Rawdon Glover has worked with the JLR group for over 13 years and took charge as Managing Director 3 years ago. From the sidelines of our first drive with the Jaguar Type 01, we speak to Glover, who tells us about Jaguar's new direction, taking risky decisions, core markets and upcoming products.
Why the major shift in the positioning of Jaguar?
Putting Jaguar back on a firm footing for the next 90 years is the main job. And if you look at the task, it’s brand management where sometimes you need small incremental changes. But if you look at today’s technical changes, competitive context, how the brand was performing globally and a host of factors, what was called for was a big shift. That requires you to be bold and confident.
Why go for a radical and polarising design?
We’re ok with polarising. If you look at our history, it was bold evolutions, for example the XJS, the spiritual successor to the E-Type. It would have been easy to say let’s just make a modern example of the E-Type, but that’s not what we did, and if you look back at reviews, it was applauded for its dynamics and refinement, but the design was seen as polarising. Now it’s a design icon. So, I’d rather have four out of ten absolutely love the car, rather than have everyone go – yeah, it’s ok.
Isn't going all-electric a massively risky move?
The EV landscape is evolving rapidly, many new brands are coming in, and I believe one will crack the EV glass ceiling, so why not Jaguar? So we ripped up the EV rulebook because, in the luxury space, it wasn’t working. So it’s not designed as an EV without an engine and a really cab-forward layout. But it’s about presence and performance, and to deliver the level of performance and refinement, electric is best.
Would the car sit above the XJ in terms of price?
All of the vehicles coming off this platform would be between GBP 1,20,000 and GBP 1,50,000. We see a white space at the top end of the premium segment, but underneath established luxury players. That’s where we want to be, and with this vehicle what you get is the stature, the presence, the drama of those uber-luxury brands at the top end of the premium price point.
What are the core markets, and how does India figure in the plan?
We used to sell in 130 markets, but we’ll narrow this to just eight or nine, with 85 percent of the volume. North America will remain a large part, China will become important, and the UK, Germany and some Nordics, where they have really embraced EVs, will be the mainstay. Then in markets like the Middle East and India, which have been small, we think we can really break into them now. The retail would, of course, still be through the existing JLR network.
FTAs do not favour EVs, so is the 01 capable of being locally assembled?
Manufacturing this outside of the UK is not currently in the plan. All production will be built out of Solihull, so all exports to other markets will be CBUs, but that doesn’t rule out local production outside UK. As you know, the geopolitical situation is so fluid at the moment, but in time we could consider production elsewhere.
Is there a more chauffeur-driven offering from Jaguar coming?
The 01 is unashamedly driver-focussed, it has four comfortable seats, but it’s a four-door GT, not a four-door sedan designed as a luxury chauffeur-driven car. There will be other vehicles off this platform that will share the same design language, but will have a distinct personality and target different groups, and they would be accessible to a wider audience. So, yes absolutely, there will be a chauffeur-driven-focused model from Jaguar.
Would an SUV body style be part of the portfolio?
What you shouldn’t expect from us is a high-sided Jaguar that is a Range Rover competitor. We already have the best SUV on the planet, and part of the house of brand’s strategy is to differentiate the brands. All I can say, for now, is that you can expect a variety of vehicles from us, and there will be vehicles slightly higher positioned, but all will drive like a Jaguar.
How has it been working with Tata Motors?
Unwavering is the word. There is nobody more dedicated and passionate about our success than the shareholders, and that’s an incredibly privileged position to be in. It puts a little pressure, but having somebody like PB Balaji come onto our board is great. He’s been on the journey with us, he understands it inside and out, and for him, Jaguar is personal. It’s important to our chairman and even was to Ratan Tata. I was reading stories about Ratan Tata driving about in his father’s XK120, so it’s really important to Tata that Jaguar wins. In all my interactions with the board, there is never talk of tempering ambitions, it’s always, just go for it.