Jaguar XJ Production Coming To A Grinding Halt In June 2019

Priced at $76,000 before destination in the United States, the luxurious feline for this part of the world is available with the supercharged V6 and supercharged V8 that Jaguar can’t sell any longer in the European Union due to ever-stricter emissions regulations. Considering the age of those gasoline engines, we’re not surprised by this unfortunate turn of events for the XJ.

Confirmed to slot above the J-Pace as the flagship of the Jaguar lineup, the next generation has been signed off in the earliest part of 2018. There’s talk the XJ will go electric in 2020, and chances are Jaguar will make the switch to a dual-motor powertrain considering the success of the I-Pace crossover with a cab-forward design for much greater space in the cabin.

Autocar.co.uk understands that Castle Bromwich will shut off the XJ production line on July 5th after manufacturing more than 120,000 examples of the eighth generation. A spokesman from the British automaker confirmed to the motoring publication the XJ nameplate will soldier on, but didn’t go into detail about what the future holds for the full-size sedan.

Jaguar is no stranger to reinventing itself. The X350 from 2002 to 2007 embraced aluminum while the X351 said farewell to the three-box design of previous generations for a sloping profile. The XJ received a mid-cycle refresh in 2015, adding LED lighting, InControl Touch Pro infotainment, a bangin’ stereo, and lots of driving-assist technology.

Mercedes-Benz is also working on a full-size sedan with all-electric propulsion, related to the next generation of the S-Class. The competitor to beat, however, is the Tesla Model S from Fremont, California. The Palo Alto-based automaker is developing the second redesign of the Model S, expected to debut for the 2020 model year in September.