Jaguar has initiated a significant transformation, unveiling a new brand identity and a vision for its future car lineup, set to debut in late 2024. This rebranding marks a dramatic shift for the British marque, and while a leaked memo suggests internal concerns about the chosen direction, Jaguar’s leadership remains steadfast in their conviction that this bold move is essential. Executives emphasize the necessity for change to revitalize the brand and reposition it within the competitive automotive landscape.
Rawdon Glover, Managing Director at Jaguar, stated to Autocar that the company had arrived at “a pivotal point in its history.” He highlighted the pressing need to overhaul Jaguar’s entire vehicle portfolio and the underlying platforms supporting them. In recent years, Jaguar’s strategy involved direct competition with BMW, positioning models like the XE against the BMW 3 Series and the XF as a rival to the 5 Series. However, this strategy failed to deliver the desired sales growth and market penetration.
Glover explained that “Economically, the Jaguar model didn’t make sense,” indicating the unsustainability of their previous approach. He further dismissed the idea of moving Jaguar further downmarket to compete with mass-market luxury brands like Nissan’s Infiniti or Toyota’s Lexus. Executives deemed it inappropriate for Jaguar, a brand with a rich heritage including the iconic E-Type, to pursue this path. Instead, they opted for a more radical and arguably controversial strategy: elevating Jaguar into the ultra-luxury segment, aiming to compete with brands like Bentley.
This ambitious upmarket move implies a significant price increase for future Jaguar models. Glover hinted that upcoming vehicles could cost approximately double the price of their predecessors. The Type 00 concept car, revealed in December 2024, offers a glimpse into this new era for Jaguar. This striking, all-electric concept, built on a new vehicle architecture, is expected to evolve into a production model by late 2025, representing a radical departure from Jaguar’s traditional design language.
In the interim period, Glover described Jaguar’s plan for its current lineup as “an elegant sunset.” While poetic, this euphemism suggests a phase-out of existing models. Jaguar’s U.S. website still lists models like the F-Pace, E-Pace, I-Pace, F-Type, and XF as available for configuration and reservation. However, some of these models are already out of production. Notably, Jaguar has even paused new car sales in its home market of the UK in 2025, a highly unusual step for a major automotive manufacturer. This year-long hiatus is intended to provide “breathing space” for Jaguar to build anticipation and brand awareness for its upcoming models before order books reopen.
Glover acknowledged criticisms suggesting Jaguar is abandoning its existing customer base with this dramatic rebranding. He addressed concerns that the focus on attracting a new, wealthier clientele implies a disregard for current Jaguar owners. However, he clarified that the intention is to bring as many existing customers along on this journey as possible, emphasizing that current Jaguar enthusiasts remain valued.
The reality, however, is that loyal Jaguar customers wishing to remain with the brand will face a significantly higher price point for their next vehicle. Whether they will follow Jaguar into this ultra-luxury territory remains to be seen. Glover drew a parallel with the Land Rover Defender, pointing out the successful transition of the Defender into a more luxurious and expensive vehicle while tripling sales volume and doubling the price point. He suggested this as evidence that such brand transformations are achievable, though he clarified that the goal isn’t to triple Jaguar’s sales volume but to demonstrate the potential for a successful upmarket repositioning.
Jaguar’s decision to reinvent itself as a Bentley competitor is a high-stakes gamble. The coming years will reveal whether this bold rebranding and shift towards electric, ultra-luxury vehicles will successfully rejuvenate the Jaguar brand and secure its future in the automotive world.
