Jaguar: Electric-only from 2025, Land Rover to follow; XJ axed

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced its brands will transition rapidly to an every-model focus on electric power.

By the end of this decade, every single Jaguar and Land Rover model will be available in an all-electric form – and the Jaguar brand will be focused entirely on EVs from 2025.

For Jaguar, that means appealing to future-focused, tech-interested buyers that might otherwise look to pioneering electric-only brands like Tesla. Likewise, for Land Rover (including Range Rover), it means beating upstarts like Rivian – made famous in the past year by its ‘Long Way Up’ collaboration with Scottish actor Ewan McGregor.

The first all-electric Land Rover model will debut in 2024 as part of a combined ICE/EV line-up, the company’s new CEO Thierry Bollore announced during a live-streamed presentation online, while Jaguar will prioritise a dedicated electric platform.

JLR is aiming for a full 100 per cent of Jaguar-brand sales to be fully electric by the end of this decade – a mere nine-ish years away. In the here-and-now, Jaguar’s only pure-electric model, the I-Pace, represents around 16 per cent of the brand’s sales.

Interestingly, the XJ has also been scrapped in the process, despite having been teased in an obviously well-advanced next-generation form two years ago. Bollore hasn't ruled out a return for the legendary badge, but it isn't a priority in the near term.

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While Jaguar’s plan is to go all-electric as quickly as possible, Land Rover’s broad need for all-terrain certainty demands an initial focus on its Modular Longitudinal Architecture platform.

However, an “electric-biased” Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) design is also in the mix for Land Rover – the latter accommodating “advanced electrified” combustion engines. Think plug-in hybrids (PHEVs).

That’s three platforms in all – down from six currently in use – and it’s a move Jaguar Land Rover claims will help to “establish new benchmarks standards in efficient scale and quality for the luxury sector”.

Importantly, the company says this new direction will be a key factor in ensuring the future of its post-Brexit UK production plants – along with other worldwide manufacturing operations.

To achieve this, JLR will invest AU$4.47 billion each year into the development and production of electric vehicle technology and related services – from connected online platforms to charging infrastructure.

All of this will happen with the blessing and financial support of Jaguar Land Rover’s parent Tata Group – and it positions Jaguar Land Rover to meet the UK’s 2030 ban on most types of ‘non-zero emissions’ vehicles, while ensuring it can remain competitive in less strict markets.

As for Jaguar and Land Rover’s existing hero combustion models… from here on out, you can consider all of them a swan song.

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