[Image: Jaguar Media.]
In normal circumstances when a car is discontinued from production, the manufacturer would always make an effort to wave it off. To make a limited run 'final edition' or something of that ilk.
It happened to a range of cars, no matter how significant they were to the consumers or the industry. The Mercedes SLS got one, despite only being on sale for 4-years. Lamborghini made an Ultimate version of the Aventador, signing that off after a decade. And Land Rover made three special editions of the old Defender for its final year, including a heritage trim which harked back to the early iterations of the Series 1.
The Jaguar XJ can be considered as one of Britain's greatest cars ever produced. When introduced in 1968, it was a leap forward from the previous saloons and the purring cat became an instant hit, slashing competition from Mercedes and BMW. It took a lengthy amount of time to develop, but it was worth it. And for 52-years, it remained the definitive purring cat to lust after.
[Image: Jaguar Media.]
Work began on replacing the last generation X351, paving the way for a new generation of luxury saloons. The XJ was going to be all-electric, moving it forward from any generation before and far apart from its internal-combustion rivals.
Testing was underway, the team was satisfied, and the big reveal would only be months away. But the penny dropped on a cold February morning of 2021.
Jaguar's CEO at the time, Thierry Bollore, announced that the brand was going to move upmarket with a new range of all-electric vehicles from 2025. Shockingly, he then said with no prior warning, the XJ was cancelled.
A year and a half later in a stale period for JLR, Bollore resigns as Jaguar's CEO citing 'personal' reasons. But even though the cancellation is old news, the death of the XJ still remains an enormous sticking point - especially in a period where nobody really knows which direction the brand is heading.
[Image: Jaguar Media.]
Over every generation, the XJ was an important car. It represented the engineering might of the British motor industry in a sleek and dynamic fashion. It set a new benchmark for ever-lasting luxury, thunderous performance, and crucially, undercutting its German rivals on price.
The X351 demonstrated this perfectly. Its designer, Ian Callum, successfully brought the XJ into the modern era. The clever aluminium construction made it light. The range of V6 diesels and supercharged V8s made it fast. Yet still, it was very good value in its segment. And precisely because of this, it creates problems for what was Bollore's vision.
[Image: Jaguar Media.]
Allegedly, the 'reimagine' strategy for Jaguar was to move them upmarket; to make them competitors to Bentley and Aston Martin. This would immediately spell problems because Jaguar made its name over the years for providing excellent levels of engineering and luxury for un-Aston money.
It's ultimately why the E-Type, previous XJs, and all the rest were so successful: because they were accessible to a lot more customers than Astons or Bentleys. But surely under new leadership of a brand that is currently losing money, a sensible option would be to save hundreds of millions of pounds in development costs and release the stillborn XJ EV? But unless a miracle occurs, that probably won't happen.
This makes me especially sad. The chaos within JLR meant that the brand's longest-running and most significant model was axed not only without a replacement, but without ever explaining why.
[Image: Jaguar Media.]
The current period between now and 2025 is a seriously worrying one for Jaguar. The current line-up is ageing to the point where rival firms went through two generations of equivalent models, and despite falling sales, they're still set for another few years.
You could argue that JLR's reputation for poor reliability has hindered them, but people haven't stopped buying Land Rovers. The new Range, Defender and others are enjoying massive success on the market. The Range Rover itself is widely regarded as the benchmark SUV; the one that doesn't need to pretend what it is. So, with that expertise in mind, why leave Jaguar crying for help?
[The XF remains as Jag's flagship saloon, but it's struggling. Image: Jaguar Media.]
Granted, saloons and sports cars generate less revenue than SUVs. But when you look at Mercedes, they're manufacturing cars in every segment under the sun, yet masses of people are still buying S-Classes and will continue to do so for as long as it takes. Clearly, a large market for the XJ is still out there, but Jag's bosses don't seem to take the hint.
22-months later with little communication, and we still have no idea what these 'reimagined' EVs are going to be, and Bollore seemingly took away the XJ with his resignation for good. Public interest is by no means, applicable to the automotive industry 99% of the time, but I really feel the XJ should've at least been addressed more ethically. Being such a definitive model for the brand, it deserves to at least have a proper send off and a clear explanation of what will replace it.
The XJ was the Queen of the British industry's chess board. Our reason to believe that a great brand still 'had it'. There was a reason that every Prime Minister since Thatcher had one, and the new EV could've provided an excellent image for the PMs of today.
The death of the XJ isn't just a quiet, unexplained discontinuation. I think it's a national tragedy.