Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore is Out
Bollore is the architect of Jaguar’s Reimagine strategy, and his departure raises questions about the company’s future.
This week, Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bollore announced he will step down at the end of the year. At that point, JLR finance head Adrian Mardell will take over as interim CEO. In making the announcement, Bollore cited personal reasons for his departure, and didn’t elaborate. While he’s only been with the company for two years, the former Renault boss was the architect of Jaguar’s Reimagine strategy, which will see Coventry pivot exclusively toward electric vehicles.
The Reimagine strategy will also be based on having less overlap, and also aim to sell less cars for higher prices. At this point, those vehicles are still a ways off, as the wraps aren’t scheduled to come off until sometime in 2024. Then, if everything goes as planned, we’ll see them in Jaguar showrooms in 2025. While details are sparse, we do know that the platform will be designed in-house, and that the lineup will start with three models — each of which will be an SUV.
This long lead time, not to mention the radical shift in business strategy, has caused concern among Jaguar fans, and Top Gear presenter Rory Reid has publicly speculated that this could be the end for the legendary brand. Personally, I’m wondering if there’s supposed to be less overlap in the stable, why exactly are all three of the forthcoming Jaguars SUVs? Doesn’t Land Rover have that segment covered already? In my opinion, I think it would be better to take aim at the Mercedes EQS, or the BMW i4. Or even aim higher — how cool would it be if Jaguar made something akin to the Rolls Royce Phantom?
That said, what do you think about CEO Bollore’s exit? Does this feel ominous, or do you think there’s enough time left that it shouldn’t many waves. Hit me up and let me know!
Photos: Jaguar