Opinion: two recent startups offer hope for Jaguar

Imagine starting a car company from zero. A real car company. One that wants to sell in volume and must adhere to all the rules and regulations that apply to Ford or Toyota. One that satisfies a market that demands reliability, convenience and a level of all round capability that was unheard of just a decade or so ago. The task list is laughably complex.

From creating a brand that resonates with a broad audience, to engineering a product to exceed incumbent class leaders and ultimately to market and sell in a ferociously competitive space. Oh, and maybe try to make some money too.

We know it’s possible. Look at Tesla. Take the politics out of the equation and its story is truly remarkable. From creating what amounted to a battery powered Lotus Elise in 2008 to selling 1,120,209 vehicles in just the first three quarters of 2025. And that’s with a figurehead who seems intent on alienating as many customers as he can. No wonder others have been tempted to embrace the challenge of starting a new car company...

On a recent trip to the US, home of the mass production EV startups, I got to experience two of these brave new players almost back to back. The first a quad motor Rivian R1T pickup with 1,025bhp and 1,198lb ft and a range of 374 miles. This is Rivian’s first full year of sales and it’s projected to produce over 40,000 vehicles split between the R1T and an SUV variant, called the R1S. VW has recently embarked upon a $5.8 billion joint venture with Rivian to develop next generation software and EV architecture. In LA at least, Rivians are everywhere. They look cool too.

The next was a Lucid Air. Now, Lucid – also of California – does a monster power version of the Air retro-futuristic saloon called the Sapphire that packs 1,234bhp. However, I tried the much cheaper Air Touring with ‘just’ 620bhp and a range of 431 miles. Lucid’s story is more troubled, but the technology is amazing – it supplies Formula E and has even announced a collaboration with NVIDIA to co-develop next gen Level 4 autonomous driving tech (boo, hiss, etc).

On the flip side, Lucid lost $850 million in the second quarter of 2025 and looks set to deliver just 18,000 cars this year. The company is now 60 per cent owned by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi and needs those very deep pockets.

Two very different tales of EV startup, then. But, you know what? The R1T and Air are both pretty amazing. Full of intrigue and innovation, styling that’s unconventional and fresh but understated and arresting, and dynamically on the money. And their cool, distinctive interiors are perhaps the best cabins ever to come out of the US car industry. They really do feel like clean sheet cars and despite the odd foible, either seemed like it would be a breeze to live with. Of course, this was just a snapshot and Lucid in particular has been through some pretty horrific growing pains.

Even so it’s fantastic to see that ambition, optimism and seriously good product can magic up demand where once there was none. Surely, if these guys can do it, Jaguar has one last shot?