Wayne York Kung, Jaguar USA National Product Communications manager, Stated in an industry email, "The rumors are true . The Jaguar xk will cease production at the end of this year. No effort will be made to replace it in the future."

 

Article also confirms there will be a 2015 model...


Jaguar XK to cease production this summer - Autoblog

 

I really don't want a "bigger, softer" GT, I'm too young for that. And I don't want a smaller hardcore car, I'm too old and whiney for that. And Astons are too rich for my blood. It looks like I'll be driving the XKR for a long time...I can think of plenty of worse things

 

Oooooh! ThE PaiN!!!!!

 

.... aaaaaaand you' re extinct .... driving a dinosaur ....

 

Three months and we are cast off to the modern section LOL

 

I guess for some of us it doesn't matter. Different models live and die but they will always be around. As long as there are companies that provide parts these cars will live for a long time. I have owned many models that have pasted into the auto closets and it did not deter me from buying them. So this is not a story of death of a model but of placing another car in auto history. Now the question is will there be a sell off down the road or will the value appreciate. Time will tell but in the meantime enjoy the ride.

 

It only makes sense. There is no point in having two sports cars while the entire company makes only 4 cars. Take the efforts/funds from one and put it towards another model, like the XE, which should be a very lucrative proposition.

I also think as long as Jaguar keeps growing as a brand, i can see them bringing back the XK sometime in the future.

 

I believe that owning a car that is NOT superseded by an updated, newer model is much preferable to one where the model is indeed replaced by a new one. As soon as the new model comes out it tends to age the old model a great deal.

When the present XKs came out in '07 and I came across it, I felt like I was driving an old car, having owned a still beautiful '05 XK at the time. So, I wanted and did trade a year later for an '08. Now, at least, I feel that I'm still driving the latest version of the XK(R), regardless of its age of design. I do think that unless Jaguar carries on with the XK designation models in the upcoming years, the XKs will become classics, something you will be proud to own long term.

 

I'm not sure about the current XKs becoming classics, but I certainly agree that not having a replacement for the XK preserves it's freshness as there won't be any comparisons. Of course there will be those who say the F Type is the updated car, but it isn't, it's a sports car, the XK is a grand tourer.

 

I expect the same level of hand-wringing & navel-gazing went on when the Mk.III E-Type (a sports car) was replaced by the XJ-S (a grand tourer) - in fact, though the cars were out of my league, I vaguely recall a certain amount of fuss at the time. Now we're going the other way. Maybe we'll go back in the future, maybe Jaguar will end up with both sports and GT models.

 

unfortunately the general public has no idea what a GT car is.. They thinks its a sports car so they think F-Type. My friend who owns a F-Type looked at me like I had three heads when I called the XKR a GT car and the F-Type a sports car.

All that being said I wish Jag would go racing again, I think that would help the brand and I miss the IMSA GTP cars they campaigned.

 

These are the days I remember well....

 

Heck, even I don't know the difference any more, and was actually thinking of starting a thread about that this morning. What I do know is the F-Type doesn't fit the traditional definition of a sports car that I've had over the years of owning several, and just as many auto journalists refer to it as a GT as they do sports car...and they do the same with cars I was sure are sports cars! Sheesh.

Since it doesn't alter the car no matter how you label it, I think the real significance is for the marketing departments, and the buyer's they're hoping might be drawn by one or the other.

Bruce

 

This is exactly how I feel.

 

I have to admit I was super excited when I found out Davy Jones was one of the instructors for the Jaguar Performance Academy as I grew up watching him in IMSA. Man I miss these cars!

 

Wasn't he one of the original Monkees? I guess he's a different Davy Jones. Sorry.....I'm just trying to lighten up some of these Jaguar demise discussions....

 

Bruce,
I strongly suspect you have your tongue firmly in your cheek writing that and really do know much better, but its really not just down to marketing. Its an actual difference.
GT = road trip car (sacrifices weight/handling for comfort/luxury/space).
Sports car = track day car (sacrifices comfort/luxury/space for weight/handling).

IMHO Unless you spend more time on the track than road (i.e. the vast majority of us), you're much better off with a GT car than a sports car. As an illustration, Imagine how you would feel getting out of a miata or F-type after a long day of continuous freeway driving, then imagine how much better you would feel after doing the same in an XKR, which BTW also has room for your weekend luggage.

...and if you really are one of the 0.001% of all F-Type shoppers who actually do want a car primarily to go to the track with, then you're crazy to buy an F-Type as you can get a much faster track car for a LOT less money.

 

I would disagree with that. Even though you may not track a sports car, you can still experience the effects of its increased nimbleness, better responsiveness, more fun nature, etc. I never tracked my Miata, but it was tons of fun to drive, even compared to my current XKR!

I'm one of those naysayers who roll their eyes every time someone says the F-Type is a true/pure sports car. What sacrifices have they made in order to get the weight down?

 

You're not the only one I've heard say that, but I'm genuinely interested to know why...

Maybe I'm biassed, but I for one think all that is holding it back from becoming a classic is that it's still available in the showroom, so in some ways, I'm actually glad it's not going to be on sale much longer.

The current XK has got all the makings of a true classic and it's look will age very well, consequently I think the time when it is properly appreciated is yet to come.