As EV sales decline, Jaguar Land Rover shifts its focus to PHEVs
JLR is the most recent carmaker to declare that it will be concentrating on plug-in hybrids instead of continuing with its electric vehicle program.
In 2021, Jaguar Land Rover unveiled a bold plan to completely electrify the Jaguar brand starting in 2025 and launch up to six new EVs under the Land Rover brand by 2026. Jaguar Land Rover has since reversed course and is delaying the introduction of EVs in favor of temporarily increasing the number of plug-in hybrids, despite a downturn in the demand for EVs around the world because they have a charging port that can be plugged into a household outlet or a charging station, PHEVs are viewed as a stepping stone to EVs. The distinction is that owners of PHEVs are spared the so-called range anxiety because they can still fill up their vehicles at a petrol station.
Sales of JLR's PHEV models increased 68% to 45,224 units in Europe in 2023, the company said during a recent conference call, despite a slowdown in the growth of EVs. JLR has now decided to put more of an emphasis on PHEVs, according to the sources.
"What you have observed from other manufacturers is that the transition to battery-electric vehicles is beginning to falter a bit," stated Adrian Mardell, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. The acceptance of PHEVs has surprised me greatly. In the interim, we're working hard to increase the number of PHEVs on the market.
Land Rover now only plans to introduce the first EV by 2026, down from its original goal of introducing many. The first will be the all-electric Range Rover, which has already racked up over 16,000 reservations and is still scheduled for release later this year. The all-electric Range Rover Sport will come next, and JLR's Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform will serve as the foundation for both vehicles.
Two more compact EVs that are supported by JLR's EMA platform will come after these. These models, details of which have not yet been released, are probably going to be all-electric replacements for the Velar and Evoque. Although it won't be released for another long time, a Defender EV is also planned.
Also Read: Range Rover Electric has estimated 16,000 interested buyers
Jaguar, on the other hand, will stick to its mission of being an electric-only brand. Its first model will be an all-electric, four-door GT that will compete with vehicles like the Porsche Panamera. There will be a second, smaller EV after this. Following the current generation, Jaguar's current ICE models, including the F-Pace and E-Pace, as well as the I-Pace and F-Type, will all be discontinued. In any case, JLR continues to aim for 60 percent of EV sales by 2030, to reach 100 percent by 2036.
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