Jaguar XJ luxury sedan on the way out, to be replaced by electric car in 2020

Jaguar is ending the production run of its XJ luxury sedan this summer, and it now appears as if the car will be replaced by an electric model next year.

The last car from the Jaguar XJ’s X351 series will roll off the line in July, but the model is still being tabbed for an “electric reinvention” for its ninth generation, according to Autocar.

A 2018 report from the same publication also claimed Jaguar could be replacing the XJ with an electric version as soon as this year, though the timeline has clearly changed.

Though the electric model has yet to be confirmed, a spokesman told Autocar that Jaguar plans to continue the XJ nameplate.

XJ has become the least popular Jaguar in recent years, with sales lagging far behind its other models. The carmaker only sold 1,579 XJs in the US last year, and only 502 to date this year, according to GoodCarBadCar.

The aim is still to make the electric XJ a model that can compete with upscale cars like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, or as far as EVs go, the upcoming Porsche Taycan.

Electrek’s Take

Autocar was saying mostly the same thing last year, but now that there appears to be a concrete end to the run of the current ICE XJ, those alleged electric plans could be a little closer.

Jaguar also has an EV on the market now, and it didn’t the last time these plans were believed to be in the works. Perhaps the carmaker is emboldened by the generally warm reception for the I-Pace — see our review here.

We don’t doubt there’s some kind of plan forming here, but we’ll wait for official word before getting too excited.