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Jaguar releases a concept for its new EV model after a controversy over its rebranding — which didn't feature a car

2 December 2024 at 17:01
The concept vision for two new Jaguar cars in blue and pink.
Jaguar debuted a concept car ahead of its all-electric vehicle lineup, seen here in "Miami Pink" and "London Blue."

Jaguar

  • Jaguar has unveiled a concept car as part of its newly rebranded identity.
  • Its rebrand stirred controversy for not including any cars β€” and some argued it was "woke."
  • Jaguar said it would reveal a new electric model in late 2025 as part of its all-electric future.

Jaguar unveiled a design concept on Monday for its next generation of electric vehicles β€” finally pairing an image of a car with its "exuberant modernism" rebranding campaign.

Jaguar's rebrand had drawn fierce criticism over the past few weeks from some who said it was "woke" for featuring diverse models and bright colors. The campaign also didn't feature any cars.

Now, the luxury British carmaker has filled in some of the blanks regarding its new identity by revealing a concept car at Miami Art Week.

The concept vision for a new pink Jaguar car seen from the front.
A front view of Jaguar's concept car.

Jaguar

The exterior of the concept car β€” dubbed "Type 00" for zero tailpipe emissions and its status as car zero in the brand's new lineage β€” features butterfly doors, a glassless rear tailgate, and a panoramic roof.

It's conceptualized in two colors β€” "Miami Pink," honoring the pastel art deco architecture of the city in which it was unveiled, and "London Blue," inspired by the Opalescent Silver Blue of the 1960s and in honor of the company's British roots, Jaguar said in a statement.

"Type 00 commands attention, like all the best Jaguars of the past," Jaguar's chief exterior designer, Constantino Segui Gilabert, said in the statement. "It is a dramatic presence, channeling a unique spirit of British creativity and originality. It celebrates art and embodies the essence of Exuberant Modernism."

The vision concept for a new blue jaguar viewed from the side.
A side view of Jaguar's concept car.

Jaguar

A wheel on a pink car with a simplistic logo in the center.
The wheels of the concept car feature Jaguar's new logo.

Jaguar

The Jag's exterior design also showcases the redesigned Jaguar "leaper" mark laser-etched into brass ingots that open up to reveal rear-facing cameras when needed.

On the inside, three brass lines run the length of the interior β€” one on each door and one straight down the middle of the cabin.

Floating instrument panels mark either side of the middle brass line, which is supported by a pedestal of travertine stone, as are the floating seats.

A woven wool-blend fabric surrounds the two seats, sound bar, and cabin floor.

"Just as on the outside, deployable technologies are a hallmark of the interior," Jaguar's chief interior designer, Tom Holden, said in the statement. "Screens glide silently and theatrically from the dashboard, while powered stowage areas slide open softly on demand, revealing hidden splashes of exuberant color."

vision concept car leaper mark showing camera
Jaguar's new "leaper" mark pops out the side of the concept car to reveal a camera.

Jaguar

vision concept car interior brass lines
Three brass lines run through the length of the concept car, with one right down the middle.

Jaguar

vision concept car interior cabin view
An interior view of Jaguar's concept car.

Jaguar

It's not clear which specific design elements of the new concept will end up being implemented in Jaguar's forthcoming electric vehicle models. Jaguar said Type 00 was meant as "an indicator of design philosophy and intent for the coming new vehicles."

The brand announced in 2021 that it would be moving to all-electric vehicles. The first model of its new lineup β€” an electric four-door β€” will be unveiled in late 2025, the company said Monday.

It said the model would use dedicated Jaguar Electric Architecture, have a projected driving range of up to 430 miles on a single charge, and be able to add up to 200 miles of range after 15 minutes of rapid charging.

With the new vehicles expected to become available in 2026, the company is already phasing out production of its internal-combustion-engine cars, converting its Halewood, England, factory to all-electric production andΒ ceasing sales of new cars in the UK.

In preparation for its EV lineup launch, Jaguar debuted its rebranding campaign in November. It included an updated typeface for its "Jaguar" logo, a redesign of the leaping jaguar mark, and a colorful new video advertisement that showed models clad in high fashion and had no cars in sight.

The new Jaguar logo.
The British carmaker released a redesigned logo this week.

Jaguar

The promo video caught a lot of flak on social media, on late-night TV, and in the media for not featuring any cars, while some conservative personalities accused the company of abandoning its history and pushing into "woke" politics. Elon Musk even weighed in.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Jaguar's managing director, Rawdon Glover, defended the rebrand, saying that the campaign's intended message was lost "in a blaze of intolerance" and that the controversial promo video wasn't meant to be a "woke" statement.

The revamp of the iconic brand β€” and chosen vehicle of Britain's royal family and prime ministers β€” also included an introduction to its new design philosophy of "exuberant modernism," which the company defined as "imaginative, bold, and artistic at every touchpoint."

A model in the new Jaguar video ad wearing an orange dress and holding a big yellow hammer. There is a text overlay that says "break moulds."
Jaguar's new video ad has baffled people online.

Jaguar

Some marketing and rebranding experts have heavily criticized Jaguar's new identity.

One told Business Insider the rebrand was "bonkers," and another said he wasn't convinced the company was making the right statement.

Still, others were more positive, with one advertising expert saying the rebranding rollout had been relatively successful and another saying it was a "significant disruption" that could eventually work for the company.

image of old jaguar car
An SS Jaguar 100, which was built between 1936 and 1941 by SS Cars, the company that preceded Jaguar before its founder, Sir William Lyons, renamed it in 1945.

Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

It's not just the shift in Jaguar's brand identity that has gotten marketers talking β€” it's also the apparent pivot in the audience base the company is now trying to target.

As part of the brand's positioning, the newly announced Jags are expected to be significantly more upmarket than the ones being phased out. Car and Driver previously reported that the brand, which is owned by India's Tata Motors, was looking toward Range Rover, its corporate cousin, as inspiration for where it wants to be. The magazine cited a Range Rover that costs about $400,000; most Jaguar models for 2024 had list prices of about $50,000 to $80,000.

"We have forged a fearlessly creative new character for Jaguar that is true to the DNA of the brand but future-facing, relevant, and one that really stands out," Glover said of Monday's concept debut.

Read the original article on Business Insider

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