Jaguar's stalled rebrand

Jaguar’s ultra-modern, electric-only and uncharacteristically offbeat rebrand has so far proved unconvincing and, for many, confusing.

"The luxury car brand has conveyed an innate sense of style and class through its century-long existence," said Alexander Larman in The Spectator. Now, commentators and car aficionados worry that its new look – which features an updated logo, a line of electric cars and a puzzling advert – will "torpedo their hard-won reputation".

The British carmaker, which has changed its name to "JaGUar" (having "seamlessly blended upper and lower case characters in visual harmony", it says), released a bright, bold advertising campaign this week.

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The viral advert features eight models dressed in colourful, avant-garde ensembles, strutting through an outer-space-like landscape. New slogans flash over their deadpan expressions: "Create exuberant", "Live vivid", "Delete ordinary", "Break moulds", "Copy nothing". The last phrase is inspired by founder William Lyons, who believed that Jaguar should be a "copy of nothing".

'Do you sell cars?'

"When a legacy brand like Jaguar decides to reinvent itself, the stakes are undeniably high," said Gordon Young on The Drum. Instead of playing it safe, and sticking to a reputation "synonymous with British luxury and timeless elegance", Jaguar "has embarked on a radical rebrand that has left industry insiders and enthusiasts alike scratching their heads".

Car Dealer’s James Baggott wrote about "quite possibly the most bizarre automotive media launch I've ever attended". This week's event was, he said, "like a hallucinogenic sci-fi movie where the presenters were only allowed to speak in marketing babble".

Along with the futuristic ad (which does not feature any vehicles), the company unveiled updated logos and planned changes to the Jaguar dealership experience. The well-known Jaguar logo, dubbed the "growler", will be replaced by an understated, brass-embossed design.

At the 20 dealers that will remain in the UK (about a 75% reduction from last year, said Car Dealer), visitors will find artwork and high-end food and drink. The first of a handful of "curated brand stores" will "complement its remaining few", said Baggott.

Gerry McGovern, chief creative officer of parent company Jaguar Land Rover, spoke at the event. "Calling it a 'complete reset', McGovern at one point told journalists that his team had 'not been sniffing the white stuff – this is real'," said Baggott.

The rebrand has baffled fans and experts, and has prompted replies from the likes of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "Do you sell cars?" Musk said, in a reply to Jaguar's post on X. The car company responded, inviting Musk for "a cuppa in Miami" at the official launch of its "design concept" in early December.

A 'firebreak' between old and new

Earlier this year, Jaguar decided to stop selling older, petrol-fuelled models in anticipation of its completely new line-up of all-electric vehicles.

"With this reset of the brand – which has seen it take all new cars off sale for more than a year to give customers and its dealers a ‘firebreak’ between old and new – the car maker has put everything on black and crossed its fingers," said Baggott.

“New Jaguar is a brand built around exuberant modernism," said McGovern. "It is imaginative, bold and artistic at every touchpoint. It is unique and fearless."

Critics still aren't sure. "Perhaps the old associations and traditions associated with the brand are anachronistic now, and it did need a reinvention of some kind," said Larman in The Spectator. "But this brash, frenetic and thoroughly misguided farrago feels as crass and as disrespectful as if someone had spray-painted graffiti all over the Cenotaph."