Jaguar's Shocking Rebrand: Why the Change is Controversial
Jaguar's Shocking Rebrand: Why the Change is Controversial.
Jag's latest concept car has just dropped, but the internet is already in an uproar. What's going on?
Jaguar, the British car brand that's been around for 102 years, just unveiled a new concept car. While it's pretty common for car manufacturers to showcase quirky models to hint at what's coming next, this time it's different. What Jaguar is doing has sparked a huge, heated discussion online, reaching into politics, the evening news, and even the culture wars.
What Has Happened?
On Tuesday, November 19, 2024, Jaguar unveiled its new brand identity. In a nutshell, they introduced a new monogram badge featuring a circle with a ‘J’ and an ‘r’, along with a playful leaping cat design that looks like a Venetian blind trapped in a barcode. They also rolled out a funky wordmark that spells ‘JaGUar’ in a mix of upper and lower case letters.
Jaguar has wiped their social media clean and dropped a 30-second video that doesn’t show any cars at all. Instead, it features a group of indifferent high-fashion models hanging out in an elevator and messing around with a paintbrush and mallet in a kids' play area. Their new slogan, “copy nothing” and “delete ordinary,” flashed boldly on the screen.
The response has been… let’s just say “mixed” doesn’t quite capture the lack of enthusiasm. You’d have to scroll for ages to find anyone genuinely excited about Jaguar’s new font, logo, or whatever the Planet of the Androgynous is supposed to be.
Marketing expert Rory Sutherland has shared his thoughts on the matter “Jaguar cannot survive on a group of people who love the brand but don’t buy the cars". “F***ing lunacy” was the verdict from Marketing Week. Nigel Farage thinks Jaguar will go bust. Tesla boss Elon Musk asked Jaguar “Do you sell cars?” on X.
Columnists from every corner of the political landscape have been furiously typing away, and countless ‘emergency podcasts’ have been blasted into the ether. At least Martin Brundle, the F1 grid walk icon, had a positive take on it, sharing his thoughts “I have no idea what this is all about, but it’s genius. Everyone is talking about Jaguar in a moment of time when they’re not actually making cars."
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Why Have They Made The Change?
The brand overhaul caught a lot of folks off guard, but it’s really just the start of what Jaguar has been hinting at for over a year: a major reset for its struggling operations. For the first time since 1948, there are no new Jaguars rolling off the production line as of November 2024. The company is undergoing what they call a ‘firebreak’ to distance itself from its previous mainstream semi-premium image, aiming to compete with the likes of Porsche and Bentley by offering £100k ultra-luxury EVs to a younger, wealthier, and busier crowd.
On December 3, 2024, Jaguar unveiled a bold concept car named the Type 00, which sets the stage for their future direction—far removed from the XEs and E-Paces. It’s edgy, angular, and massive, breaking away from traditional designs. And judging by the disguised prototype already being tested at Jaguar HQ, this isn’t just for show. They’re gearing up to create something truly extraordinary.
So, the higher-ups needed to build excitement for this pivotal moment in Jaguar’s history this century. The brand campaign, which has stirred up confusion and controversy among purists, has been almost too effective—unless you’re a firm believer that all publicity is good publicity. The reality is, not many people were talking about Jaguar last month or even last week. But now? They’re definitely making some noise.
Why Are A Lot Of People Disgusted?
The YouTube video has racked up over two million views, while the Instagram reel has hit 6.9 million views. Overall, the comments across social media are pretty negative.
The term ‘woke’ (along with ‘go woke go broke’) has been thrown around just as much as ‘RIP Jaguar’. People are scratching their heads over the absence of a car, annoyed that Jaguar decided to ‘fix’ a badge that didn’t seem broken, and furious about the removal of all their past social media posts. Did Jaguar really wipe its history clean?
There’s a common thread in the reactions: Jaguar represents the car industry at its most classic. They make charming, traditionally beautiful cars that drive nicely, even if they’re often a bit unreliable and lagging in tech. But that’s part of their charm, right?
Jaguar made a name for itself in the Fifties and Sixties, winning Le Mans and creating cars that could outpace Ferrari and Aston Martin for a fraction of the cost. This gave Jags an underdog vibe. The E-Type was stunning yet affordable, just like the XK120. The Mk2 was just as comfortable being a getaway car for a bank heist as it was cruising around with politicians and royalty.
Even when Jaguar took a bold turn with models like the XJS coupe, they still wrapped their cars in leather, wood, and a hefty dose of laid-back charm. This trend continued with the all-aluminium XJ from the early 2000s, which looked like a spaceship dressed in tweed. The I-Pace was the first to break into the premium electric SUV scene, beating out Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, yet it still managed to look good and outperformed its competitors both then and now.
Jaguar enthusiasts have a special love for the brand, appreciating its solid British roots combined with a cheeky sense of humor and effortless style. The ‘Jaaaag’ allure was the driving force behind the slick ‘Good To Be Bad’ ad campaign, which cleverly played on the idea that ‘baddies drive Jags,’ featuring stars like Mark Strong, Tom Hiddleston, and Sir Ben Kingsley, all of whom struggled to steal the spotlight from the roaring F-Type V8. The new Jaguar vision seems to shy away from all that charm.
Jaguar's higher-ups aren't backing down; in fact, they're standing firm. Their official Instagram is serving up some serious attitude in response to shocked fans, and Jaguar's chief, Rawdon Glover, shared his thoughts with the Financial Times “If we play in the same way that everybody else does, we'll just get drowned out. So we shouldn't turn up like an auto brand.” He also decried the ‘anti-woke’ reaction as “vile hatred and intolerance".
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Was This Change Necessary?
Isn’t that the million-dollar question? If Jaguar is so beloved, why go through the hassle of a pricey rebrand? They’ve got a legacy that the new Chinese brands would envy, and honestly, you’re more likely to let a Jaguar out on the road than an Audi.
Why push the next generation of cars out of reach for most folks who could swing the current models? Why switch to electric when the whole EV shift is struggling with soaring energy costs, crazy depreciation, and shaky Net Zero goals?
Here’s the harsh reality that’s been overlooked in all the backlash: Jaguar just isn’t selling enough cars. This isn’t just a current issue; they haven’t been consistently profitable for years—decades, even.
CEOs come and go, parent companies change, and Jaguar tries different strategies… but they still can’t seem to turn a profit. Last financial year, JLR sold 58,000 Range Rovers, 28,700 Defenders, and only 13,528 Jaguars in total. This isn’t just a recent downturn either.
Over the past ten years, Jaguar has tried to position itself as a competitor to Audi, BMW, and Mercedes. However, even in its best year, 2019, it only managed to sell a little over 610,000 cars, which is still way short of its ambitious target of one million. To put it in perspective, for every Jaguar XE sold, there were about six buyers for the BMW 3 Series.
What Has Been Failing At Jaguar?
Before the recent wave of competition aimed at taking on BMW and Audi, which gave us a bunch of new models like saloons, a wagon, two SUVs, a sports car, a limo, and an EV, there was a nostalgic phase. This was when the S-Type and X-Type brought back memories of Jaguar’s glamorous past.
Even when they tried to compete with Bangle’s polarizing BMW designs, back when Lexus was just for your dad’s golf instructor’s granddad, they didn’t make a splash. Jaguar faced a lot of criticism for seeming outdated.
Throughout the Seventies, Eighties, and Nineties, Jaguar had its moments of glory. They won Le Mans in ’88 and ’90, and the mid-Nineties XK was well-loved. However, they often faced backlash for their reliability issues and poor customer service. Looking back, it’s clear that Jaguar has had its ups and downs.
The XJ220 for example: it's now celebrated as one of the top supercars from the Nineties. But when it first hit the scene, people weren't too happy about its size and weight, plus it swapped the cool naturally-aspirated V12 from the concept for a twin-turbo V6 from a Metro rally car. As a result, deposits started pouring back, and they had to stop production way earlier than planned.
Didn’t Jaguar Already Give Electric A Go?
Jaguar might seem like it had a solid electric option with the I-Pace, but it turned out to be a financial disaster. They had to rely on an Austrian contractor, Magna Steyr, to produce it, which wasn’t ideal since electric vehicles typically have slim profit margins. Jaguar just didn’t have the financial strength to offer attractive lease options. They even scrapped the C-X75 hybrid hypercar to avoid losses. The Formula E support series that featured I-Paces only lasted for two awkward seasons.
On the flip side, in the V8 world, Jaguar tried to create a racing series to promote the Project 8 supersaloons, but that never took off. The F-Type, which critics hailed as the essence of Jaguar, was outsold by the Porsche 911 by a staggering four to one over its 11-year run.
Where Does This Leave Jaguar?
The harsh reality is that Jaguar hasn't produced a truly top-notch car in ages, mainly because they don't have the budget for R&D. While their cars are typically stylish and fun to drive, they haven't really been able to compete with the dominance of German and Japanese brands, which are now facing competition from Korea and China. After experimenting with retro designs, trying to be a mainstream German competitor, and positioning themselves as a niche option, it seems like their last shot is to pivot to an 'EV-only boutique' approach.
Jaguar has definitely upset a ton of fans who really care about the brand. These folks feel like they've been left behind, as if Jaguar doesn't want their support anymore or is even pushing them away.
The real question is, how many of these loyal Jaguar enthusiasts actually purchased their cars? And if a good number of them did over time, would Jaguar even be thinking about making such a bold change?
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Only Time Will Tell
This could either be the marketing move of the century or a total disaster waiting to happen.
The next hint is the Type 00 concept car: a sleek, low coupe that screams classic Jaguar... but it’s electric, pink, has butterfly doors, and a quirky robotic face. As you can imagine, it’s stirring up mixed feelings, but hey, at least people are talking about Jaguar again.
Insiders are saying this isn’t just some far-fetched designer dream; it’s actually going to lead to a street-legal version with proper wheel clearance and visibility coming next year. Apparently, a Type 00 with a few extra doors is what’s on the way to production. We’ll see if that’s true, but either way, Jaguar’s future is looking pretty daring. And honestly, that boldness might just be what they need right now.
Jaguar's radical rebrand has sparked backlash and confusion, alienating loyal customers who cherished the brand’s classic charm. The removal of its iconic logo, quirky new design, and focus on high-fashion marketing feels disconnected from the luxury carmaker’s heritage. While the shift to electric vehicles and targeting a wealthier, younger audience might seem like a strategic move, it risks distancing Jaguar from its traditional fan base, leaving many feeling abandoned.
This rebranding effort could potentially tarnish the brand’s identity, turning away long-time enthusiasts and failing to resonate with a market already saturated with luxury electric vehicles.
