Not many moments can stop a factory in its tracks, but today was one of them.
At Solihull, on 19th December 2025, the final Jaguar F-PACE rolled off the line — bringing to a close not only a hugely successful model run, but the internal combustion era at Jaguar itself. This was the last ICE-powered Jaguar ever built—a quiet, historic full stop.
Launched a decade ago, the F-PACE was a leap into the unknown. Jaguar had never built an SUV, and expectations were mixed. What followed was a defining success. Over ten years, the F-PACE became the best-selling Jaguar in history, opening the brand to new buyers without losing the spirit that enthusiasts care about.
But this day wasn’t about sales figures. It was about the people who made it happen.
The Solihull workforce gathered in numbers, including many who had been involved since the earliest days of the project. Engineers, line workers and managers stood together, reflecting on ten years of shared effort. The atmosphere was proud, emotional, and unmistakably upbeat.
The final car was chosen with care: a black F-PACE SVR. The colour was no accident, echoing the black E-type that marked the end of another great Jaguar era. It felt like a deliberate nod to history.
Rather than heading into private hands, the last F-PACE was accepted by Matthew Davis, Managing Director of the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust, and immediately entered the national collection at Gaydon. Around it stood other milestones — the final XE, and the very first SS Jaguar 2.5-litre saloon — a powerful reminder of the company’s 90-year journey.
In attendance for the Jaguar Enthusiasts’ Club were Peter Leake (Chairman) and Wayne Scott (Editor & PR). Proceedings were opened by Trevor Leeks, Solihull Plant Operations Manager, whose address set the tone. His focus was firmly on the workforce — the skill, pride and consistency of the people who have built F-PACE day in, day out for the last decade. His words resonated across the room.
Cars like the F-PACE don’t happen by accident. Each one is made up of tens of thousands of components, brought together through precision, teamwork and experience. Over ten years, that knowledge became second nature on the Solihull line — and it showed in the finished product.
There was sadness, naturally. The end of F-PACE also marks the end of an era that has defined Jaguar for a generation. But this was not a backwards-looking moment. The mood was confident and forward-facing.
The people in that room knew what they had achieved — and they were ready for what comes next.
As Jaguar steps into a new electric chapter, the F-PACE leaves behind a legacy few models can match. As Jaguar’s best-selling model in history, it carried the brand through a period of change, brought new customers into the fold, and proved that Jaguar could evolve without forgetting who it is.
At Solihull, the line paused.
The pride did not.
53 Responses
I tihnk its a very sad day that Jaguar stopped the F pace.
The first XF in 2008 led the revival and showed what the brand could achieve.
It was and still is a fine car which more than competed with BMW, Audi and Merc.
I still think volume is where Jaguar ought to be not niche very high end cars.
I do think the ingenium did Jaguar no favours and became like their K series. Incidentally I’ve had lots of Rover K series and they have been fine.
I was very disappointed when they cancelled the electric XJ. The I-pace although flawed was also a fine start.
Derek Robbins
Jaguar X type owner.
Very sad day, I have only recently entered the world of Jaguar ownership, purchasing an XE, but never really forgave my father for getting rid of the mk2 after stuffing it in back of milk float, appears that the new EV jaguars will be unaffordable and a niche market, probably end up with a bloody Audi or something similar
I find this a very sad day not because of the loss of the F Pace which I never considered a thoroughbred Jag . In my opinion a Jag should be straight 6 or V8 sounding like an animal about to be unleashed . I will personally be keeping my XKR 4.2 supercharged on the road as long as possible . You can keep your electric vehicles as far as I am concerned
Well said, Neil. Jaguar going all-electric is the biggest own goal in motoring history. It’s insane. I have five Jags and, like you, will keep my 2013 XKR as long as I can find spares – not that I need many just yet!
I have loved 3 e type roadsters,a series 2 a series 3 and a flat floor series one all over a period of 20 years.I sold them all to finance different projects
and am left with a 1998 xkr roadster which is a
lovely car and has been very much enhanced by
Racing Green Cars.I have had her for 17 years and intend to keep her.Nothing like the note of a Jag
and I wouldn’t get an electric car as they appear
BORING.
The rest of Europe is going off EVs, for reasons most know, however now JLC think it is appropriate to launch a very expensive (for a Jaguar !) EV.
The pollution is more widely known now, than when Tesla launched its products, and a the University of Sundsvall, together with MIT, calculated the pollution levels in total from day 1, and it took a BMW 750i SWB almost 50,000 miles to produce the total amount of pollution that the Tesla S created !
Wish more people realised that prior to ‘saving the world’
Having owned several Jags, and loving the feel, handling and poise, I can see the end of this gorgeous brand, which Sir Ian Callum hugely aided.
In the past 25 years I have bought a XJR, XFS, F-type and a F-type R AWD, the later I still have and it looks like new and drives fantastic. But after being told by Jaguar that they didn’t need old men like me, in 2024 I bought an Aston Martin DBX as my touring car. I am someone that could afford their new cars, if they ever see the light of day, but from what I have seen so far they are determined to destroy the company, they have alienated me and destroyed the ethos and brand I loved.
Your right I’m afraid – difficult for many to believe and accept, I know, but the destruction of this once great Company and all that it stood for has been quite deliberate – in my opinion.
Worryingly for Jaguar I feel that events happening right now in Europe and America may well end Jaguar as a car producer. All the major manufacturers are keeping both eyes open to ICE and EV production. Engines will become more efficient and with minimal emissions. You can easily recycle an old ICE engine but with electric batteries it will increasingly prove problematical. Once you have lost the thread of internal combustion technology with young apprentice engineers it will be difficult to go back for the brand. It has happened with the independent aircraft industry in the U.K. and our last hope in the volume automobile world will be gone forever, however that decision is in the control of a foreign company so the decision looks to be set in stone.
I think its sad that Jaguar are not making petrol cars any more. I loved my E-Pace but I have moved away from the brand after many years because I refuse to buy an electric car.
On a positive note I will embrace the EV cars because of the envoromental issues.
This all needed to come from a strong company like jaguar, showing the world the way forward.
I belive that my last final ice jaguar will be around for a little longer, proberly seeing me out down the final streight.
All the best jaguar
Ron Bean (not a mini insight only a xkr)
A dictionary sums it up…….
Jaguar: A large feline.
Tata: Goodbye, farewell.
Different thoughts from across the Pond…
Upfront, I am currently driving a MY26 Jaguar P575 F-Pace SVR in BRG, while the Mrs. has a MY24 LR P400 MHEV Defender 110 and my son has a MY19 Jaguar P300 XE R-Sport.
While I purposely ordered my new SVR (delivered in Sep2025) to have one of the very last Jaguar ICE vehicles, I have reviewed the published statistics and financials of Jaguar which had many times been resurrected from bankruptcy with the latest being by Tata. While the woke marketing genius didn’t do the brand any favors, Jaguar had to do something different to stay alive. Most of us reading this article are older whom undoubtedly knew the Jaguar brand as a youth or in our younger days aspiring to eventually own one at some point in our lives. But the number of young folks who come after us aspiring to the same goal is probably realistically an order of magnitude less. While its nice that many of us can afford a new future Jaguar EV (whether we want to or not is a different matter), there will not be enough of us to sustain the brand in the long term as we get older and pass from this earth. Thus, JLR’s thought of wholly shifting their targeted demographic and market to upscale with heavy reliance only extremely affluence young/middle aged North Americans was probably their only choice (Harry and Jeremy talk about this in their joint YouTube segment a few months ago).
Jaguar is JLR’s new EV architecture “pathfinder” so people should not solely mentally apply the non-recurring investment for the same against the Jaguar brand but rather it should be against JLR’s future product line in its entirety. Am I personally an EV fan? No, but I understand the thought process behind their current strategy and think it is the best one they have given their current situation where ICE production is no longer an option for Jaguar (sure we can criticize the prior JLR leadership but it is what it is). Did JLR predict the last Presidential election here in the USA that has resulted in a large-scale push-back on going 100% EV? No, but here in the USA there is still a large and strong EV market in certain parts of the Country focused more around Urban areas versus the wide expanses of middle America.
Thus, if JLR doesn’t further delay its EV release here in the USA (and can even accelerate it back to mid Calendar Year 2026) and the vehicle itself is a winner in terms of looks/performance/features/reliability, I think they’ll have a good chance of keeping the brand alive within their new upscale smaller-volume paradigm.
I have 2 petrol and 1 diesel jags (XJ series 3, XKR X100 and X351) also an MG4 and one other. Those that drive around in an ICE should take a test drive of an EV to understand what they are like. The EVs are generally way less complicated and actually really nice to drive. I would love to own one of the new jags and I’m sure they will be well celebrated, but I’d have to wait 10 years before I could afford one 😅. Jaguars will always be a drivers car and by the sounds of it, they have probably nailed the reimaging and the new model well. China are going to kill the European car maket, so I understand why Jaguar are going down this path. If it’s a good product, they will survive.
As a long-term Jaguar admirer and owner, I can only view the current state of the company – and what looks to be the brand’s ultimate demise – with dismay. Buying a Jaguar was always an achievable aspirational purchase, but will now be pushed out of the financial reach of most loyal brand supporters by the ‘new direction’ that the company has decided upon. Sure, the company has been salvaged from oblivion many times, not least in the John Egan era. But we live in a different world now, with quite different political agendas being pursued. As mentioned in a previous comment, we in the UK and those in Europe are watching the remnants of our motor industry being decimated on the altar of net zero, whilst China, one of the biggest polluters, takes up the slack. Will the Jaguar badge end up on a far-Eastern product, like MG and Volvo?? Time will tell. For those of us who have to operate cars in practical, real-world, long-distance scenarios on a budget, the EV is simply not an option. Even if we wanted it. I’m not alone in rejecting the whole ‘save the planet, buy an EV’ concept, now provably untrue. My advice is to keep the existing stock of ICE Jaguars (and other marques) going as long as parts availability and legislation allow, and be proud to own a significant part of Britain’s motoring history!
I don’t see how this is something to celebrate and “ historic”? usually leads one to believe it is something good, not in this case. Jaguar is imploding from the inside out. I’m sure the poor people in this picture are not happy at all. Wondering if they are going to be out jobs soon? Why couldn’t this happen to Kia or Mini or even a silly car company like Nissan?? Why did this have to happen to JAG?? I guess Jaguar will be in the history books soon, right next to Saturn, Oldsmobile, and Saab. Build a bunch of cars that most people don’t want and few can afford. Seems like a great business model.
Coming from a 07 XJ Super V8, 2010 XKR 5.0 V8, 2003 S -type and 2018 F Pace 35t.
In terms of the workforce, moments after this, they were all back on the track, and everything resumed as normal with Range Rover production – amazingly, they came down the same track as F-PACE. There was a lot of activity and buzz down there for the construction of the new Jaguar GT, as it is Solihull building them. The factory is currently being tooled up for them. Indeed, there were a few prototypes knocking around. If there was any melancholy, then it was hidden well. They have been living the transformation way ahead of us, seeing it, so it was business as usual. It seems people forget that JLR is a big house of different brands – Jaguar is a part of that and is no longer a single cottage industry manufacturer out on its own any more.
The last one…
A great reflection on the F-PACE’s legacy! It’s impressive how this model helped Jaguar navigate change while staying true to its identity. Excited to see how the brand’s electric future unfolds after such a strong foundation.