By Chris Ward, November 15, 2024
Like a dying star that has exhausted its nuclear fuel, the remnants of Jaguar Cars have condensed into a faint cluster, draped in camouflage to obscure what is claimed to be the next stage in Jaguar’s death spiral. And, as in all celestial life cycles, Jaguar’s demise will be slow, culminating in a sudden, supernova-like end.
Seemingly oblivious to its fate, this week Jaguar revealed a heavily camouflaged prototype test mule, concealing the new design until its official debut on December 2nd. In theory, Jaguar could have just as easily taken an old XJ, wrapped it in cladding, and presented it as an electric test mule; few outside the company would have known the difference.
When this new electric era for Jaguar is unveiled on December 2nd, it will mark a pivotal moment in automotive history—it will begin the countdown to Jaguar’s end. Like a grazing dinosaur watching a bright object in the sky growing ever larger, Jaguar will continue on, unaware of it’s impending extinction.
Jaguar has never lacked ambition; the I-Pace exemplified an evolutionary leap that rose quickly but faded just as fast. What Jaguar truly lacked was sustained innovation—and a buying public that had lost interest long ago.
On December 2nd, the motoring world will witness what will be Jaguar’s final act before the gravitational forces of reality bring it crashing down with a sudden and intense impact. If Jaguar couldn’t make the I-Pace work, how will they succeed with a $100,000 luxury electric sedan? This is a small market dominated by Mercedes, BMW, and Bentley, with the ultra-luxury segment above them held by Rolls-Royce.
Currently, the best executive luxury electric sedan isn’t the Rolls-Royce Spectre; it’s the Lucid Air—a benchmark that Jaguar will need to match or surpass. The electric era for Jaguar will not save the brand; it will only hasten its end.
2024 is the year Jaguar Cars died.
