On February 12, 1957, fire broke out at Jaguar's Browns Lane plant in Coventry, England, destroying hundreds of finished cars. Mercifully, there were few injuries, and owing to the herculean efforts of the company's workers and distraught managers, the plant was up and running again within a week.
It's not often that a carmaker takes a time-out from making cars, but when disaster strikes, there's not much choice. A scheduled cessation, on the other hand, such as Jaguar's recently announced plan to pause making vehicles entirely, is exceedingly rare. Less common still, Jaguar production won't cease for just weeks or even months but for as much as a year or more. The news might lead one to believe that the parent company's name, JLR (for Jaguar Land Rover), may henceforth stand for Just Land Rover.
Recently, it's tended to feel that way. Jaguar has been ramping down production for years. It dropped its flagship XJ sedan at the end of the 2019 model year. In 2021, Jaguar torched a nine-figure investment when it scuttled an all-electric replacement that was meant to launch around 2022 and share Range Rover's MLA platform. Then, during an investor briefing this past July, JLR CEO Adrian Mardell confirmed that XE and XF sedans, E-Pace and electric I-Pace crossovers, and the F-type sports car have ended production or would do so by year's end. Speaking with disarming frankness, he conceded, "None of those are vehicles on which we made any money."
That leaves only the F-Pace SUV, the brand's bestseller. But production of that model will wind down at year's end too. Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover recently told Britain's Autocar that Jaguar "will no longer be on sale for new vehicles" in European markets by the end of 2024, with the U.K. to follow early next year. Leftovers from 2024-and, gulp, before-will be the sole fare at U.S. dealers for 2025.
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Denne historien er fra November - December 2024-utgaven av Car and Driver.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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AN AMERICAN TOURING SCOTLAND IN AN ENGLISH CAR BUILT IN CHINA
In Dornbach, Scotland, Kitman walks past a modern MG and a Morris Minor, its distant relative. From left: Motoring through the Scottish Highlands; lobster traps in Dunbeath; taking on electrons at Gridserve; traversing the North Sea coast.
THE MAD SCRAMBLE
AN 814-HP V-12 THAT SCREAMS TO 9400 RPM IS JUST THE START OF THE INTENSE EXPERIENCE THAT IS THE LAMBORGHINI REVUELTO.
2022 Rivian R1T
This EV pickup proves to be E-Z to live with.
Spite Defender
Ineos Grenadier HIGHS: Dapper off-road style meets genuine off-road capability, wonderfully smooth powertrain, built like a brick outhouse. LOWS: Incessant warnings, sloppy and slow steering, noisy on the highway.
The Revivalist
The Nissan Murano emerges fresh-faced and revitalized from a long-overdue redo.
ELECTRICAL CONNECTION
The Toyota Camry, the Honda Accord, and the Hyundai Sonata all take different approaches to hybridization, but which one does it best?
The Achilles Kneel
Mercedes-Benz W123 wagons doing the Carolina Squat can get their droopy self-leveling rear suspension back up to snuff courtesy of a Californian.
Dollars to Donuts
Despite the high cost, automakers are still drawn to racing.
G to the Power of E
Mercedes-Benz G580 with EQ Technology HIGHS: Quicker than the old G550, improved handling, better braking. LOWS: Cubist shape torpedoes highway range, cramped inside, dorky name.
The Best Odds
The cars I recall most fondly were neither the prettiest nor the quickest. Certainly not the most expensive. They were machines that emerged willfully peculiar and intractably idiosyncratic.
