It Takes Almost a Year to Sell This Car

One of the most important figures in the auto industry is “days on lot” or “market day supply.” Each is an indication of how long it takes to sell a car model from when the manufacturer delivers it until a customer drives it away. The average is about 50 days.

For one car brand, the number is almost a year. Market day supply for the Jaguar F-Pace is 321 days. It is an expensive car, with its base price of $71,000.

Jaguar tried to reinvent itself last year. It said it would move to an all-electric lineup just as interest in electric vehicles (EVs) began to wane. Sales in Europe dropped 90% early this year. An ad campaign similar to the one that sank Bud Light sales was the final crippling move by management.

Among other things, Jaguar has been one of the most storied combustion engine vehicle companies for decades. Management planned to take that away. Sales took a brutal hit because of the new direction. CEO Adrian Mardell was thrown out by the parent company, India’s Tata Motors.

Jaguar continued to have a gasoline-powered fleet, but as its image cracked, even sales of those fell through the floor. The F-Pace is a crossover. Reviewers still like its sports-car-like performance, but that has not been enough. Car and Driver recently wrote, “Taut suspension tends toward stiff, short on places to stash small items, infotainment can be slow to react.” Among all compact luxury SUVs, Road and Track ranks it 11th, behind import luxury car leaders BMW, Mercedes, and Porsche.

Management ruined the Jaguar brand, and F-Pace sales are a victim.

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