Jaguar's new path leaves dealers shocked: Premium brand makes unexpected moves
Jaguar plans to cut UK dealerships by 75% while moving towards all-electric luxury cars. This major shift affects both long-time dealers and customers as the brand aims for ultra-premium market
Jaguars transformation is causing quite a stir in the auto-industry‚ with the companyʼs new direction making waves among its key partners. The british car-maker is set to showcase its ground-breaking electric concept at Miami Art Week (happening tonight at 8pm local-time)
The shake-up includes some hard-to-swallow changes for dealers: the company will cut down its UK presence from 80 to just 20 showrooms which has created a lot of push-back from affected businesses. Umesh Samani‚ who leads the Independent Motor Dealers Association isnt happy with these developments.
There are a lot of angry dealerships out there because some have invested millions of pounds in these franchises but now wont be able to continue carrying the Jaguar brand
The re-positioning affects several areas of business:
- Current dealers must drop Jaguar branding
- Service locations will be limited
- Parts availability might become restricted
- Show-room investments (up to £10m) could be lost
Rawdon Glover‚ Jaguars managing-director‚ defended the brands new direction saying its necessary to stand-out in todays market. The company plans to move way-upmarket with prices jumping from current £70‚000 to over £100‚000 for new models when they launch in 26
The car-makers new identity (which dropped its famous growler badge) comes with avant-garde marketing thats quite different from its traditional image. Its all part of a strategy to attract ultra-wealthy buyers – though this approach has left many questioning if Jaguar is forgetting its roots
