Skip to main content

Jaguar’s SVO could make a stand-alone performance car, says division chief

As much as we get excited about all cars big and small, we’re particularly giddy when an automaker rolls out a vehicle from its performance division. That car will be the one built to its fullest performance potential, straight from the source. The only thing more thrilling, though, is when they’re allowed to cut loose and build their own stand-alone vehicle from the ground up, and it’s something Jaguar is considering for its Special Vehicle Operations unit.

In a conversation with Bloomberg, John Edwards, head of the performance unit that they’re “certainly looking in to that.”

Recommended Videos

It would be a step in line with Mercedes-Benz’s production of cars like the AMG GT and the SLS before it.

“We’ve got the capability to do that,” He continues. “Is there an opportunity for us to do a completely stand-alone car? Maybe.”

The Jaguar C-X75
The Jaguar C-X75 Image used with permission by copyright holder

It’s a coy answer to something that could have a lot of potential. While it wouldn’t be a huge boost in sales, it would be an opportunity to “stretch the Jaguar Land Rover brand” with a halo car not derived from an existing vehicle.

A vision of this would be the cancelled C-X75 concept vehicle, a high powered hybrid that would’ve rivaled the likes of the Porsche 918. There’s been a recent resurgence of the car’s profile as it is a featured vehicle in the upcoming new installment of the James Bond film series, SPECTRE.

Perhaps this is what spurred Jaguar to consider its own standalone car. Maybe seeing its former owner Ford unify all its performance cars under one brand and produce the new GT played a part in the decision. There’s no way to know for sure, but we’d love to see what a bad kitty Jaguar’s SVO could put together if given the chance.

Alexander Kalogianni
Alex K is an automotive writer based in New York. When not at his keyboard or behind the wheel of a car, Alex spends a lot of…
Plug-in hybrids are becoming more popular. Why? And will it continue?
Kia Niro EV Charging Port

There's a lot of talk about the idea that the growth in electric car sales has kind of slowed a little. It's not all that surprising -- EVs are still expensive, early adopters all have one by now, and they're still new enough to where there aren't too many ultra-affordable used EVs available. But plenty of people still want a greener vehicle, and that has given rise to an explosion in hybrid vehicle sales.

That's especially true of plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be charged like an EV and driven in all-electric mode for short distances, and have a gas engine as a backup for longer distances or to be used in combination with electric mode for more efficient driving.

Read more
EV drivers are not going back to gas cars, global survey says
ev drivers are not going back to gas cars global survey says screenshot

Nearly all current owners of electric vehicles (EVs) are either satisfied or very satisfied with the experience, and 92% of them plan to buy another EV, according to a survey by the Global EV Drivers Alliance.

The survey of 23,000 EV drivers worldwide found that only 1% would return to a petrol or diesel car, while 4% would opt for a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) if they had to replace their car.

Read more
Trump team in sync with Tesla on ending crash-reporting requirements, report says
Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The transition team of President-elect Donald Trump is planning to end existing car-crash reporting requirements to safety regulators, according to a Reuters report.

The report cites a document obtained by Reuters that lays out the transition team’s 100-day strategy for automotive policy. In the document, the team says the crash-reporting requirement leads to “excessive” data collection, Reuters says.

Read more