Jaguar XF Sportbrake Expected to Be Axed in the U.S.

Jaguar Land Rover is looking to cut costs amid a 281-million-pound loss in the fourth quarter of last year. To return to profitability, the automaker is trimming its lineup, and it looks like the Jaguar XF Sportbrake is one of the vehicles in jeopardy—here in the U.S. that is.

According to The Detroit Bureau, the Jaguar brand will cut models that it no longer sees as economically viable, and that includes wagons in the U.S. We reached out to Jaguar Land Rover to confirm exactly when we can expect the XF Sportbrake to disappear on our shores. We’re sad to see it leave after having been introduced here less than two years ago.

Jaguar is also getting rid of manual transmissions after 2019. The Jaguar F-Type loses its manual option for the 2020 model year.

Additionally, Jaguar Land Rover is rethinking diesels due to slumping demand in the U.S. and Europe. And the cuts could extend further in the future. If the market continues to shift toward SUVs in favor of coupes and sedans, “We have to ask [which products] make sense anymore,” Joe Eberhardt, head of Jaguar Land Rover North America, told The Detroit Bureau. One model that could be in trouble is the XJ flagship, which was rumored to go electric in its next generation.

Amid the current market shift, Jaguar has a car-heavy lineup. But it now offers three crossovers: the E-Pace, F-Pace, and I-Pace. The E-Pace and F-Pace together make up a whopping 70 percent of Jaguar’s sales, confirms Eberhardt.

“The good news is that we have the product,” said Eberhardt. “The question now is how we react on the downside with cars that are not in demand.”

Source: The Detroit Bureau

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