Catastrophic Jaguar Sales Aren’t A Huge Surprise
For a brand with the prestige of Jaguar, its new vehicle registrations in Europe for April 2025 make for truly painful reading. Just 49 – yes, forty-nine – new Jaguars were registered across the pond throughout April, representing a decline of 97.5%; a year ago, 1,961 Jaguar models were registered in the same month in Europe, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. These sales include those from Jaguar’s home market, the UK.
Without the benefit of context, it appears to be one of the most unfathomable declines from a major brand in recent automotive history. However, this drastic drop in sales in a key region doesn’t necessarily spell the end for Jaguar.
Before Things Get Better, They Must Get Worse
This is the general state of mind at Jaguar as it embarks on a path to release a fully electric lineup of vehicles, while also pushing deeper into the ultra-luxury segment. Jaguar has elected not to gently transition into an all-EV lineup. Instead, the vast majority of Jag’s gas-fed models have been discontinued, including the XF sedan (which ceased production midway through 2024). At around the same time, the XE sedan and F-Type sports car were discontinued. Without cars to sell, it figures that sales will fall off a cliff.
Adrian Mardell, Jaguar CEO, previously stated that the brand’s range of current models resulted in “close to zero profitability,” according to Automotive News. This explains why culling nearly the whole lineup wasn’t as drastic as it seems.
By accepting this dramatic decline in sales, Jaguar can fully focus on its next chapter, and what a chapter it looks to be.
A Brave New Future
Jaguar was almost universally panned when it revealed its new brand identity late last year. Everything – from the font to the logo, colors, and themes – were derided, and all bore little resemblance to the brand’s consistent look and feel up to that point. The initial rebrand had virtually no focus on cars, further alienating Jag loyalists, and phrases like “copy nothing” and “create exuberant” failed to strike a chord with gearheads in any meaningful way.
Jaguar isn’t oblivious to the backlash. According to a report by the The Telegraph last month, the British automaker is already hunting for a new advertising agency to replace Accenture Song. The latter is responsible for last year’s campaign, but Jaguar seems to want to replace the agency sooner rather than later, despite a contract being in place until mid-2026.
This was followed by the reveal of the Type 00 concept car, a first look at what we can expect from Jaguar’s EV future. With flush surfaces and dramatic touches like a glassless rear tailgate, it looks nothing like any other Jaguar we’ve seen.
Jaguar’s first production car under the rebrand will be an electric four-door GT, set to be revealed in late 2025 before reaching showrooms next year. Targeting the likes of Bentley and Rolls-Royce with an imposing design and deluxe interior, it remains to be seen how far upmarket the Jaguar brand can go, and this will be the model to answer that question.
Jaguar Land Rover Posts Record Profits
While Jaguar alone undergoes an expected lull as part of its transformation, Jaguar Land Rover has posted £2.5 billion (around $3.39 billion) in profits for FY25, a record result. These promising numbers have, of course, been spearheaded by Land Rover, a brand that has a reliably consistent lineup at present.
The stability of the Land Rover brand allows JLR to take its time with the Jaguar relaunch, even if that means selling shockingly few vehicles in the interim.
Land Rover
Final Thoughts
All things considered, Jaguar’s dismal European sales in April 2025 aren’t as unnerving as they initially appear. Without cars to sell, sales will plummet, and Jaguar seems to have anticipated this.
The brand has gone too far in a new direction to turn back now, and is betting on an exclusively EV future at a time when many automakers have reined in their plans to move to a fully electric lineup.
The arrival of Jag’s grand production EV in 2026 will confirm whether or not the gamble has paid off.