I had a lot of questions for Rawdon Glover, Jaguar’s managing director. I wanted to ask him how the iconic British brand was handling its controversial brand reboot, the departure of its long-time design talent, and its pivot to producing only premium electric cars at a time when demand for that sort of thing seems murkier than it did a year ago.
But we couldn’t get the group video call to work properly.
After waiting 10 minutes on two different links before finally connecting with Glover on the third, his first words were both apologetic and relevant. “It seems our network is in a state of freeze,” he said, smiling or gritting his teeth. “You should be invited in.”
Jaguar Type 00 in French Super Blue
Photo by: Jaguar
It all seemed emblematic of the struggles Jaguar has dealt with in the past year, Especially crippling cyber attacks Which recently closed its operations for six weeks.
Since Jag ended its unsuccessful last chapter — trying to emulate the huge German automakers, in a variety of models, size and anodyne design — and undertook a difficult reboot, the 90-year-old brand hasn’t really been able to catch a break.
It is the design sensibility of new cars, as embodied in the The Type 00 concept car was unveiled in Miami a year agobrutally honest, feels unfinished, and feels like a computer-generated show, even in real life. Its new corporate identity, draped in pink and embracing a wide range of humanity, has drawn the ire of the global reactionary right. Then there was the cyber attack.
Jaguar Type 00 x Yoshiroten
Photo by: Jaguar
Then the head of design, Gerry McGovern, a man I knew as short-tempered and arrogant, went MIA. Maybe he was fired Although the company denied this. “We don’t know where he is. But he’s not here,” one person with inside knowledge of the situation told me jokingly.
But it’s Jaguar’s ongoing plan to relaunch as an all-electric luxury brand that seems to be attracting the most inquiries from critics and investors.
Jaguar Type 00 x Yoshiroten
Photo by: Jaguar
This is mainly in light of the allegedly volatile global electric vehicle market, which has been deliberately sabotaged by the current US federal government and its supporters in the traditional auto industry, as well as the recent European pushback on the planned end of internal combustion in the next decade. This, despite continued excellent growth throughout the 2020s, rising dramatically from about 4% of new car sales in 2020 to 20% last year, to about 25% this year, According to the International Energy Agency.
Glover is not intimidated by the current situation. When I asked him if he wanted to have a contingency plan to continue producing ICE or hybrid power in future Jaguars, he shrugged it off. “I would flip this question a different way and say: Would you like a business strategy that relies on governments blocking your alternative? Or would you rather people buy your car because it’s a choice they’re already making?”
Instead of giving up, he takes an admirably long-term view.
Jaguar Type 00 in French Super Blue
Photo by: Jaguar
“The question has to be: What do you think will happen in 2032? You still think — whether it’s the American environment, whether it’s the political environment, the politicization of electric vehicles, whether it’s public charging infrastructure — do you think things will evolve from where they are?” he asked pioneeringly. “I think the situation will be markedly different than where we are today. And when we think about a new vehicle architecture, we have to think in terms of that time period. Because this vehicle will go on sale in 2027, and then it will be on sale for eight years. That’s the life cycle. So we can’t adapt ourselves in terms of today’s thinking.”
This is a bold statement for a contemporary automotive executive. These days, most are happy to hide behind vague, focus group-friendly messages like “Customer Choice” while they breathe a sigh of relief and get back to work. But while I appreciate Glover’s candor, it’s also clear that Jaguar has no other choice. It has put its all into its large Hail Mary electrical project, with billions invested, and cannot realistically change course. “I mean, one can do anything,” Glover said, laughing when I brought this up. “It’s just a matter of time and cost. And whether you think it’s worth it.”
Jaguar XJ project cancelled.
Photo by: InsideEVs
These days, the Jaguars don’t have much to fall back on. In the 2000s, it launched a range of high-performance sedans, crossovers and luxury sports cars designed to compete in size with the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz. As impressive as they were, This effort failedThe actual money making within Jaguar Land Rover depended on the latter brand. Along the way, Jaguar has spent more than $600 million on the new electric XJ, Then he completely scrapped it on the goal line.
Now, after years of decline, false starts, and executive departures, I’ve rolled the dice in a big way: Delete all existing cars And focus on more premium electric vehicles. Going backwards — the way many automakers now keep gas engines longer — is no longer an option. It can be said that failure is not so.
With its 100th anniversary approaching, this may be Jag’s last chance.
Jaguar Type 00 in French Super Blue
Photo by: Jaguar
The first vehicle the Jumping Cat brand will launch from its new battery-electric platform is a halo car, which is certainly not the meat of the current SUV-dominated market. Codename
Glover seemed intent on turning any loose lemons into lemonade. “At this point that we’re in, I definitely want to stress that these are all advantages,” he said. He seems unfazed by the negative chatter. “This is not a mass-marketed car. It doesn’t have to appeal to everyone. At the price we’re going to be working at, you’re making that choice because you want it, not because you need it. So I think the challenge for Jaguar is exactly the same as it was twelve months ago, which is, how do we make this car more desirable?”
Testing of the Jaguar Type 00 prototype
Photo by: Jaguar
His answer is both simple and huge: to differentiate the X900 from what came before, from Jag and from its competitors, in the luxury electric car space. “Many of the electric cars we saw were very homogeneous, quite pared-down. They’re all cabin-front, they’ve got no drama, they’re all high-riding, maximizing the interior package and, therefore, having certain proportions. But that’s not a recipe for a blood-curdling car. This isn’t a car that you and I look at and say, ‘Wow, I’ve got to have that car.’ “And that’s what we’re striving for,” he said. “We think we’ll create that desire by making the exterior beautiful, and by making the interior unparalleled. “It looks like no other car on the market, and by making it look appropriate, luxurious and special.”
Despite all the negative hype surrounding electric cars, Glover claims the public is largely unaware of the powertrain. “I was looking at a McKinsey report recently that analyzed the motivations behind car purchases and how they differ across markets,” he says. “It’s very simple.”
Testing of the Jaguar Type 00 prototype
Photo by: Jaguar
According to statistics, 50% to 60% of the decision comes down to the external appearance, if it makes the owner feel desire and passion for the car, and reflects the same feelings on him when he gets out. Next is the interior look and feel, with a focus on providing tranquility and a sense of sanctuary. One has to scroll down to find those who say: “I buy a car because of its powertrain.” “It’s about 15%,” Glover said. Therefore, the upcoming Jaguar vehicles should exceed expectations in terms of key motivations for purchase. As for the rest, they must work in their service. “Electrification is really just the enabler of all of that,” he said.
Glover noted that the design of the upcoming sedan is completely closed. He said 150 prototypes have been built and are currently undergoing verification and durability tests, including in extreme climates. He also stated that Jaguar is on track to meet the current schedule to start taking deposits on a production car next summer, and make first deliveries at the end of 2027. But he added a series of important caveats.
Testing of the Jaguar Type 00 prototype
Photo by: Jaguar
“We will launch the car when it is ready – when we are confident of the quality, when we know that it will deliver all of its features and all the thresholds that we have to meet. So it will come when it is ready, not a day before or a day after,” he said.
Does this mean continuing to postpone going electric, as many luxury goods manufacturers did last year, and backing away from their commitments to transition to full battery power, in the hope that the world will change first? My impression is that Glover and the Jaguars hope to not only move forward, but to be seen as leaders in this regard.
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Source: Jaguar
“What I don’t want to do is sit and wait for the market. Because we’ve already said, to some extent, that we’re trying to create the market,” he said emphatically. “A lot of things are happening environmentally, politically and everything else around us. But when we step back from it, we still want to make this car, first and foremost, a Jaguar that can create an emotional reaction in people.”
I think the Jag has definitely received such a visceral response. But is it the kind that pushes potential customers towards buying a car? It remains to be seen.
Brett Burke is a freelance automotive writer based in New York. He has driven and reviewed thousands of cars for Car and Driver and Road & Track magazines, where he serves as a contributing editor. He has also written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Travel + Leisure, and Vanity Fair.
