The future range of all-electric Jaguars has now been decided, and work is ongoing to source or create the architecture that will underpin the reinvented British brand’s models from 2025.
Speaking to Autocar in his first one-on-one interview since joining Jaguar Land Rover last September, boss Thierry Bolloré said that there will be a “family” of more upmarket, luxury Jaguars, positioned where nobody else sits in the market, as part of his Reimagine plan for JLR.
Bolloré pointed to the Range Rover line’s positioning (as a maker of uniquely sized and styled cars priced far above what might be considered its conventional rivals) as the kind of area that Jaguar will sit in, and that the brand won’t seek to create targeted rivals to the likes of Porsche, Bentley or even Aston Martin.
“Look at Range Rover,” said Bolloré. “It’s satisfactory on price and profit levels, and we haven’t yet reached the ceiling. The price is extraordinary, and we have the volumes.”
Range Rover is “unique in its positioning” said Bolloré, adding that the SUV sub-brand is still selling in large volumes.
He explained that the plan for Jaguar is to create “distinct cars with no overlap”. They will be “really modern luxury cars that are the copy of nothing in style or design, the top of technology and refinement, but not looking backwards”.
“In desire, it’s similar to Range Rover. We enjoy this type of positioning for Range Rover,” he continued, adding that, although he is “not looking for volume” for the revived Jaguar brand, he believes there is space for higher sales figures.
While Range Rover provides the business model for Jaguar to pursue, its cars won’t be SUVs or crossovers, instead uniquely shaped, lower-slung cars with no direct rivals.
Bolloré explained that JLR chief creative officer Gerry McGovern organised a design contest within the firm’s newly united design team to create inspiration for future Jaguars. The team was split into three, and in just three months, they created designs and models that would normally take 18 months. Bolloré said this produced “incredible creativity” and that the design direction and family of models for Jaguar was now decided.
