Jaguar is about to make a bold move as it shifts to becoming an all-electric luxury brand. The company has announced that it won't sell any cars for an entire year to facilitate this transition.
Starting in 2025, Jaguar plans to be a fully electric brand. But to make this happen, they’ll take a 12-month break from selling any cars. The F-Pace SUV, their last combustion-engine model, will be discontinued early next year, marking the end of an era for Jaguar’s petrol-powered vehicles.
Recently, Jaguar confirmed that production of the I-Pace EV and E-Pace SUV will soon come to an end, leaving the F-Pace as their only remaining model until early 2025. After that, Jaguar will go through a period where no new cars will be available in the UK. The brand’s new electric GT won't be delivered until 2026, leaving a year-long gap with no new Jaguars on the market.
Jaguar's managing director, Rawdon Glover, confirmed to Autocar that the car manufacturer will temporarily pull out of some European markets by the end of this year. However, UK customers can still buy the F-Pace until early 2025. During the downtime, Jaguar will shift its focus to used cars and aftersales services.
To keep interest alive, Jaguar plans to unveil a concept for their next-generation electric lineup this December. The first model will be a sleek, four-door GT with a new design that will set the tone for Jaguar's electric future. Expected to cost around £100,000, it will boast a range of over 435 miles and a 575bhp powertrain, making it the most powerful car Jaguar has ever produced. Following this, a large saloon and an SUV are expected to launch in 2028.
Earlier this year, Jaguar announced it would reduce production to only SUV models as part of its aggressive move toward an all-electric lineup. The Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham stopped building cars in June, ending production of the XE, XF, and F-Type. Only the E-Pace, F-Pace, and electric I-Pace SUVs continued to be produced in Austria for the remainder of the year.
However, at an investor meeting in June, Jaguar updated its plan, deciding to cut all remaining models except for the F-Pace. Jaguar's CEO, Adrian Mardell, explained "We are eliminating five products, all lower value."
"None of those are vehicles on which we made any money, so we are replacing them with new vehicles on newly designed architectures."
While other manufacturers like Fiat, Ford, Renault, and Porsche are slowing down their electric plans, Jaguar is doubling down, aiming to go all-electric nearly a decade before some other brands. Jaguar’s strategy also includes creating unique, standout electric cars to address the issue of too many similar EVs on the market.
As Glover put it, "If we look at it, it's quite a homogenous sector, and I suspect that might be part of the reason why the BEV sector stalled a little bit."
"Actually, what you want to do is make a car that actually challenges some of those conventions."
He continued: "We've chosen a value over volume game, which is why we've gone to the price points we've gone to. "
"I wouldn't say the EV market development is irrelevant, but I think it's less relevant than perhaps it would be if I was in more of a commoditised volume segment."
