Jaguar XJ Flagship Saloon Will Reportedly Leave Production This Summer

Jaguar is reportedly going to pull the plug on the outgoing XJ this summer. The information hasn’t officially been confirmed, but Autocar reports that the final unit will roll off the assembly lines at Solihull on July 5.

The X351 generation of the brand’s flagship saloon, which goes against the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series and Audi A8, has been made since 2010. This makes it one of the oldest cars still in production that’s being sold in the United Kingdom. It was, however, refreshed four years ago, when it received the usual visual updates on the outside, along with a new infotainment system in the cabin.

Also Read: Jaguar Quietly Pulls The Plug On XJR575 Super Sedan In Europe

Discontinuing the XJ won’t leave Jaguar without a large four-door model for long. In fact, its successor is in development and should become a battery-electric vehicle, according to recent reports. Unofficial information released earlier this year suggests it could use four electric motors, each one rated at up to 200 horsepower, powered by a 90 kWh or a 100 kWh battery pack. This would make it one of the fastest vehicles in class, and will allow it to challenge the likes of the Tesla Model S and Porsche Taycan.

It won’t be all about range and clever packaging, because the next generation XJ will be “something people wanna get into and drive”, said design director Ian Callum last year. So, buyers should expect an engaging driving experience, albeit probably with smaller proportions compared to the current iteration, Callum suggested.

According to CarSalesBase, sales of the XJ have significantly dropped these past few years. In 2018, only 1,099 units were sold in Europe, whereas in the U.S., it did slightly better, with the automaker shifting 1,579 examples, down from 2017’s 2,721.