Why Some Carmakers Just Can’t Keep Up: The Fall of Legacy Brands in the EV Era
As the auto industry swerves full-throttle into electrification, not everyone’s making it around the bend. While companies like Tesla, BYD, and Hyundai are eating up market share, some of the world’s most well-known car brands are barely clinging on — stuck in neutral or going in reverse.
These aren’t obscure startups — we’re talking about the big boys. Household names. Brands your dad swore by. And now they’re losing ground fast in the race for the future.
What’s Going Wrong?
The EV shift hasn’t just been about slapping batteries into existing cars. It’s a complete rewrite of how cars are designed, built, and sold. And legacy brands — built on decades of internal combustion engines, complex hierarchies, and snail-pace innovation — just can’t keep up.
Let’s break it down.
1. Jaguar: Great Vision, Lousy Execution
Jaguar announced in 2021 it would go fully electric by 2025. Big talk. But since then?
- No new EV models since the I-Pace in 2018.
- Zero buzz, zero momentum.
- Market share shrinking, especially in Europe and China.
The I-Pace itself? Solid idea, but outdated now. Range hasn’t kept up. Charging speed lags behind rivals. And it’s priced in a bracket where buyers expect cutting-edge.
Worse — they’ve basically gone silent. No clear roadmap, few updates, no hype. Meanwhile, Tesla has dropped prices and improved features twice in the same time span.
2. Fiat/Stellantis: Too Slow, Too Confused
Fiat’s problem? An identity crisis. They’ve got the likeable 500e, but beyond that it’s a mess:
- No strong EV presence in key segments (SUVs, family cars).
- Stellantis (Fiat’s parent group) is juggling 14 brands at once — most of them overlapping.
- Cheap ICE models still dominate their fleet, meaning EU emissions fines are looming.
And while Chinese brands are offering EVs with insane value and range for under £30k, Fiat is still coasting on brand recognition and nostalgia — which only gets you so far.
3. Citroën: Great Ideas, Poor Follow-Through
On paper, Citroën should be winning. The Ami? Brilliant. Ultra-affordable, quirky, perfect for urban mobility. But in practice:
- The Ami rollout in the UK has been limited and awkward.
- Lack of marketing, poor dealer support, and a bizarre focus on fringe models.
- EV lineup is uninspiring compared to rivals — and most of it is badge-engineered from Stellantis clones.
They’re trying to stay weird and affordable, but without scale, they can’t compete.
4. The Tesla & BYD Effect
Tesla didn’t win by making the best car. They won by thinking like a tech company. Software-first, vertical integration, constant iteration. Same story with China’s BYD — now outselling almost everyone in Europe and bringing models that cost less and offer better range.
Legacy brands? Still outsourcing software, still slow to react, still stuck in legacy supply chains.
Fun fact: Tesla’s market cap is still bigger than Toyota, Volkswagen, and Ford combined — despite making fewer cars. Why? Investors know who’s future-proofed.
5. Death by Complexity
Traditional automakers are weighed down by:
- Massive factories set up for ICE production
- Union contracts and old-world politics
- Dozens of overlapping brands and badge engineering
- Internal resistance to change (dealership networks, boardroom dinosaurs)
Meanwhile, a startup like Rivian can go from zero to production in 3–4 years. Legacy brands take that long just to sign off on a headlight redesign.
Who’s Doing It Right?
Not everyone’s doomed. Brands like:
- Hyundai/Kia — Agile EV platforms, bold design, fast updates.
- BMW — Slow start, but now building momentum with i4, iX, and strong in tech.
- Ford — Fumbled at first, but the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning show real promise.
They’re not perfect — but they’re moving. Fast.
The Bottom Line
We’re in a “disrupt or die” moment for carmakers. Some will adapt. Many won’t. And the ones that cling to old models, legacy tech, and bloated leadership will fall hard — no matter how many awards they’ve won or how iconic their badge is.
The EV market waits for no one. And in 2025, survival belongs to the fastest, leanest, and most forward-thinking — not the biggest or oldest.