Jaguar puts an end to its endothermic history without extenuating circumstances. With thelast example from the F-Pace which leaves the English factory in Solihull, the prestigious brand puts the chapter linked to petrol, diesel and plug-in engines to the archives. It does not deny the past, but looks forward, focusing on the challenges expected from now to future years, when it will try to become a crucial operator in the electricity sector. Because the future is at stake there, and the top levels of the company are well aware of this, even if they wanted to do things big for the final car, black, SVR version, destined to enrich the collection of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust. On the one hand the past is put under glass, on the other the present is erased.
The change of image
The announcement comes at a delicate moment, marked by a radical transformation, between aggressive communication choices and a change of image that has not yet fully convinced the historic public, linked to a certain way of affirming one’s identity on the road. The debate is set to ignite Type 00a prelude concept to the electrical course received in rather divisive terms for what it represents.
Shocks have accumulated around the project at the top, from the rumored dismissal of designer Gerry McGovern, later denied by the manufacturer himself, to the exit of CEO Adrian Mardell, replaced with Tata Motors manager PB Balaji, faced with an unenviable situation: in fact, today the range is crying and medium-long term planning has all the air of an unsustainable luxury.
The F-Pace has played a decisive role in the evolution of the British manufacturer. Launched in 2016, it was the first “high-wheeled” Jaguar, the trailblazer in the SUV sector while the competition was already reaching its peak. Among other things, it was one of the few cars of the brand to collect good commercial numbers in the recent period, especially outside the Old Continent, one more reason to define its withdrawal as an earthquake.
There is no place for bridge models
Despite the interest received in dealerships, Jaguar preferred to bring down the curtain, also because, in the meantime, the manufacturer evita i bridge-modelsthose connecting the old and new guard. No safety net, unlike the prevailing trend in the contemporary automotive industry, where almost all operators prefer to adopt gradual transitions, even more so after the recent developments in Brussels on internal combustion engines.
Jaguar preaches optimism about the electric future in the premium segment: going back would be a misstep, in his opinion. The internal calendar includes the disembarkation of the first series electric In the 2026until then there remains operational silence, and the real risk that the company will lose relevance just as it tries to reinvent itself, also because the market waits for no one, not even historical names.
The entry of the F-Pace into the museum marks the end of a phase in which the company was still recognisable. From now on the supports disappear: either it is seriously reborn or the caesura will pass down to posterity as the beginning of an industrial self-suspension disguised as a revolution. No middle ground is allowed.
