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Jaguar has seemingly bid goodbye to 90 years of its iconic sports car heritage in favour of a bold new electric chapter with an entirely new design identity.
The recently-revealed rebrand includes a new font and brand spelling – ‘JaGuar’ – as well as a revamped version of its iconic ‘Leaper’ logo. In addition, the British carmaker has introduced a new ‘JR’ monogram.
The Jaguar design team has also decided to drop the iconic ‘Growler’ – a badge featuring a roaring jaguar's head that previously featured on the bonnets and grilles of its models – in favour of a more minimalist, colourful aesthetic.
The new design motifs and symbols will serve as the visual identity of Jaguar's full electric line-up, due to launch by 2026.
Adrian Mardell, the CEO of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), said the rebrand was inevitable and intended to separate the UK carmaker from other key rivals like Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
“In 2021, a strategy was born to elevate our brand in a world of luxury,” Mardell told UK media.
When asked if Jaguar intends to attract a new customer base with its electric rebrand, a JLR Australia spokesperson declined to comment.
However, JLR’s Managing Director, Rawdon Glover, said the soon-to-be fully electric brand is anticipating 80 to 90 per cent of customers for its next generation of battery-powered cars will be first-time Jaguar buyers.
Despite key figures within the company remaining optimistic about Jaguar’s electric revamp, initial reactions to the rebrand have been a mix of shock and confusion.
A top comment on Jaguar's Instagram announcement of the rebrand simply reads: "Congratulations. You’ve killed a British icon."
Another comment that's received more than 11,000 likes states: "Good lord. We are witnessing brand suicide in 4K."
Meanwhile, a Reddit thread dedicated to graphic design is filled with scathing critiques.
“I usually hate dogpiling on rebrands… but Christ, for me it loses all ... elegance,” wrote one person.
“I really don’t like it, too modern, loses personality, loses vintage. This seems to be a true rebrand, not just a logo but an entire market positioning shift."
Another Reddit commenter added: “I don’t see how this is going to translate to a luxury car name after a stealthy and fast predator… doesn’t feel like the right move for a luxury vehicle."
Jaguar will pause new car sales for the entire 2025 calendar year as it looks to double down on its electric vehicle strategy.
Jaguar has announced the first model to be released under the rebrand will be a battery-powered, four-door grand tourer (GT).
As previously reported by Drive, the new electric sedan, which has been spotted testing under camouflage, has been touted as the spiritual successor to the Jaguar XJ, a full-sized limousine that was on sale globally for 51 years before production ceased in 2019.
Additionally, Jaguar will reveal a new concept car – called the Design Vision Concept – at Miami Art Week on December 2, 2024, with the controversy surrounding the rebrand likely to make it one of the most-watched reveals of 2024.
Regardless of your feelings about Jaguar's new look, it has undoubtedly worked to create a fresh conversation about the luxury carmaker, with the Instagram reveal alone generating more than 20,000 comments.
What do you think of Jaguar's rebrand?
Ethan Cardinal graduated with a Journalism degree in 2020 from La Trobe University and has been working in the fashion industry as a freelance writer prior to joining Drive in 2023. Ethan greatly enjoys investigating and reporting on the cross sections between automotive, lifestyle and culture. Ethan relishes the opportunity to explore how deep cars are intertwined within different industries and how they could affect both casual readers and car enthusiasts.
