Fields Auto Group has returned its Jaguar dealership franchise along Atlantic Boulevard in East Arlington but will continue as an authorized repair facility for the British brand of luxury vehicles.
“We no longer sell New or Certified Jaguars moving forward,” said Fields Auto Group Vice President Brian Zehren in an email April 13.
“We are still an authorized repair facility which means we can still perform warranty and customer pay repair service supported by Jaguar.”
The Jaguar operation is at 11217 Atlantic Blvd., side by side with Fields’ Land Rover Jacksonville.
“We informed Jaguar that we would no longer want to continue selling new Jaguars,” Zehren said, explaining that meant returning the new Jaguars back to the manufacturer for them to distribute to their remaining dealer body in the U.S.
In general, returning or surrendering an auto brand franchise means the franchisee dealer is relinquishing its rights to sell that brand’s vehicles at a particular location.
Zehren said its dealer license is unaffected since Jaguar and Land Rover are the same company.
Jaguar is part of the Jaguar Land Rover group, a British multinational car manufacturer. Its North American headquarters is in Mahwah, New Jersey, north of New York City.
Zehren said buyers who have purchased a new or used Jaguar “can expect the same great service they have come to expect from Jaguar of Jacksonville.”
“The repairs will still be done with OEM (original equipment manufacturer parts) and repaired by factory-trained technicians,” Zehren said.
Fields Auto Group, based in Northfield, Illinois, north of Chicago, is led by CEO Dan Fields. Its Florida base is in Doral, near Miami.
Not tariffs related
The return of the franchise is not related to tariffs, Zehren said. President Trump announced 25% auto tariffs March 27 but said April 14 he might temporarily exempt the auto industry to give automakers time to adjust their supply chains.
Zehren said April 14 that Fields “decided to return the franchise prior to any tariff discussion, so the timing of this is unrelated to the current economic situation.”
Zehren said he could not speak to why Fields decided to give back the Jaguar franchise in Jacksonville. A Jaguars customer service representative at the brand’s headquarters number said retail locations are independently owned or operated and referred questions to the franchisee.
Jaguarsusa.com shows 18 dealers in Florida, with the closest to Jacksonville in Ocala, Orlando and Tallahassee.
Zehren said Fields Auto Group has two Jaguar dealerships in its auto group in Northfield, Illinois, and in Bellevue, Washington.
Fields Auto Group bought the Jaguar Land Rover Jacksonville dealership from the Matheny family in 2014.
Fields PAG Inc. won city approval in August 2018 to build a new Jaguar Land Rover Jacksonville dealership at 11211 Atlantic Blvd.
The 34,293-square-foot dealership with another 2,700 square feet of unenclosed space was built on 6.72 acres.
The project relocated the Jaguar Land Rover dealership from next door.
Fields PAG Inc. owns the 12.1-acre property. The existing Jaguar Land Rover dealership was on the western portion of the site.
Fields Automotive Group Inc. demolished the former Jaguar Land Rover building and built a new facility for Fields-owned Porsche Jacksonville, which moved from another Atlantic Boulevard location.
Fields Auto Group’s 34 dealerships carry 19 brands.
It site shows dealerships in Florida, Illinois, North Carolina, Washington and Wisconsin.
In Northeast Florida, Fields Auto Group owns Fields Cadillac Jacksonville and Fields Cadillac St. Augustine; a collision center; Mercedes-Benz Vans in Jacksonville; Land Rover Jacksonville; Lexus of Jacksonville and Lexus of Orange Park; Mercedes-Benz Orange Park and Mercedes-Benz Jacksonville; and Porsche Jacksonville. It is developing service centers for Mercedes-Benz and Porsche in World Commerce Center in St. Augustine.
Fields’ fieldsauto.com site shows it has the Jaguar Bellevue dealership in Washington and Jaguar Northfield in Illinois along with a Jaguar certified service center in Arden, North Carolina, and authorized service centers in Jacksonville; Madison, Wisconsin; and Waukesha, Wisconsin.
Along Atlantic Boulevard, Fields Auto Group has Lexus of Jacksonville at 10259 Atlantic Blvd., Porsche Jacksonville at 11211 Atlantic Blvd., and Land Rover Jacksonville and the Jaguar authorized service, both at 11217 Atlantic Blvd.
Jaguar changes
Automotive News reported at AutoNews.com on Jan. 25, 2024, that “massive change is underway this year at the nation’s 395 Jaguar-Land Rover dealers.”
“More dealers will surrender their Jaguar franchises this year and either transition to service or be done with Jaguar. They can do that because Land Rover is booming, and with the easing of supply chain snags, production is increasing,” it reported.
Automotive News published a question-and-answer with Dan Fields, as chairman of the 12-member JLR Retailer Cabinet.
At the time, Fields’ dealership group had more than 30 stores in four states, including five Land Rover stores, three Jaguar stores and two Jaguar service centers.
It said his family-owned company had been a Jaguar-Land Rover dealer for more than three decades.
Among other questions, Automotive News asked about the dealers with dual showrooms under one roof who are surrendering their Jaguar franchises – what becomes of the Jaguar side?
“Has JLR provided any guidance on using that space? Can that area be used for Range Rovers or maybe certified pre-owned sales?”
Fields responded that at the time it was “not really an issue.”
“I think there’s about 50 dealers who have surrendered their Jaguar franchises. But you’re right on the money. It can be set up as a CPO showroom or as a showroom to separate the brand pillars — Defender, Range Rover and Discovery,” Fields said.
“I have two dealerships where we surrendered the Jaguar franchise and we use that area as a Range Rover showroom — if we’re lucky enough to have one that’s getting delivered. CPO has become a great business and that’s also a tough supply.”
The BBC.com site reported in November 2024 that Jaguar was “embarking on the biggest change in its 102-year old history” to relaunch as an electric-only brand.