With a ridiculously low sales volume, Jaguar is currently going through an existential crisis. For the British brand, this is not a difficult first period. Will she be able to recover?
The most recent Car Guide program on QUB Radio hosted by Antoine Joubert and Germain Goyer was devoted to Jaguar. For the occasion, the duo spoke with Marc Lachapelle, automotive journalist at the Guide de l’auto since 1983. Always lucid and critical, the latter admits to being fond of the brand and foresees a future that is not necessarily catastrophic. .
A goodbye to the last Jaguar car
This spring, Marc Lachapelle traveled to Barcelona to drive the F-Type 2024, the last model year of a vehicle introduced in 2014. As luck would have it, Marc Lachapelle had participated in the launch of this prestigious a decade earlier.
“In my eyes, this car comes out in full glory. […] For 2024, we are only keeping the V8, which is extraordinary,” comments Marc Lachapelle. He added “I drove a powered Roadster version which will not be marketed in Canada. With a colleague, we did a bit of lobbying to convince Jaguar Canada to bring it here since it is a seasonal car”.
Moreover, Marc Lachapelle made a point of specifying that the F-Type is however not completely dead and buried. Its return in a fully electric version is part of the manufacturer’s plans.
During the interview, Marc Lachapelle also recounted with nostalgia and passion some memories of his youth linked to Jaguar.
Could Jaguar be absorbed into Land Rover?
As mentioned above, the demise of the F-Type coincides with the end of an era for Jaguar. Indeed, the English manufacturer will no longer offer cars and will focus on SUVs. The catalog currently includes the E-Pace, F-Pace and I-Pace. As you are no doubt aware, Jaguar is part of a subsidiary of Tata Motors alongside Land Rover. For its part, Land Rover has always concentrated its efforts in the development and marketing of SUVs. And we have to admit that the commercial exercise is currently successful. However, Jaguar is definitely lagging behind in the luxury SUV niche.
Could Jaguar possibly be absorbed by Land Rover? This is a hypothesis that was mentioned by the three journalists during this program.
A very luxury electric brand?
In order to get out of its slump, Jaguar could also have to go through a restructuring. You should know that the British manufacturer announced in 2021 its intention to become 100% electric by 2025.
“In addition to going all-electric, Jaguar is aiming even higher. The brand wants to eventually compete with Bentley rather than BMW, for example,” emphasizes Marc Lachapelle. Even if it means having a low volume of sales, Jaguar could aim for profitability.
News of the week
During this Car Guide program, there was also talk about the unveiling of the 2024 BMW 5 Series and i5 as well as the class action targeting General Motors’ eight-speed gearbox.
Road tests
Antoine Joubert and Germain Goyer share their impressions of the recently tested 2024 Porsche Cayenne and 2023 Nissan Ariya.
The Car Guideit’s every Saturday at 10 a.m. on QUB Radio, repeating on Sunday at 6 p.m.