Jaguar XJR575 killed in Europe by WLTP

Jaguar has quietly killed the most powerful model in its XJ line-up – the XJR 575 – in Europe, due to more stringent World harmonised Light vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP) regulations.

Despite only being released last year, Auto Express reports the XJR 575’s low production numbers mean that it was not cost-effective for Jaguar to homologate it to meet the new test procedure.

This move comes after Jaguar Land Rover removed the 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol engine from its XE S, XF S, Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Velar models earlier this year.

These changes mean the XJ in Europe is now only available with JLR’s 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel, marking the first time in history that the XJ model is available without a petrol engine.

The XJR 575 will however still be available in other markets such as the United States, for the time being at least, with Jaguar's manager of public relations in North America, Nathan Hoyt, telling carbuzz.com “the XJR 575 will be offered in the US in 2019, following its debut here last year.”

Jaguar is far from the only manufacturer forced to cull models due to the WLTP testing, with high-profile cars such as the Volkswagen Golf GTI manual and the BMW M3 removed from sale due to complications arising from WLTP compliance.

A replacement for the current-generation Jaguar XJ is expected to arrive in 2020.

We've contacted Jaguar Australia for details on whether the XJR 575 is still offered here. It's still listed online, so we'd suggest it'll stay the course Down Under.

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