Jaguar is forced to buy back its customers’ electric cars to avoid fires

While Jaguar made the news last week by unveiling a controversial video on social networks, the British manufacturer is still in the news. Although no new cars are currently sold, he wishes to buy back part of his production from his customers.

Jaguar wants to buy I-Pace

If Jaguar wants to acquire I-Paces from American owners, it’s not because it’s a memorable car. Although this is Jaguar’s first electric car, it is prone to problems, as reported by our colleagues at Carscoops.

Indeed, there is a risk of overheating the battery which could cause a fire. This annoying problem has been known for years without any lasting solution having been found. However, some cars sold in 2019, despite updates intended to eliminate this defect, continue to present fire risks. Three MY2019 models reportedly caught fire despite Jaguar’s software fix.

Last August, Jaguar recommended that its customers park their cars away from buildings and outdoors, adding that an update limiting the charging level to 80% would be implemented as a temporary solution. However, the definitive solution seems to be the repurchase of the Jaguar I-Pace concerned, i.e. 2,760 copies according to Carscoops.

However, remember that overall, an electric car is less likely to catch fire than a thermal car. The difference is even more marked with the new cobalt-free LFP batteries, which are found in more and more electric cars.

To go further
These numbers prove how rare electric car fires are

A big blow for Jaguar?

It’s unclear if there is a right time for such an operation, but it seems to come at the worst time for the Jaguar brand. The brand has just launched its communication on its electric future and, at the same time, it is forced to buy defective electric cars. The signal sent to consumers is negative and could suggest that Jaguar has not yet mastered the manufacture of reliable electric cars.

Let’s give Jaguar a little more time: the I-Pace was its first electric vehicle, and, as with any first attempt at something, problems can arise. The first Tesla Model S were also full of flaws, including fragile batteries and finicky retractable door handles…

Furthermore, Jaguar is not the first manufacturer to buy back cars sold to its customers. Citroën had already done this!

Buying back cars from customers, Citroën has already done it!

The story we are about to tell you proves that Jaguar is not the first manufacturer to organize a buyback of sold vehicles. In the 1980s, Citroën adopted a similar strategy with the BX! So, you are probably wondering: why did Citroën want to buy BXs from its customers, when this sedan was renowned for its reliability and comfort? The answer lies in a very particular version: the BX 4TC.

The 1980s marked the heyday of Group B in rallying, a totally unbridled category which saw the birth of legends such as the Audi Sport Quattro, the Peugeot 205 T16, the Ford RS200, the Lancia 037, the Lancia Delta Intégrale or again the MG Metro 6R4. At that time, rallying was as popular as Formula 1, and it was imperative for a manufacturer to participate.

Citroën, a little jealous of the success of the Peugeot 205 T16, also wanted its share of glory in Group B. But to get there, it needed an ambitious car. Citroën therefore transformed a BX by adding four-wheel drive and a 2.1-liter turbo engine, assisted by an electric compressor: a real DIY project. The only constraint for participating in Group B was to produce 200 road-legal examples, available for purchase by the general public.

But why use a BX, a 5-door family sedan, for the rally? Quite simply because Citroën had nothing else in stock. The engine, usually mounted in a transverse position, has been installed in a longitudinal position in this 4TC version, increasing the front overhang by 28 cm. The gearbox, placed as an extension of the engine, was accompanied by a transfer case. Without going into the details of the hasty assembly carried out with parts from the PSA organ bank of the time, one figure should be remembered: 64% of the total weight of the car rested on the front axle!

With an exorbitant price for a BX and mediocre rally performance, Citroën had great difficulty selling the 200 examples needed for approval. Only 86 vehicles were sold to private customers. Among these 86 cars, Citroën then bought back a large number of examples still in circulation. The reason was simple: to avoid ensuring the continuity of spare parts during the legal duration. Those who had the sense to keep their BX 4TC made an excellent choice, since the price of this rally sedan has exploded, today exceeding 100,000 euros.

The Jaguar I-Pace, although purchased by Jaguar, should not follow the same trajectory. Produced in much greater numbers, it is not associated with a glorious period of motorsport, nor with a significant chapter in the history of the manufacturer.