Photo: Jaguar
Managed by the incompetent peeps at British Leyland from 1968 through 1984, Jaguar’s temporary return to independence didn’t conclude as originally intended. After massive layoffs and millions of pounds sterling in losses, the Leaping Cat of Coventry was acquired by FoMoCo in 1990.
Despite Ford’s money and engineering know-how, Jaguars from this era leave much to be desired in terms of build quality and reliability. Even after Indian automaker Tata Motors entered the scene in 2008, the British marque failed to improve. Jaguar is regarded as a stale automaker nowadays, a has-been that few people are willing to choose over BMW or Mercedes.
JLR chief executive officer Thierry Bollore famously said that quality and reliability are the group’s highest priorities right now, but as far as Jaguar is concerned, management still leaves much to be desired. The all-new electric XJ was quietly canceled in February 2021, the I-Pace is nowhere near the Model Y, and JLR as a whole recorded a small loss in Q4 2021.
Citing the chip shortage although that’s only one reason for these results, Jaguar Land Rover sales fell 37.6 percent compared to the final quarter of the previous year. Given these worrying circumstances, Jaguar’s high-ranking executives took an even more worrying decision in regard to the automaker’s future. More specifically, Jaguar is currently developing the Panthera, an EV platform separate from the existing MLA and future EMA.
Wait, what? Aren’t these guys in deep trouble already? A different vehicle architecture would incur massive costs that won’t be recovered through sales. What’s more, the brand is eyeing Bentley territory in terms of pricing even though nobody would pay that kind of money for a Jag.
“Concerning the new Jaguar, we're making unique proportion a priority. That’s the reason why at the moment we do it by ourselves,” Bollore told Autocar. “The [Panthera EV] platform is a consequence of proportions we’ve decided on. They’re absolutely bespoke,” added the big kahuna.
On that note, wanna bet ten bucks that Jaguar will be up for sale again sometime this decade? I can’t see this business plan working out, sorry.
JLR chief executive officer Thierry Bollore famously said that quality and reliability are the group’s highest priorities right now, but as far as Jaguar is concerned, management still leaves much to be desired. The all-new electric XJ was quietly canceled in February 2021, the I-Pace is nowhere near the Model Y, and JLR as a whole recorded a small loss in Q4 2021.
Citing the chip shortage although that’s only one reason for these results, Jaguar Land Rover sales fell 37.6 percent compared to the final quarter of the previous year. Given these worrying circumstances, Jaguar’s high-ranking executives took an even more worrying decision in regard to the automaker’s future. More specifically, Jaguar is currently developing the Panthera, an EV platform separate from the existing MLA and future EMA.
Wait, what? Aren’t these guys in deep trouble already? A different vehicle architecture would incur massive costs that won’t be recovered through sales. What’s more, the brand is eyeing Bentley territory in terms of pricing even though nobody would pay that kind of money for a Jag.
“Concerning the new Jaguar, we're making unique proportion a priority. That’s the reason why at the moment we do it by ourselves,” Bollore told Autocar. “The [Panthera EV] platform is a consequence of proportions we’ve decided on. They’re absolutely bespoke,” added the big kahuna.
On that note, wanna bet ten bucks that Jaguar will be up for sale again sometime this decade? I can’t see this business plan working out, sorry.
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