Are JLR Dealers Going Away?
 

I just called the JLR Albuquerque dealer to find out the hourly rate ($190) to reply to a separate post.

However, the service department representative I just spoke to told me that as of February 15, 2023, they are no longer a Jaguar dealer and will strictly be a Land Rover dealer. He said this is because Jaguar lost over $500M recently and has decided to focus on the two coasts, Dallas, and Scottsdale. He told me the Scottsdale dealer is the closet to Albuquerque, which it is at 6.5 hours away. Their target market is now $150k minimum per new car and will be really focusing on the Aston Martin & Bentley customer-base. He said Jaguar dropped 75% of their dealers nation-wide. LR Albuquerque will only be able to provide Jaguar repairs for as long as they can still get parts and to the extent Jaguar will support them. He said the Jaguar-certified mechanics will strictly be Land Rover mechanics for the foreseeable future.

Has anyone else heard this?

It probably depends on the specific dealer, and a LR dealer is WAY less likely to work on a Jag as they don't have the knowledge base.
ALSO, a LOT of Jag dealers will no longer work on ANY car older than 12 years.

I found out on my old Ford Ranger many mechanics will not work on older cars because the mechanics do not have the knowledge. It is a good thing I am somewhat knowledgeable and unconcerned about doing my own repairs.

Many of the earlier Land Rovers (2010-2015) have similar engine and cooling components to our 5.0 Xks. I'm sure other Jags get their parts from the same parts bin as the XKs so working on some systems must be similar as well. However, It's true that any enthusiast that cares to hold onto his/her Jag might have trouble finding a reputable shop to work on their car in the future.

The dealer I have been using was recently sold and the new owner dropped Jaguar. They are now a Land Rover dealer. My service writer told me they will still service my two Jaguars; but I think not. I will either go to a good Indie on the west side of LA or the Santa Monica dealer in the future. So,If anybody can recommend a good Indie on LA's westside I would appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

This's very bizarre as JLR under the new JLR Arch re-branding recently required formerly separately owned Land Rover dealers to become Jaguar dealers and Jaguar dealers to become Land Rover dealers, for example Dimmitt Land Rover was required to build a brand new dealership and take on Jaguar and Crown Jaguar was required to build a brand new dealership and take on Land Rover, which neither dealer principles wanted to do. Additionally a local BMW dealer was forced to give up their Land Rover dealership and hand it over to Wilde Jaguar and Wilde had to also build a brand new dealership to feature both brands.

So if this's true, I wonder what it means for Jaguar's US future?

Messaged you.

I thought the two marques are tied to franchises as a pair? There are no just Jag or LR dealers; only both. Jaguar is in an odd phase until the electric models come out.

Yes that is what I was told and have observed under the new Arch re-branding, of course things change though and perhaps dealers pushed back afterwards.

About six years ago I went to a local Land Rover dealer as I figured they could help me out with a new key. Well, even though they were friendly and all that, they said they would give it a shot but ended up not able. They did thoroughly wash my car though, inside and out, with zero dollars due. That dealership closed last year.

I have my '13 XKR-S in at Gaudin JLR, Las Vegas for a PPI right now and the service adviser said she would like to keep it over night so one of her more experienced mechanics who is more familiar with "older cars" can do a more thorough job on it. Her words....

Funny with older Jags in for service at the dealer. My friend's Jag indy shop is constantly being called by local JLR dealers on "how to" questions on older cars that come in for service.

I live in Boston area and Herb Chambers opened the largest and perhaps most expensive real estate wise JLR dealer in the country. If it were just down to LR, he'd still have a business. Jaguar will be back with a vengence when the portfolio totallly flips to a new generation. All Sky TV ads look quite promising for what's ahead.

Jaguar recently got a new Global Brand Manager. I have included a url to an article that just appeared in a British magazine that also go is into what the future may bring for Jaguar in the states. In particular, read about what they are doing with dealerships in the UK.

https://cardealermagazine.co.uk/publ...-jaguar/281313

Based on Automotive News Europe (Jan 2023) https://europe.autonews.com/automake...igh-end-models
JLR took a beating due to Covid/chip shortages last year(s) and then produced a modest 3.6% (?) profit in the last quarter of 2022.
Having solved(?) their chip shortage but facing battery shortages as they transition to all electric, JLR must be betting on low sales figures.
Combined with a $2.2 billion EV investment over five years, JLR should be well positioned to make the best of government subsidies by minimizing pesky losses associated with normal production numbers.
After all, Henry Ford's theory of maximizing profits by lower costs and increasing sales volume is passe. Ford didn't have to deal with the current regulatory environment.
It's the new economics, apparently brought to you by the folks who failed to learn the new math!
Will JLR go the way of Rover, Oldsmobile and Mercury? They will if that $2.2 billion investment takes 27.9 years to return!

I think most current US JLR dealers will want to wait it out for the electrified Jaguar portfolio. LR keeps the doors open until then.

Local dealer is still selling F type, I, F and E pace, XF.

At least with the F type V8, much of the basics are similar to our 5.0s (especially the plumbing) which can keep the techs familiar with the same issues we have with our cars.

They just built a beautiful new JLR dealer by me in Brooklyn and JLR Freeport NY prides itself on classic service as the oldest Jaguar dealer in the US (founded 1938). It really varies by market.

It's more than that, the AJ133SC in the F-Type is almost identical to that in a 2010 XKR with only a few minor changes over the years.
The few I can think of (other than PCM tune/power output) off the top of my head are:
- revised timing chains, guides and tensioners
- plastic cross-over coolant upper pipe rather than metal (a backwards step)
- electric rather than vacuum controlled SC bypass valve.

There are several new Jaguar/Land Rover dealerships in Southern California that have built brand new dealership buildings in the new charcoal and chrome motif on all of the new dealerships out here. I was pretty surprised when Galpin closed their international building which housed Aston Martin, Lotus, a few Jaguars, Lincoln, and some stragler supercars, rebuilt the building as a Jaguar/Land Rover building. The same thing happened in Thousand Oaks with a similar dealership. I'm cautiously optimistic although I don't believe Jaguar will survive as an independent brand if it survives at all. All of us on this forum understand the lure of the Jaguar brand or we wouldn't be here, but most of the rest of the automotive world doesn't.and doesn't care. And I don't believe the electric transition will be a good one for Jaguar unless they produce the best in class (by a long shot) of each vehicle they bring to market. I also am skeptical. We are nearly 4 months into 2023. By 2025 model year when all Jaguars will be electric, that's less than a year and a half from now when 2025 model cars should supposedly be in showrooms in the fall of 2024. There have to already be test mules out on roads being driven in preparation. Camouflaged or not, has anyone seen even one suspected sighting of a new electric Jaguar in any automotive journal, website, blog, etc.. Utter silence unless these cars don't really exist and aren't going to exist. But then why new Jaguar/Land Rover dealerships with expensive brand new buildings, It is a puzzle to me that I guess we're just going to have to wait to see. I also don't quite understand the hesitation to build a car based on the Jaguar heritage of superior GT/Sports cars or even stunning 4 door XJ style sedans. An all SUV based lineup doesn't seem like a recipe for success for Jaguar branding, and would seem to cannibalize the Land Rover marque. I hope I'm wrong but I suspect the end is near. And by the way, I don't believe Aston Martin is far behind in its struggle to survive although I believe they have a better chance of being acquired by another auto maker that wants to add a bit of panache to their lineup.

Stay tuned...