Could Jaguar U-turn on its all-electric future? Car maker said to be ‘exploring the development’ of a part-petrol hybrid engine after rebrand backlash
Jaguar is reportedly considering performing a dramatic U-turn on its plans to become an exclusively electric car maker, according to reports.
Sources close to the project told the Sunday Times that bosses have instructed engineers in the UK to develop a new petrol-electric hybrid engine it can offer as an alternative option to customers in what would be a significant one eighty on its all-electric rebrand.
The ‘secret initiative’ is part of efforts to ‘soothe drivers’ concerns’ about range anxiety amid a slowdown in EV demand across several major markets, which has already triggered a number of manufacturers to delay their own plans to go all in on battery-powered cars.
It comes after a turbulent couple of years for the iconic British car firm, which has endured a public backlash against its electric-only reboot and controversial rebrand, on top of falling victim to a high-profile cyberattack last August.
It too has seen a significant reshuffle at executive level, with PB Balaji parachuted into the CEO hotseat at JLR (formerly Jaguar Land Rover) late last year, arriving from the car maker’s Indian owner Tata Motors to steer Jaguar’s redirection.
Jaguar’s first car under the brand’s reboot – a £120,000 to £140,000 electric grand tourer – is due to be unveiled this summer and has just completed a round of extreme temperature testing close to the Arctic Circle.
When the Daily Mail and This is Money sat down with Jaguar’s managing director Rawdon Glover just last month and asked if the company might reconsider its EV-only plans, he told us: ‘We remain 100 per cent committed to a pure-electric future’.
A spokesperson from Jaguar reiterated this statement to us today, saying: ‘Our plans to reinvent Jaguar as an electric-only automotive brand are unchanged.’
Reports have emerged that Jaguar is considering developing a petrol-electric hybrid drivetrain to power some of its future models in a major U-turn on its all-electric promise
The Sunday Times claims the hybrid drivetrain under development is a ‘range extender’.
While conventional hybrid cars use a petrol or diesel engine, electric motors and battery to power the wheels, a range extender electric vehicle (REEV) typically has a smaller combustion engine that solely acts as a generator to recharge the battery when it runs low. At no point does the petrol engine send power directly to the driven wheels.
REEVs have become an increasingly popular alternative to EVs in China, with the latest models from brands like Leapmotor offering ranges in excess of 600 miles.
There are an estimated 1.2 million REEVs on the road in China, though they represent only around 6 per cent of all new ‘electrified’ (EV and hybrid) car sales, with buyers predominantly choosing fully electric or plug-in hybrid models.
REEVs are also expected to gain ground in the US as a stepping stone to fully electric cars.
However, in Europe, the technology has been largely overlooked.
The first range extender sold in the UK was the Vauxhall Ampera, which was the sister car to the Chevrolet Volt when both brands sat under the General Motors banner.
The Vauxhall Ampera was the first ‘range extender electric vehicle’ to go on sale in Britain in 2012. However, limited demand saw it ditched from showrooms just three years later
The Ampera – launched in the UK in 2012 – offered an electric only range of up to 50 miles from its 16kWh battery when fully charged. However, a 1.4-litre petrol engine – working only as a generator to power the battery – meant it could be driven for around 300 miles between charges and filling station visits.
It’s evolutionary powertrain even landed it the coveted European Car of the Year award in 2012.
But a high starting price of £35,000 – though at the time subsidised by up to £5,000 by the Government’s Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) – and uncertainty around electrified vehicles at the time saw sales slump in Britain and the Ampera ditched from showrooms in 2015.
Just over 1,200 were registered in the UK in total.
REEVs, like conventional ‘self-charging’ hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles, have been given a five-year stay of execution beyond the 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by the UK Government.
If Jaguar is to provide a REEV option, it would almost certainly provide a longer range than the 1,000bhp electric GT’s 400 miles.
Jaguar’s new electric GT car (pictured), which boasts around 1,000bhp, will have a range of around 400 miles. The latest range extenders provide ranges of more than 600 miles, though with a small petrol engine acting as a generator to power the battery and electric motor(s)
Daily Mail and This is Money last month took a passenger ride in the forthcoming 4-door GT that’s due to kickstart Jaguar’s electric rebrand this year. It recently completed extreme testing close to the Arctic Circle
Daily Mail Motoring Editor, Rob Hull (right), pictured with Matt Becker, JLR’s vehicle engineer director, the man in charge of honing the new EV so that it drives like a ‘true Jaguar’
We approached JLR for comment regarding development of a new hybrid drivetrain.
A spokesperson insisted that ‘plans to reinvent Jaguar as an electric-only luxury automotive brand are unchanged’.
‘last month prototype passenger rides received overwhelmingly positive reaction from global media and we are looking forward to unveiling the first new electric Jaguar later this year,’ the added.
Jaguar’s electric grand tourer EV has only recently completed a test regime in sub-zero conditions of Arjeplog in Lapland, Sweden, as its full unveiling creeps closer.
New JLR boss has been ‘involved in Jaguar’s rebrand from its inception’
The Daily Mail and This is Money was among one of the select few granted exclusive access to the electric GT car last month.
This included seeing the showroom-ready vehicle without its design-masking camouflage, a passenger ride in a near-production prototype, and a sit-down with the Jaguar managing director.
PB Balaji last month became JLR’ new CEO. He replaced the outgoing Adrian Mardell, who announced his impending retirement earlier in 2025. Industry experts believe Balaji – arriving from parent company Tata Motors – has been given the brief to steady the Jaguar ship
Amid reports that new JLR CEO PB Balaji had arrived from Tata as the replacement for the retiring Adrian Mardell with a brief to wind back Jaguar’s ambitious and somewhat divisive strategy, Glover told us in December this simply was not the case.
‘PB Balaji was CFO at Tata Motors and he’s on our PLC board, so he’s seen every iteration of the car [the £140k GT],’ he said.
‘In fact, he was at the very inception when we were devising the strategy of how we break the mould and how adventurous we should be. So, he’s been invested since day one.
‘I’ve seen him four or five times since he’s been here [as CEO] and every time he’s impressed upon me how important it is for him and the company that Jaguar succeeds.’
Jaguar’s managing director Rawdon Glover in an exclusive interview with Daily Mail and This is Money just last month said the company ‘remains 100% committed to a pure-electric future’
Jaguar caused a stir in 2024 when it said its ‘complete brand reset’ would include ditching some of its iconic badges, like the famous ‘Growler’ motif
The ‘growler’ logo, the universally-recognised snarling Jaguar head badge used for decades on the grilles and bonnets of iconic cars including the E-Type, reportedly fell victim to a revamping of the firm’s style and identity as it seeks out younger customers
Type 00’s reveal in 2024 also caused controversy when it was unveiled. Jaguar’s managing director says the intention is to ‘challenge some of the automotive norms’ with cars that ‘exude luxury’
At the time of our interview, news had already broken that the EU would relax its 2035 ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars.
Asked whether Jaguar could perform a U-turn on its all-electric ambitions in response, Glover said: ‘We remain 100 per cent committed to a pure-electric future and have entered the final stage in the development of our new all-electric Jaguar GT.’
Jaguar officially announced in 2021 that it would transition to an ‘all-electric luxury brand’ by 2025 as part of its ‘Reimagine’ strategy.
In 2024, it kickstarted the company’s ‘complete reset’ with one of the most divisive rebrands in automotive history.
It announced it would shun its evocative ‘Growler’ badge (later explaining to the Daily Mail that this is because its EVs won’t actually growl) before releasing a controversial ‘teaser ad’ to launch the satin pink Type 00 Concept in Miami that featured distinctive models and punchy slogans – like ‘Copy Nothing’ and ‘Delete Ordinary’ – but no cars.
The move prompted an angry backlash from the public, who accused Jaguar of ‘going woke’ and turning its back on 90 years of heritage.
The social media storm was quickly intensified by comments from high-profile figures.
Elon Musk waded into the conversation with a post on X – formerly Twitter – aimed at Jaguar stating: ‘Do you sell cars?’. US President Donald Trump also took to the Truth Social platform to dub Jaguar’s strategy ‘stupid, and seriously woke’ and a decision that left the business in ‘absolute turmoil’.
The switch to an all-electric car brand and killing off some iconic led to accusations that Jaguar was turning its back on 90 years of heritage
Glover says Jaguar’s ‘teaser video’, released by the car maker ahead of the debut of the Type 00 concept in Miami last year, was never intended to court controversy
Jaguar wouldn’t be the first car firm to scale back EV plans…
If Jaguar is to reconsider its plans to become an EV-only brand, it wouldn’t be alone.
Fellow British marque Bentley announced in November 2024 that it will delay going fully electric by five years to 2035, blaming decelerating EV demand and a lack of a suitable public charging infrastructure.
Volvo also backtracked on its promise to sell only fully electric cars by 2030 due to poor battery vehicle sales.
In September 2024, the Swedish company announced refreshed aims for 90 to 100 per cent of its global sales to be either pure electric or plug-in hybrid by the end of the decade.
Aston Martin, Audi, Ford, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche are also among the legacy names to delay their EV-only schedules in the last 48 months.
Jaguar, which has not produced a car for the UK for over 12 months, is currently in what it calls a ‘sunset period’ where assembly lines are being upgraded in preparation to produce EVs and its traditional dealer network reduced to ’boutique’ showrooms.
In November, the car firm hit headlines again when it emerged that JLR design chief Gerry McGovern, 70, had abruptly department the company.
The car manufacturer told us that reports it had ‘terminated his employment’ were ‘untrue’ but has refused to comment further on the matter. Though, read into the specific wording of that statement what you will.
JLR is also yet to realise the full financial ramification of stinging US tariffs – with North America among the car maker’s largest and most important markets – introduced by Trump last year and its August cyber breach.
Both factors have already dragged on second-quarter figures, when the company swung to a £723million loss as revenues fell by £1.6billion to £4.9billion.
The UK’s biggest car maker also took a £196million hit from the costs related to the cyber hack.
The impact of the breach, which spread through the company’s supply chain network and is thought to have affected more than 5,000 firms overall, was so great that it dented overall economic growth late last year.
JLR will publish financial results for the October to December period, its third quarter, next month.
