Jaguar Needs a Miracle. Is This It?
When it comes to cock-ups, mismanagement, and hoping for fair winds and following seas, Jaguar is right up there.
If you haven’t heard, the Jaguar part of JLR—Jaguar Land Rover—is in a pickle. Earlier this year, it stopped selling the XE and XF sedans as well the F-Type sports car. Now it’s pulled the plug on the I-Pace electric car, the E-Pace junior SUV, and its primary cash cow, the F-Pace SUV.
This means you now can’t buy a new Jaguar in the U.K. And that means Jag dealers can’t sell you one. The last time this happened was when bombs were falling on factories, during World War II.
Yet for reasons best known to Jaguar executives, outside of the U.K., some international markets—America among them—will continue to sell new Jaguars.
The bosses at JLR say the blueprint for success is simple if challenging: Reinvent Jaguar. Imagine a time when Jaguar will soar high above the likes of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes—which, let’s not forget, it once did—as a maker of more exclusive, and more expensive, motorcars. The new-age Jaguar will be electrified, luxurious, and limited in numbers. The hope is a Jaguar might supplant a Bentley or Porsche in the driveway, without stepping on the toes of JLR’s epic money-spinner, Range Rover.
The first evidence of this reinvention has broken cover across Jaguar’s social media. The brand’s new slogan is “Copy Nothing,” which is ironic as the initial advertising campaign looks like something Benetton might have tried during the ’90s. The effort has been met by an astonishing outcry, as the Jaguar faithful question the decision to erase the past (quite literally, on social channels) and start with a clean sheet of paper. But how many of those commenters have actually bought a new Jaguar in the past decade?
The worry for onlookers and fans of the brand is that Jaguar has form when it comes to muddling through and getting away with things by the seat of the pants. From the 1940s through to the 1960s, Jaguar built a reputation that few could touch, drawing in passionate engineers and daring executives who shaped a golden era not only for the brand, but for people like us who cared about cars. With William Lyons at the helm, beginning in the mid-1930s Jaguar became known for upsetting the status quo, turning out cars that were prettier, faster, cheaper, and had more sex appeal than anything the establishment could muster.
There was the SS100, which hit 100 mph, the “magic ton,” in 1936. Then the XK120, which wowed the crowds—and the rest of the world—at the 1948 Earls Court motor show. Three years later came the C-Type, which would go on to secure Jaguar its first victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 24, to be swiftly followed by the potent D-Type, which won Le Mans in 1955, ’56, and ’57. The end of that decade saw the launch of the car that, for many, is the most recognizable sedan of the time, the Mark II. And even before writer Piri Halasz coined the phrase “Swinging Sixties,” Jaguar had knocked out all of us with the E-Type.
These cars broke new ground and in doing so set new standards for drivers. They would be followed in the late 1960s by the elegant XJ6 and, from 1975, the avant-garde XJ-S. Like it or loathe it, the XJ-S could only have come from a company that was confident in its values and what it stood for (just don’t mention the “R” word: reliability).
Compare that track record with more recent efforts. We all know how Jaguar managed to royally upset its wealthiest clients over the XJ 220 debacle, U-turning on a V-12 engine and all-wheel drive for a twin-turbocharged six driving the rears only.
More recently, I remember testing one of the very first S-Types, in 1999, and being appalled at the poor quality of the cabin it shared with the Lincoln LS. Of course, there came quick reassurances from the PR people that it was a pre-production car and not representative of the finished thing that would be much improved. Unfortunately, it was and it wouldn’t be. A facelift was rushed through and into production by 2002.
When the X-Type came out in 2001, its role was to help grow Jaguar’s volume. But it was hampered by awkwardly conservative design and the decision to only offer it with all-wheel drive and thirsty V-6 engines. Where were the front-wheel-drive, four-cylinder versions or diesel models that fleet buyers across Europe were buying up at the time? Jaguar executives are said to have become fixated on the large U.S. market, to the detriment of everywhere else.
Then there was the time engineers embraced aluminum for the construction of the X350 XJ in the early 2000s. Its bodyshell was 40 percent lighter and 50 percent stiffer than the previous XJ, which is something worth showcasing with bold design. But management pushed for conservative cues, so to anyone not in the know—which, let’s face it, is the majority of the car-buying public—the new XJ looked like an old XJ. An Audi A8 or BMW 7 Series spoke of modernism and technology; the Jag simply said “old man’s motor.”
And as the world fell head-over-heels for remakes—think Ford Mustang and GT, Mini Cooper, Fiat 500, and Nissan 350Z—rightly or wrongly Jaguar couldn’t bring itself to revive the E-Type nameplate. Or find a way to create a production-feasible C-X75 supercar.
Jaguar’s one recent glimmer of first-mover advantage came with the all-electric I-Pace, which hit the road way back in 2018 as one of Europe’s first luxury electric SUVs to rival Tesla. However, the electric crossover was plagued by reliability issues and a failure to provide timely updates in the face of new competition. Now it’s dead.
The big roll of the dice, put in place by Thierry Bolloré in 2021, is to reposition Jaguar as a maker of all-electric luxury cars, using a new platform called JEA (Jaguar Electric Architecture). But hands up who’s been reading the recent reports from the likes of Aston Martin, Bentley, and Ferrari saying buyers in the luxury car sector have precious little appetite for all-electric cars. Forecasts are being revised, production plans walked back, profit warnings issued.
Bolloré went out the door after two years at the top of JLR. Draw your own conclusions. Now Jaguar has to pick up the pieces, and rumor has it the first car, said to be a four-seat super coupe (set to be previewed as a concept at Miami Art Week on December 2) is having to be reconfigured to somehow accommodate hybrid running gear. Whether that is true or not, the fact remains that these are troubling times for a once-great brand.
If necessity is the mother of invention, but drivers of luxury cars aren’t buying electric cars, it’s going to take more than reinvention for Jaguar to survive. It’s going to take a miracle.
I’ve been a Jaguar owner for more than 25 years….XJ6, XK8,XKR,XJR and finally XJ12. The XJ12 is from ’96, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else. I’ll drive my 928S for a thrill, and my 427S/C Cobra for a scare, but…The Jag is first on my list. There will never be “better” Jaguars, only “newer” Jags.
I have owned 3 classic Jaguars ( XK 120 , Mark IV and Mark 10 ) and assure you that after seeing this horrible ad – I will never buy another Jaguar.
I’ve only had two but I loved them both! I would definitely buy Jag again given the chance.
Spot on. My 95 XJ12 is art and gets looked at that way. The brand was always aspirational for me as a young man. I hope they get back there with great design. I may have to go out and buy an F Type. Last of the breed?
I’ve owned an XKE ,Xj6, 98 Sedan can’t remember the name and my favorite an Xk8
Enjoyed each one but service and reliability
Was ALWAYS an issue . Most Car repair facilities won’t touch Them! But they sure are
Fun to drive and very stylish !
What’s that top picture, an air conditioner vent? The new ad campaign is a success in drawing attention if that is all you want but it’s a failure otherwise. The new logo with lowercase letters except for the GU in the middle being uppercase looks too goofy to me. Personally I think Jaaaaaggggg is doomed. They need to do an ad with Jeremy Clarkson and bring back some V8’s.
V8s are not an option with a British company. The government has mandated a shift to electric and every auto sold in Britain is to be electric within a few years. Maybe Jaguar is doomed, but it won’t be for want of trying.
And this will kill the British motor industry for good…
Agreed. I’ve owned an XKE and an XK8. Wouldn’t drive one now, given today’s offerings. Well…maybe.
Jaguar was an aspirational car for those of us who hoped “someday” to be able to afford one. They now appear to be tossing that aside. I personally don’t “aspire” to own a Range Rover.
They say they’re changing their direction. I guess the new jaGuar will be a Devo-esqe clothing line. So much for the cars they once made.
There’s an F sport model that is occasionally parked near my house. Lovely car. I don’t know why they would decide to quit making it instead of fixing any problems it might have.
I understand them needing to gamble and go a new direction rather than dying a slow death. However this ad is a 6.5 million dollar banana. Unless the goal was simply to draw attention, not a great start.
And you can’t even eat this banana 🙂
I love that their slogan is “copy nothing” and yet the first image (with the sledge hammer) is pretty much a copy of the famous Apple 1984 commercial.
Spot on.
It seems that the brand people don’t recall, or weren’t born when Infiniti launched with images of rocks, sticks, twigs and trees. This rebranding does nothing to assuage concerns of Jaguar products’ reliability and cliff-like depreciation curves.
Love the handle, Rod 🙂
Jaguar was never a perfect company. Never the fastest, never the most winning, certainly not the most reliable.
But cars like the XKE and XKSS were so beautiful you just loved putting your hands on them pushing them.
Jaguar has totally lost their way even more than Cadillac and Lincoln. I watched this video? What the Hell?
Jaguar needs to get back to their roots and learn again how to be British.
It is a crying shame the Germans know how to Build more British cars than Britain anymore. The Mini, Bentley and Rolls still have British flair with German reliability till 100k miles.
Your right on the mark there, the best British cars come from Germany and China.
German reliability has unfortunately become a contradiction in terms. My 2005 XJ had a problematic transmission made in Germany, second rate power steering made in Germany, and short lived suspension parts made in Germany. The British engine was wonderful as were the Asian electronics. Cars, and especially European cars have become a collection of parts from around the world. Have you noticed how dramatically German cars depreciate? The fear of outrageous maintenance costs on Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, and Mini, have decimated interest in these once the warranty has run out. The automotive world is complex and changing quickly.
land speed record holder at “Never the fastest,” ?? Sort of. Except in 1953 when Sir William Lyons drove an XK120 to 172 mph on the Jabbeke straight in Belgium, beating the old speed record by over 20 mph. Oh, and being the 1954 Bonneville record holder at over 184 mph.
No. The company is going to die and should for pushing this ridiculous electric toaster looking rebrand.
Yes. All things die eventually. Hupmobile and REO no longer exist, and now Jaguar is headed in the same direction. Sad, but inevitable.
This “Reinvent Jaguar” campaign is clearly a desperation move, and who knows – maybe it will draw the younger generation into buying Jags. But then, the younger generation don’t even want to get drivers licenses. If Jaguar can’t figure out who their target market is, and direct its expensive ad campaign accordingly, then they clearly have one foot in the grave.
New Coke except there is nothing to drink here.
I am a 2x owner of XJ sedans. I always get looks and comments when I drive my Jaguar. They are different and classy. The recent ad suggests that Jaguar abandoned class and embraced outrageous. It is clear that they are in dire straits to grab attention. What happened to the British keeping a stiff lip and pressing on with dignity?
The new commercial is absolutely ridiculous. What does it say? What is the brand even? What are you trying to do with this commercial? Push people away??
Put a fork in Jaguar. They’re done.
Jag has been so wonderful and so gorgeous and they hired a stupid CEO who was sacked by his previous company for incompetence so naturally Jag hired him. Chooses to go all-electric when EV sales are plummeting and luxury buyers simply don’t want them. Brilliant. But at leat they are no longer making the existing cars that people actually want.
Jag doesn’t deserve to die but die it will because of gross incompetence in management. where is the XJ replacement? where is the J-PACE large SUV? where is the new F-type? gone because some stupid frog chose to destroy all the current models and plans to replace them with cars no one will want.
I want a Jg but I don’t want an EV. That means I will be getting an Aston.
I couldn’t make a better comment than you did, well done.
IMHO, you hit the nail on the head! I’ve owned some 25 or 30 different Jaguars, worked for them for 5o years, they have been one of the greatest passions in mt life! The grave digging started when Bolloré came in, and as much as I’d love to see them Re-Reinvent themselves, I’m not going to hold my breath :>(
I can’t afford an Aston. It appears I will not be able to afford the new jaGUar either. We have but knew a couple Jaguars, an XJ Super V8 and a XType 3.0, In both were wonderful driving experiences that we put over 160,000 miles on each car. I did not buy the redesigned XJ because it just looked so generic, notwithstanding the excellent chassis and a great V8 engine. If the photograph at the top of the story is any indication, I doubt I would be buying the new car, even if it was priced similarly to the old XJ.
“… as the initial advertising campaign looks like something Benetton might have tried during the ’90s…”
Or what Apple DID in 1984.
To answer the question posed in the headline — no.
As far as the cars themselves I’ll reserve judgement. Vehicle designers don’t live in a bubble, they look at other current design trends as well. Often what people claim is ‘the style today’ is a watered down mass produced version of what was new five or more years ago. So perhaps Jaguar in going to a higher end market is courting those people whos tastes are really more current shall we say. While it’s easy to say they need to go back to what traditionally people think of as a Jaguar, “keep calm and carry on , that segment may just be too small to keep the company viable. A guy was taking his family back to Scotland where he grew up on an extended vacation. I said – “That will be nice for all of you.” He said with a bit of a wince – “Yes but…it is a dead culture.”
If it’s British and it moves, don’t buy it!
If it’s British and it moves- It’s a great day!
Ever since the Indian Automotive Company TATA bought JLR, Jaguar went downhill.
Hard to believe TATA approves of this change. Surprisingly India likes some things British like their cars.
The founders must be spinning in their graves. Either get back to the gorgeous designs of the past – but with reliability – or close shop.