Jaguar XK production will end this summer

During its time under Ford's Premier Automotive Group umbrella, the Jaguar XK saw two iterations. The first was a much-needed replacement for the aging XJS. The second cribbed cues from the classic E-Type, as well as from designer Ian Callum's previous work at Aston Martin. It also — improbably and controversially — seemed to draw influence from Ford's ovoid Taurus. Now in its eighth model year, eclipsed in the flash department by the company's smashing F-Type, the second-gen XK's being put out to pasture this summer.

Though some will undoubtedly be saddened by the move, the phaseout of the XK, announced in the UK's Autocar, makes sense to us. The uplevel F-Type models overlap in price with the XK, and the styling is beginning to show its age. The Tata-owned automaker's upcoming XE 3 Series fighter and its resultant ute variant hold broader appeal and more mass-market potential.

Jaguar hasn't ruled out future iterations of the XK, suggesting that the current cut is merely a hiatus while it focuses on core models. And with the F-Type handling the rawer end of things, the next car should be spared from doing double-duty as both the company's big GT and sports-car representative.

So fare thee well, long-nose cat. We anxiously await your return.

By Davey G. Johnson