Jaguar plans to go pure electric in the coming years, with Land Rover selling its first EV in 2024.
Remember the all-electric Jaguar XJ we’ve been talking about for the past couple years? It was supposed to spearhead the brand’s EV push, particularly as it aims to go emissions-free by 2025. Apparently that’s not happening, as Jaguar Land Rover dropped the news it was scrapping the XJ we were expecting as it moves forward with its “reimagine” brand strategy.
Mind you, the details are a bit murkier going by JLR’s statement alone. A few paragraphs in, the company says, “Although the nameplate may be retained, the planned Jaguar XJ replacement will not form part of the line-up, as the brand looks to realize its unique potential.” So, we could see an XJ of some sort someday, but it’s not the car folks saw testing fairly recently. Instead, the company’s new CEO Thierry Bolloré has other ideas. A spokesperson told Autoblog, “We were working on an XJ EV, but have moved on to a different approach for the entire Jaguar EV lineup vision based around a new unique Jaguar EV dedicated platform, all due in 2025.”
What will the future look like?
By the numbers, Jaguar Land Rover announced Monday a clearer picture of where they’re aiming. If their rollout happens smoothly, Jaguar will transition to an all-electric brand within the next four years. What’s more, Land Rover anticipates zero-emission vehicles will comprise 60% of its sales by 2030. Across its entire supply chain, JLR wants to achieve net zero carbon output by 2039. Why 2039? That’s driven by the Paris Agreement, which contains goals to phase out fossil fuel use by 2040.
Still, the company’s decision to scrap the electric XJ is a puzzling one, even with some clarification. Word has it the brand will transition away from crossovers — allowing Land Rover to fulfill that market entirely. On its surface, an XJ would fit as part of that plan, but clearly the automaker thinks otherwise, at least at the present time. We will see some new models emerge — hopefully some sporty models like the F-Type will survive — as Jaguar moves to a dedicated electric architecture.
Land Rover, for its part, will use the “Modular Longitudinal Architecture” (MLA) that was set to underpin the XJ replacement.
