Jaguar teases first concept car after contentious rebrand
November 21, 2024 by Tom Wiltshire
Car changing is a big deal
British brand’s new all-electric GT has sharp lines and does away with the rear window
- Jaguar’s first new model previewed
- Concept car will be shown off at Miami Art Week in December
- Points towards brand’s new design language
- ‘Leaper’ emblem retained but rebrand has been contentiou
- New Jaguar will ‘copy nothing’ and be ‘fearlessly creative’
- Social media backlash, including from Elon Musk
If you’ve been on the internet in the last couple of days you’ll have been hard pressed to miss the news of Jaguar’s rebrand. The iconic British company unveiled a radical new look, complete with a new wordmark, logos and buzzwords such as ‘Exuberant Modernism’.
Among heavy criticism of the teaser video for the rebrand, many commenters pointed out that the ad – which featured models in bold and brightly coloured outfits – didn’t contain any images of a car. However, at least part of that’s now been addressed with a cryptic teaser of the brand’s new concept car ahead of its full debut in December 2024.
Jaguar Design Vision Concept teased
The teaser image, shared across social media, shows the rear corner of the new concept car, which we already know will be a fully-electric GT car acting as an alternative to EVs such as the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT.
There’s not a lot to go on, but the vehicle’s pronounced haunches and dramatically sloping roofline do call back to several of the coupe models in the brand’s past – notably the E-Type and its F-Type Coupe successor. However, what curves there are are countered by sharp creases, as well as a flat portion housing a horizontal grille – expect this to hold the new ‘Leaper’ emblem, as teased in the rebrand materials.
There’s also a cover over where the rear window should be, suggesting that Jaguar may do what Polestar has done with the 4 and produce a vehicle with no rear window.
Camouflaged shots of the production vehicle already show a cab-rearward silhouette, in stark contrast to the cab-forward shape of the I-Pace. There’s a long bonnet and a dummy grille, though it’s hard to ascertain much about the details of the body thanks to the camouflage paint.
Jaguar rebrands: new logo, new ethos, new audience?
Jaguar’s transformation began with the announcement that UK sales of all of its current models would halt, ahead of its transition to becoming a fully-electric premium brand.
The next step was a teaser video, where it unveiled its new logo and wordmark along with a new slogan and design ethos ‘Exuberant Modernism’.
The teaser video for this featured an ultra-modern look, with models wearing dramatic clothes, and invited viewers to ‘Copy Nothing’ and ‘Delete Ordinary’.
It also unveiled the company’s new emblems. The Jaguar wordmark is now a rounded font featuring a mixture of upper and lower-case letters, while a new ‘Jr’ flourish will appear in places like the centre caps of its car’s wheels.
There’s also a new interpretation of the ‘Leaper’ emblem, which takes up the negative space in amongst horizontal lines.
Jaguar’s chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, said: ‘Jaguar has its roots in originality. Sir William Lyons, our founder, believed that ‘A Jaguar should be a copy of nothing’.
‘New Jaguar is a brand built around Exuberant Modernism. This is a reimagining that recaptures the essence of Jaguar, returning it to the values that once made it so loved, but making it relevant for a contemporary audience.’
Reception to the new brand has been mixed, with Tesla’s Elon Musk replying to the announcement asking pointedly ‘Do you sell cars?’. Others expressed concern that Jaguar had abandoned its long and storied heritage as it moved towards the future.
Some took a more generous view – The Grand Tour’s James May commented that he was ‘largely ambivalent’ about the ad, saying that ‘the world needs to move on from the E-Type’.
What does the future hold for new Jaguar?
We may not know exactly what the cars will look like yet, but we can certainly expect them to be divisive. Jaguar’s strategy for the future isn’t focused on chasing volume sales, and will instead move into a more luxury space.
Its new line-up will initially consist of three fully electric models, all retailing at over £100,000, with a reduced and more exclusive network of dealers looking after them.
Jaguar’s managing director, Rawdon Glover, commented that ‘to bring back such a globally renowned brand we had to be fearless. Jaguar was always at its best when challenging convention.
‘This is a complete reset. Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation. I am excited for the world to finally see Jaguar.’
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