The future of Jaguar’s R models is in jeopardy, and the biggest culprit of its uncertain future could be the model that’s sitting above it. A report from Auto Express revealed that Jaguar ‘R’ models will likely be discontinued because of the presence of the ’SVR’ models that sit above them. Apparently, the British automaker is now feeling the effects of one model cannibalizing the sales of another. It took longer than expected for Jag to realize this, but, hey, better late than never.

Raise your hands if you saw this coming. This was one of our concern when Jaguar unveiled the F-Type SVR. It was easy for Jag to brush it off because the F-Type SVR was still new at the time. But over time, it’s come to realize what we thought was going to happen from the start. The F-Type SVR cast a huge shadow on the F-Type R, forcing Jag to come to grips with the reality that one version had to go. As expected, it’s the F-Type R.

Jaguar SVO design director Wayne Burgess confirmed as much to Auto Express, saying that there’s not enough room in each model line to have an R and an SVR variant. “We have found F-Type R and F-Type SVR kind of compete against each other,” he said. “The truth of the matter is that F-Type R is a great car and, in some respects, SVR has a challenging time because the R is such a good car in the first place.”

If Jaguar wants to really put the spotlight on the SVR, getting rid of the R lineup is a good way to do it. The company has already seen what happens when you have two versions sitting a little too close to one another. One version is completely overshadowed while the other doesn’t have enough room to grow. It’s a lose-lose situation. But if it does drop the R lineup, it would give the SVR models, not only the room to grow but also the attention it deserves.

More importantly, Jaguar can also create a clearer pricing structure between the base models, the S version, and the range-topping SVR, thus eliminating the kind of conflict that would result in one model cannibalizing on the sales of another. We’ve already seen Jag do it with the F-Pace SUV, specifically the absence of an R version in that lineup.

“We would rather have a genuine SVR halo in the line-up and then jump an R model – that is a better way of doing things,” Burgess added. “In a model line that doesn’t have an R, it can allow SVR to really shine.”

Hopefully, it can do the same for the F-Type sooner than later. It’s about time Jag’s sports car creates a clear hierarchy and pricing structure. Taking out the F-Type R would go a long way in accomplishing that.

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