- Jaguar is in the midst of a major brand shift.
- Managing director Rawdon Glover provides some details about what that shift looks like.
- The automaker will target more affluent buyers and more luxurious segments.
Early this month Jaguar said it would kill off its entire lineup, save for the F-Pace SUV, by the end of the year. That sort of change doesn’t come lightly but the writing was on the wall for Jaguar. Its boss said the shift was due to “close to zero profitability.” The future of the brand is electric, and Rawdon Glover just provided some additional insights.
Glover is Jaguar’s managing director. He’s been a part of that team for over 11 years and spent time at Volkswagen and Seat beforehand. He knows cars and has a deep appreciation for the Jaguar brand itself.
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Speaking to Motortrend about the shift he says “I think of it as taking us back to where Jaguar started.” What does that mean exactly? It seems that the brand is going to target more affluent buyers with a higher-end sales experience. “Going for volume didn’t work,” Glover admits. Jaguar offered five different vehicles this year and all started at or well below $77,900.
Glover says the new cars will have “huge presence” to the point that they’ll likely polarize. “[It] has to be hugely desirable… No one wants a $100,000 EV just because it’s an EV.” That certainly makes sense. Several companies out there are trying, and often struggling, to sell high-priced vehicles regardless of their propulsion type.
“Expect something edgier than you’d expect from us,” he continues. The first new car, which we might get to see before the end of the year, is what he describes as a four-door GT. That in and of itself is a bit of a bold move since SUVs tend to sell more quickly. Glover says the brand made that choice to ensure that it delivers its new design language in its purest form first.
The buying and selling experience is going to change too. Expect Jaguar to go as upscale as it possibly can as the shift begins. Prices will be higher but hopefully, that means that the client relationship feels worth it and more – and that the brand will eventually return to profitability.
