Jaguar has finally unveiled its much-hyped Type 00 electric car at a launch at Miami Art Week. A teaser video for the marketing campaign released on social media a fortnight ago had split opinion. Here, industry experts give their verdict on the car, its launch and marketing.
Jeff Dodds
Former marketing director at Honda, now chief executive of Formula E, in which Jaguar competes
I’ve recently owned a Jaguar iPace. A really good car, but it didn’t make me smile. And that’s what I want from a car; Jaguar knows that too.
If Jaguar’s intention was to guarantee attention on the launch then they certainly achieved it. There was a proper buzz waiting for the reveal and I know some of the guests were desperately hoping for the unveiling of some hideous monstrosity. And of course it wasn’t hideous, but it is seriously different. It’s much bigger, bolder and more disruptive than I imagined. It will turn heads. Not everyone will like it, but I say thank God for that. Inspector Morse wouldn’t go near it, but if his grandson has just launched a cybersecurity startup then he might.
The event is completely different, too: it’s industrial and edgy. The British grime MC and rapper Skepta wouldn’t be a traditional Jaguar brand ambassador, yet here he is performing a DJ set, surrounded by influencers and cultural tastemakers in downtown Miami. It’s a massive departure from what’s gone before. Too big of a departure? Maybe. Jaguar was quickly becoming a brand talked about in the past tense, so I applaud them. If I drove a Type 00, I think it would make me smile.
Ginny Buckley
Founder of the British EV-buying website Electrifying.com
In Jaguar’s 90-year history, nothing has sparked as much global conversation as its controversial rebrand. But the new logo and flamboyant ad might be forgotten now the dramatic Type 00 has broken cover.
I first saw the car in a briefing at Jaguar Land Rover’s Midland design studio, and in more than 25 years as a motoring journalist no vehicle has made my jaw drop like this £100,000+ all-electric GT.
Yes, it’s pink. Very pink. Unveiled in Miami Pink and London Blue, the car’s colours reflect the city that hosted its reveal to the world and Jaguar’s British heritage.
The colour is inevitably what many critics will be fixating on. I was told by Jaguar’s design team that it’s a “production-ready” colour, which could cause a stir among traditional Jaguar fans if it makes the final palette.
Beyond the colour, the Type 00’s design is dramatic with its elongated bonnet, massive monolithic grille and front-hinged butterfly doors, while Jaguar has also ditched the rear window.
I think the Type 00 looks fresh and bold. My 15-year-old says it looks “peak” – which I think is a compliment.
The Jaguar chief creative officer, Gerry McGovern, said: “It will make people feel uncomfortable, and it will polarise.” Which, of course, it will. But if the aim was to get people talking, they’ve succeeded.
The challenge is whether Jaguar can evolve its brand quickly enough to attract the new breed of young wealthy buyers it hopes will buy this car.
Manfredi Ricca
Global chief strategy officer at the brand consultancy Interbrand, who has worked with Bugatti and on the relaunch of Mini and BMW
Flashback to two weeks ago. Nobody’s particularly interested in Jaguar. Out of the blue, a 30-second video is released. Millions immediately turn their heads. In the space of 24 hours, Jaguar is part of the global conversation, having shown no product.
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As a result, the level of anticipation for the new lineup builds up to World Cup final levels in terms of reach and intensity – including a leak on the eve of the launch.
You can hardly ask more of a campaign – especially one designed to revitalise a brand. Because what so many commentators have overlooked is that Jaguar Land Rover wasn’t trying to evolve a thriving brand but reinvent an ailing one.
Today’s reality is that the number of people celebrating Jaguar’s heritage far surpasses those actually wanting its cars.
Museums can live on the past alone; commercial businesses can’t – they must turn whatever heritage they have into something that a sufficient number of customers can be willing to pay enough for.
Jaguar, once the fiercely innovative maker of some of the world’s most original cars, is back, asking to be loved by some rather than ignored by most.
The concept revealed in Miami will seduce them – but the real challenge will lie in turning them into fans in 2025 and customers in 2026, when the cars will actually hit the market.
Richard Exon
Co-founder of the ad agency Joint, who has previously worked with Audi and Range Rover
Jaguar is to be applauded for the scale of ambition in its rebrand. A complete break from the past is its best bet. It wants to sell its brand-new range of cars to a completely different audience, so aiming to be a more modern, inclusive and challenging brand has the potential to be a winning strategy.
But intent by itself is insufficient if the plan is as poorly executed as the derivative and disappointing video content Jaguar released before the launch.
Happily though, the concept car images have a bold new aesthetic that forces a welcome degree of reappraisal.
So the next big question is how much of the concept’s radical design will make it into the final product that’s manufactured and available to purchase.
Very few car brands with Jaguar’s problems get a second chance, so let’s hope the company holds its nerve, recovers from the video misstep and dares to be as different as it says it wants to be.