Jaguar boss defends rebranding after criticism of electric concept car – Business Live | Business

The level of backlash last month following Jaguar’s 30-second teaser trailer, which featured a group of colorfully dressed models but no actual cars, was quite exaggerated.

The ads featured the slogan “Don’t copy anything,” a nod to Jaguar’s founder William Lyonsand at the same time signals a decisive break with the company’s past as an old-school luxury brand.

If it was designed to attract attention, it certainly succeeded; Critics included Elon Musk and Nigel Farage.

But today Jaguar wants to focus on its plan to be “bold and disruptive” with its new electric car and redesign.

Managing Director Rawdon Glover told Sky News:

“We’ve certainly gotten a lot of attention over the last few weeks, but now I think it’s really important to talk about the vehicle.”

As Glover points out that few car launches receive this much attention, adding that the industry is at a crucial point:

We must ensure Jaguar is relevant, desirable and future-proof for the next 90 years of its history.

“The industry is currently experiencing major disruption: technology changes, while we all actually understand what an electrified world means for our brand.

“At Jaguar we looked at this and felt we needed to take a really bold step forward. But actually the step we are going to take is completely in line with the ethos of the brand.”

Glover was also pressed about the backlash against this ad and insisted:

“We definitely don’t want to upset our loyal fans.

“On the contrary – we want to take as many of our current fans as possible on this journey… We also need to appeal to a new audience. This is what we have to do.”

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“There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about,” Oscar Wilde reminded us. And automaker Jaguar has avoided the latter fate ahead of unveiling its vision for its new electric car.

After an advertising campaign that led to accusations that Jaguar was abruptly abandoning its old fans, the company presented its Type 00 electric model at Miami Art Week in Florida.

According to Jaguar, the model is a “concept with bold shapes and exuberant proportions designed to inspire future Jaguars” and is described as a “design vision concept”.

It is available in two colors, Miami Pink and London Blue, and features a long hood, 23-inch alloy wheels and a glassless tailgate. This means you can’t see out the rear window and instead have to use backup cameras installed near the front wheel.

But that’s just the first step.

Jaguar’s first production car under this new strategy will be an electric four-door GT, which will be unveiled next year.

This new model is said to have a range of up to 770 km/478 miles. As part of the globally harmonized test procedure for light commercial vehicles, the vehicle is charged up to 200 miles in 15 minutes with fast charging.

Jaguars Chief Creative Officer, Professor Gerry McGovern OBE, says:

The Type 00 is a pure expression of Jaguar’s new creative philosophy. It has an unmistakable presence. This is the result of bold, unfettered creative thinking and unwavering determination.

It is our first physical manifestation and the foundation for a new Jaguar family that will look unlike anything you have ever seen. A vision that strives for the highest artistic level.

The agenda

• 8.25am GMT: FT Banking Summit in London, including NatWest CEO Paul Thwaite, Barclays CEO CS Venkatakrisnan and former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe

• 9:45am GMT: Finance Committee hearing on the work of the FCA

• 15:00 GMT: US JOLTS job vacancies survey