Jaguar sales take a nosedive after fierce backlash to ‘woke’ brand – but carmaker’s classic Range Rover and Defender models are still popular

Jaguar gross sales have nosedived by greater than 1 / 4 within the final 12 months following the legendary British automotive marque’s dramatic ‘woke’ rebrand. 

The corporate was mauled for ditching the enduring ‘growler’ badge, used for many years on grilles and bonnets, and changing it with a curved geometric ‘J’ badge.

Different controversial adjustments included unveiling a shiny pink idea automotive, which was geared toward updating Jaguar’s picture for the electrical age. 

However design consultants and Jag followers ridiculed the makeover, branding it ‘cultural vandalism’ and the ‘most harmful advertising transfer ever’.

Now new business registration figures launched by mother or father firm, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) revealed the variety of automobiles bought by the Indian-owned agency fell by 12,459 to only 33,320 in 2024. 

Nigel Farage, chief of Reform UK who was crucial of Jaguar’s rebranding final 12 months, at present gloated: ‘Go woke, go broke.’ 

The dramatic droop got here as Jaguar slammed the brakes on the manufacturing of 5 present fashions earlier within the 12 months because it develops its fully new vary of all-electric autos, to go on sale this 12 months geared toward a a lot youthful viewers.

In the meantime, demand for the automotive maker’s luxurious Vary Rover and Defender fashions soared. 

Pictured are the bright-looking idea automobiles unveiled by Jaguar late final 12 months as a part of its electrical automotive overhaul

Laying the foundations for the shake-up, the enterprise wound up outputs of present Jaguar fashions for UK clients, with the British-built XE and XF saloons, and F-Kind sports activities automotive led to Could.

Manufacturing of its largest mannequin – F-Tempo – will proceed in Solihull for the foreseeable, nonetheless this can solely be outputs for abroad markets. A spokesperson for the model confirmed UK-spec manufacturing terminated in November. 

Manufacturing for the compact E-Tempo SUV and the I-Tempo ceased final month.

Jaguar says I-Tempo availability continues however just for ‘company purchasers into 2025’.

It means Jaguar has primarily halted all automotive gross sales in Britain for the primary time because the Second World Struggle.

In the meantime, gross sales of JLR’s Vary Rover SUV have boomed, with the agency championing ‘sturdy wholesale development’ for the 12 per cent improve in the course of the quarter in comparison with a 12 months earlier. 

Gross sales of basic Vary Rovers rose by 22 per cent, whereas the Sport and Evoque fashions rose by 17 per cent and 15 per cent respectively. Defender gross sales additionally surged by 13 per cent, whereas Discovery gross sales elevated by 1.5 per cent. 

Full 12 months gross sales throughout all Vary Rover varieties ballooned from 339,825 to 366,355, with JLR saying the numbers mirrored ‘an enchancment following provide disruptions’. 

In the meantime, the gross sales of Jaguar fashions have plummeted. In 2022, Jaguar bought 61,661 automobiles however this fell to 33,320 final 12 months. As just lately as 2019, the model bought 161,601 automobiles. 

That is the brand new Jaguar emblem – a roundel made up of the letter ‘J’ that appears the identical each methods up

The basic Jaguar ‘growler’ emblem has been ditched because the automotive agency reinvents itself to enchantment to a youthful viewers of automotive patrons

Jaguar has been winding down its mannequin vary – with automobiles such because the F-Tempo SUV (above) now relegated to the historical past books

However gross sales of the carmaker’s basic Vary Rover and Defender fashions are nonetheless proving in style

Jag’s large rebrand had been in improvement for 3 years as the corporate prepares to turn out to be an all-electric automotive producer forward of the UK’s 2030 goal to cease promoting new purely fossil fuel-powered automobiles. 

Launched underneath the slogan ‘copy nothing’ – an adage from firm founder Sir William Lyons – the advert options numerous fashions in technicolour outfits strolling via an alien panorama.

Round 800 individuals are reported to have labored on the rebrand, with managing director Rawdon Glover saying: ‘We have to change folks’s perceptions of what Jaguar stands for.’ 

However the radical break from Jaguar’s conventional picture provoked a fierce backlash, with critics accusing the agency of trampling on its British heritage. 

Critics additionally lashed out at variety of the advert, which options androgynous-looking women and men in exuberant garments.

Reform UK chief, Nigel Farage, warned the model would go bust within the wake of the overhaul, whereas others branded the makeover ‘woke’ and ‘unhinged’. 

Advertising and marketing consultants the world over additionally mentioned they had been ‘baffled’ by the transfer, with Californian designer Joseph Alessio saying it could be ‘taught in faculties as how to not do a rebrand’.

Nonetheless, Jaguar boss Mr Glover hit again over the ‘vile hatred and intolerance’ directed on the eccentric-looking fashions who appeared within the video advert.

He denied the agency was throwing away its near-100-year heritage with its most dramatic rebrand in many years – as a substitute claiming the automotive maker wanted to step away from ‘conventional automotive stereotypes’ to search out its place out there. 

Rawdon Glover, managing director of Jaguar, has fired again at those that criticised the automotive model’s a lot maligned rebrand

Mr Glover advised the Monetary Instances he believed the general response to the marketing campaign had been ‘very optimistic’, however that he was dissatisfied by the ‘stage of vile hatred and intolerance’ directed on the fashions within the advert.

‘If we play in the identical approach that everyone else does, we’ll simply get drowned out. So we should not flip up like an auto model,’ Glover mentioned.

‘We have to re-establish our model and at a totally totally different value level so we have to act in a different way. We wished to maneuver away from conventional automotive stereotypes,’ he added.

Gerry McGovern, the corporate’s chief artistic officer, admitted the idea automotive unveiled in December would not be ‘beloved by everybody’ however added: ‘That is what fearless creativity does.’