Jaguar got caught in the mainstream luxury rat race. Aiming for Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and BMW is all well and good, but catching up with the Germans is a fraught game as only a handful of automakers managed to do just that. Jaguar hadn’t been a mass-market luxury brand for decades, and as models like the E-Pace blurred the line between Jaguar and Land Rover, models like the XF were great to drive but just didn’t hit the sales mark.
Then there’s the reality that for the past decade or so, Jaguar has launched new models and then just never replaced them. The XE sedan is nearly a decade old, as is the XF. The F-Pace is eight years old, and the F-Type is nigh-on 11 years old. By model-cycle standards, those are all ancient, and even though they’ve all seen facelifts, they’re all overdue for replacements.
This makes me extremely sad….it could and should have been so different for Jaguar https://t.co/l53FJli8Un
— Wayne Burgess (@waynejburgess) July 15, 2024
If this all feels like a depressing way to end an era for a brand that’s made some incredibly cool stuff over the past fifteen years or so, you aren’t the only one. Wayne Burgess, chief designer of the original XF and lead designer of the F-Type, wrote on X, “This makes me extremely sad…it could and should have been so different for Jaguar.”
The fact is, Jaguar’s modern history is filled with great what-ifs. The C-X75 was a properly cool successor to the XJ220 that just never ended up happening. It made a brilliant appearance in Spectre, and one of the cars from the film has been made road-legal, but that’s largely the extent of that. It’s the same deal with the canceled X391 XJ sedan, which was rumored to be an electric flagship sedan with a combustion-powered range-extender, a best-of-both-worlds solution for quiet luxury motoring and grand touring alike.
The last current Jaguar to remain in production prior to the introduction of an all-new all-electric lineup is the F-Pace SUV, and while it’s a nifty BMW X3 alternative, the fact that it’s the last combustion-powered Jaguar is a bit sad. Ever since Jaguar and Land Rover shared North American showrooms, Land Rover was the SUV brand and Jaguar was the car brand. That the F-Pace is the only model deemed worthy of surviving speaks volumes to the changing tastes of consumers.
If Jaguar’s all-electric plan lives up to promises, it could result in a properly opulent model line that restores some of the past splendor the brand is revered for. However, with the electric luxury car market already heavily saturated, we’ll just have to see what the future holds.
(Photo credits: Jaguar)
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