Jaguar. The ‘J’ bit of JLR is struggling. And that’s being kind.
All its Le Mans racings wins, gorgeous E-Type memories and heroic XJ220 supercar aren’t relevant to new money buyers. Jaguar has been spiralling into irrelevance for more than a decade and been on a declined since the late 1990s.
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The truth is that Jaguar is unquestionably the weak link for JLR. And it has been that way since Ford owned both Jaguar and Land Rover.
Tata’s money and sensibly uninvolved ownership allowed Land Rover to thrive, but besides F-Type, Jaguar’s kept regressing. Its SUVs and crossovers were always challenging to understand, for a brand so inextricably linked to two-door sportscars, Grand Tourers and limousines.
Jaguar needs a restart
After dropping the most audacious and bold rebranding social media and digital campaign this week, many are concerned for the brand.
Legacy Jaguar dealers, especially in the UK, where it still commands much of its traditional cachet, are concerned that ‘new’ Jaguar will become a direct to consumer brand. Their worries aren’t unjustified. Vehicle production will all but cease, soon, and there will be no new Jaguar builds until its new EV GT launches in 2026.
The last time Jaguar missed a build year, was during World War 2…
Complex logos and social media
Current Jaguar owners, especially those who have loyally added Jaguar crossovers and SUVs to an existing collection of period E-Types or XJs, might be completely alienated by the colourful hype campaign around Jaguar’s rebrand.
But for all the hysterics around the rebranding, the actual typefaces and logo decisions aren’t sensible.
In a world where digital marketing isn’t kind to traditional 3D car logos, many brands have simplified their legacy logos with a more 2D look. It just works that much better for social media and on Smartphone screens.
Rethinking GT
Jaguar has made a lot of mistakes since E-Type. Many. The XJ luxury sedan cars were always amazing exterior designs, with terrific proportions, but they were very poorly packaged – unable to compete with E- or S-Class for cabin comfort or build quality.
What matters beyond the drama of Jaguar’s rebrand, is product. Desperation triggers either innovation or ineptitude and Jaguar knows that it won’t have another chapter or opportunity at reinvention. That’s why the first product from ‘new’ Jaguar won’t be a luxury SUV. Or Crossover. The two most dominant new model release body styles.
Return of the GT
Jaguar is going traditional, with a four-seater GT. Its Design Vision Concept, scheduled for global reveal in early December, has amazingly traditional internal combustion car proportions. And that’s something interesting and intentional. Many new luxury EV crossovers are optimizing the packaging benefits of an EV floorplan, with very short front overhangs.
Design Vision Concept’s extended ‘frunk’ is reminiscent of Jaguar’s V12 cars in proportion. It’s striking and will certainly differentiate the ‘new’ Jaguar GT. But if this imposing GT car is battery powered, why is there such a long front third of the car? Luggage space.
As a true GT, this Jaguar could offer staggering luggage space capacity, while retaining all the generous cabin comfort and luxury that the brand must deliver.
The real challenge
The uncomfortable truth is that Jaguar and Land Rover, as part of one organisation, will always be at odds in a luxury car market where SUVs and crossovers are popular, and Land Rover has the ascendancy and legacy.
Creating an ultra-luxury SUV is very much the ‘LR’ part of JLR’s business and can’t be risked, by a Jaguar revival. In a global market where the traditional low, long and wide ultra luxury GT has been disappearing, Jaguar could be reinterpreting it at just the right time.
Jaguar thinking beyond SUVs
Exclusivity and differentiation mean a lot to high-income luxury car buyers. And it’s much easier to make a lower, limousine proportion car look purposeful and different, than an SUV. Because the SUV silhouette is so easy for anyone to do.
Jaguar luxury SUVs were also always problematic within the JLR corporate strategy, where Range Rover has the currency and ownership, of that body style and marketplace.
Creating something dramatic in proportion, which is different an EV SUV, could give the brand some differentiation and a lifeline in China, where many European luxury brands are experiencing a dramatic drop in sales.
