The androgynous fashion models have gone, Miami Pink has been replaced by ‘visionary silver’ and the rebrand rebranded to reflect that Jaguar actually is still interested in making cars.
The car itself remains theatrical. Vast proportions, enormous 23-inch wheels, a long bonnet and dramatic surfaces give the impression of an automotive sculpture rather than a conventional grand tourer. But the Type 01 is considerably more nuanced than the Type 00. The surfacing less extreme. The graphic details more integrated. Perhaps, even, a little more Jaguar? The edited design might even be a car you want to own (if you have a big enough drive).
The re-rebranding of Jaguar
In branding terms, the 2024 rebrand suggested Jaguar thought its past and its customers were an embarrassment. The Type 01 and its accompanying re-rebrand suggest something more interesting. Perhaps Jaguar has realised it doesn’t need to reject its past to move forward. It needs to reinterpret it. Maybe a little restraint adds the elegance people look for in such a brand. Not through nostalgia, but through design.
That is the lesson for any brand transformation.
Rebranding with relevance
Destroying your DNA breaks with the past, but as Ferrari found with the Luce, antagonises your existing customers. The strongest transformations usually preserve what made them successful in the first place, while giving them new relevance. Bentley’s Torcan is a great example of this.
Jaguar seem to have dialled-back the hype around the car and are now letting the – still controversial – design speak for itself. Where the original rebrand said “Look at us!” they are now saying “Look at what we’ve made.” That’s altogether a more powerful and meaningful proposition.
In the two years it has taken to get from brand theatre to product substance, it seems Jaguar’s brand strategy has moved from positioning itself as a radical new brand, to becoming a radical version of the Jaguar it already was. It remains to be seen whether potential customers agree.
Peter Matthews
Nucleus founder & CEO
Read other thought-pieces on Jaguar's rebranding:
Has Jaguar's "Peak Woke" rebrand. gamble paid-off?
Jaguar, Trump and a rebrand-induced culture flashpoint
Has Jaguar pulled-off a rebranding masterstroke?
Jaguar – behind the scenes of a rebranding. car crash
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