What Jaguar Models Might Be On the Chopping Block?
Top Jaguar exec says a decision is expected in the next few weeks on what models might be cut.
During a recent earnings call, Jaguar executives dropped some concerning news about the future. While not all the news was bad for Jaguar, the automaker is still contending with a number of issues. Covid-19 certainly had a huge effect on operations and sales. The company addressed the repercussions of the pandemic as well as the overall climate. Accordingly, Jaguar needs to restructure and reassess. Bottom line: they might need to cut a few models.
On the call, Jaguar Land Rover and owners Tata Motors had some good news on the company’s financials. And they remain confident in the marque.
“The big news here is, before COVID, we think, we would have been cash positive for FY 2020. That’s really important,” said PB Balaji, chief financial officer of Tata Motors. “That really shows the turnaround in the reassessment we’ve had in the business, which is why we can confidently say post-COVID, we will get back on track.”
But a change is on the horizon. Unfortunately part of restructuring includes temporarily shutting down development on some upcoming vehicles; and ultimately the elimination of of other models. But they are taking their time, and not just relying on the bottom line to decide.
“In the case of JLR, we need to wait for a few more weeks to understand this better,” Balaji said. “We don’t want to react to newspaper headlines to decide long-term strategy [because] the decision will impact us three to four years from now.”
As we await the decision, we wondered which vehicles might be on borrowed time. Land Rover, Ranger Rover and Jaguar F-Type had great reviews and drove sales. Crossovers are unlikely to be cut as they remain solid performers, but both of the “Rovers” might have to cut lesser performing models, special-editions, or market availability.
We already know that Jaguar plans to electrify the XJ, so that is already a go. As is the soon-to-be refreshed XF, which was even spotted testing recently. That brings us to the XE. The stylin’ sedan has seen a consistent drop in sales since 2016. It might be in danger.
Jaguar is expected to give further details in a few weeks, stay tuned.
Photos: Jaguar Land Rover
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