It is impossible to instantly kill off a revered automotive brand such as Jaguar… revered by motoring journalists who have helped prop up this dying legacy for perhaps too long. In its current state, significantly few people are buying into the Jaguar brand, its day in the sun has come and gone. Jaguar has been reborn and reimagined countless times and each time the brand’s standing has eroded, sales have fallen.
Former CEO Thierry Bollore oversaw the reimagining of Jaguar, but current CEO Adrian Mardell is now leading the brand’s rebirth into an electric-only vehicle lineup. The problem is that the strategy to reimagine Jaguar is essentially the same as that of the rebirth. The CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover is a mere puppet for his/her master, for it is Tata who is the true owner of this reimagining/rebirth strategy.
According to Autocar, Jaguar will be reborn in 2025 as a pure electric brand, although that date is subject to change. The reborn Jaguar will be will evolve into a 4-door GT built on a bespoke electric platform. It will have a target price of £100,000, a power output of 575bhp and a range of 430 miles.
Tata has allocated a budget of £15 billion GBP to Jaguar and Land Rover, with £2.5 billion specifically designated for Jaguar. According to the esteemed Chief Design Officer of Jaguar and Land Rover, Gerry “McPoser” McGovern, the age of pure electric Jaguars will “be a copy of nothing”.
More models are set to arrive, including SUVs and crossovers. However, the £2.5 billion GBP allocated for developing an electric car over 5 years is a relatively small amount. For comparison, Tesla spends over £2.5 billion GBP annually on research and development expenses.
Jaguar plans to decrease its annual sales from over 150k to 50k over the next five years. Based on the current numbers, it’s clear that even with over 150k sales, Jaguar is losing money and is not financially viable. Jaguar’s so-called rebirth is nothing more than a cleverly disguised cost-cutting plan.
Jaguar will not be “reborn” in 2025, it will be executed at a cost of £2.5BN GBP. Perhaps, for a few more years after 2025, Jaguar will persist as a Frankenstein-like entity that is ironically sustained by electricity rather than media support.
When Jaguar is no longer profitable in its latest reincarnation, it will be discreetly terminated by the accountants in a remote, secluded forest and silently buried once and for all of time.