According to Jaguar’s managing director, the flashy ad with no cars wasn’t about trying to be “woke.”
Jaguar’s bold rebrand has sparked massive discussion in the auto world and beyond. It was arguably the most talked-about automotive shift of 2024, with reactions spilling from social media into mainstream news. In a Carscoops poll, only 32% of readers supported the brand’s new identity. The backlash was strong enough that Jaguar’s Chief Creative Officer had to assure journalists that the design team hadn’t “been sniffing the white stuff.”
At the heart of the controversy was an ad campaign that featured no actual vehicles—just models in vibrant clothing. The ambiguous message led many to wonder whether Jaguar had “gone woke.”
Now that the initial furor has died down, Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover has opened up about the campaign’s reception in an interview with Auto Express. He acknowledged that the company underestimated how the message would land, but stands firm on the need to transform.
Jaguar Doesn’t Want to Alienate Loyal Buyers
One of the biggest criticisms was that Jaguar risked turning its back on its core customer base—those who value tradition and heritage. While the move to electric vehicles was expected, the brand’s dramatic shift in style caught many off guard.
Glover pushed back on claims that Jaguar was chasing wokeness. “We definitely weren’t saying ‘we’re about diversity,’” he said. “The people and visuals we chose were modern, bold, and expressive—just like the car itself.”
He added that viral backlash online may have skewed the conversation. “If one person posts, ‘this is woke,’ the algorithm amplifies it. Suddenly, we’re upsetting people who were never our target customers. There’s a difference between Jaguar as a brand and JLR as a corporate entity, which does support DE&I.”
A Misfire in Messaging
Glover admitted that the infamous ad—with no car and little context—left room for misinterpretation. Without a clear explanation of the brand’s repositioning or its move upmarket, the public filled in the blanks.
“Social media doesn’t do nuance,” said Glover. “It’s binary: love it or hate it. Our mistake was not telling the story enough. That’s my biggest takeaway.”
Still, he stressed that Jaguar never intended to push away loyal customers. “Of course we care about our existing base. We’ve been working hard to bring them along—fans, owners, even classic Jaguar enthusiasts. They matter to us.”
A Risky but Necessary Shift
Even if Jaguar isn’t trying to alienate past customers, its new luxury direction might do that naturally. Sales have plummeted—from 181,000 cars in 2018 to just 33,000 last year, with only the F-Pace still in production.
The brand is bracing for further declines. Its new flagship model—a four-door electric GT—is expected to cost between $140,000 and $170,000, pricing out about 85% of current Jaguar customers. But Glover says that’s part of the plan.
“Sure, 181,000 units sounds good—until you compare it to BMW’s 2.1 million in the same year,” he said. “We need a new kind of customer. You can’t shift brand perception without a standout product. Marketing alone won’t cut it.”
EV Future: No Turning Back
Jaguar’s new era officially begins with an all-electric GT inspired by the Type 00 concept. It will ride on a bespoke platform, offer up to 430 miles (EPA-estimated), and feature rapid charging thanks to a cutting-edge NMC battery developed by Agratas, a Tata-owned company.
Glover confirmed Jaguar has no plans to revert. “We won’t be putting a plug-in hybrid under that long bonnet,” he said, even as rivals like Porsche and Volvo reevaluate their EV strategies.
Luxury Buying Experience to Match
It’s not just the cars going upscale. Jaguar plans to overhaul the buying experience, replacing traditional showrooms with high-end retail lounges. Some stores may even offer Michelin-starred meals and VR-based customization tools. But the dealer network will shrink by around 75%, focusing on fewer, more premium locations.
