By ROB HULL and RAY MASSEY and JON BRADY
Updated: 00:33 AEDT, 22 November 2024
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Jaguar has shifted up another gear with its controversial rebrand by teasing a first glimpse of its radical new electric concept car - and it doesn't have a rear window.
The British firm is - quite literally - not looking back on its bold and daring new company direction revealed this week as it is set to follow in the tyre tracks of EV rival Polestar in contentiously ditching the traditional glass rear window in its future models in favour of a rear-facing camera linked to a digital interior mirror.
The teaser image, released on Jaguar social platforms on Wednesday evening, shows a section of the rear quarter of the upcoming 'Design Vision Concept', which is being unveiled in Miami on 2 December.
The EV, which appears to have enormous proportions, a remarkably wide and flat body and bulging rear wheel arches, will signal the design language of Jaguar's first trio of next-generation battery cars that spearhead its rebirth as an all-electric premium motor company from 2026.
Its flat body panels have drawn comparisons to Tesla's Cybertruck, which itself is one of the most controversial models to enter the market in recent history.
Jaguar's choice to omit a conventional rear window for its future EVs threatens to heave even more public criticism in the company's direction, with infuriated petrolheads taking to social media in recent days to describe its advertising campaign and decision to ditch the classic roaring cat badge as 'woke' and 'unhinged'.
Jaguar is - quite literally - not looking back on its controversial rebrand: The British car maker, which has hit headlines this week with a radical new company identity, has provided a first glimpse of its dramatic new electric concept vehicle being unveiled early next month. And, contentiously, it doesn't have a rear window
The single image of the new concept vehicle portrays what is set to be a very wide car with a dramatic body combining smooth curves and hard-edged straight elements.
Sections of the prototype's design take influence from Jaguar's new logos, which were unveiled on Tuesday as part of the firm's media blitz to signal its change in identity.
Prominent across the vehicle's rear section is a panel of straight slats, which mirror those backing the new 'leaper' logo showcased earlier in the week, which Jaguar says was inspired by IBM's trademark emblem.
It is unclear if the rear light cluster will be incorporated into these slats or if they are separate on a section of the Jaguar's tail that's out of sight in the image shared by the 90-year-old car maker.
The conversation-triggering teaser image was posted to social media on Wednesday evening accompanied by the words 'copy nothing', reiterating the mantra of JLR company founder William Lyons who famously said: 'A Jaguar should be a copy of nothing.'
However, if it is to ditch the rear window, many will argue that Jaguar will be mimicking one of its biggest rivals.
Prominent across the vehicle's rear section is a panel of straight slats, which mirror those backing the new 'leaper' logo showcased earlier in the week, which Jaguar says was inspired by IBM's trademark emblem
The classic Jaguar 'growler' logo has been ditched as the car firm reinvents itself to appeal to a younger audience of car buyers
Polestar, itself a progressive electric car company with a fashion-influenced and cinematic advertising campaign, earlier this year launched its landmark Polestar4 - the first UK car ever sold without a rear window.
Design bods at the Chinese-owned car firm - which is a spin-off of Volvo - said they opted to dispense with the rear glass to provide more headroom for passengers sat in the back.
To compensate, the 4 gets a high-definition roof-mounted camera to provide the driver with a view of what's lurking behind.
This is linked to a digital rear-view mirror, which can also be switched to a conventional glass mirror for when drivers need to keep an eye on children squabbling in the back seats.
The Polestar 4 - the third car from the Swedish EV brand - is the first car without a rear window to arrive on UK road. Jaguar looks set to be going in a similar direction by ditching the glass in its future EV models, if the Design Vision Concept is anything to go by
Polestar's 4 has no rear window to provide more headroom for rear passengers. Instead of glass, it uses a roof-mounted high-definition camera that links to a digital mirror on the windscreen
The rear-view digital mirror is also two-way so you can switch it to a regular mirror to check on rear passengers – a must if you have kids
Speaking at a briefing at JLR's design centre at Gaydon in Warwickshire, he said he wanted to create the same stir that the E-Type created in the 1960s: 'The brief I set was to be jaw-dropping.'
He went on: 'This has been years in the making. It's not just about reshaping a car. It's about redefining and reimagining a brand. It's about reimagining Jaguar. This is big,' before jokingly promising: 'We have not been sniffing the white stuff.'
JLR CEO Adrian Mardell has described Jaguar’s rebirth as 'something spectacular'.
The concept will be shown in full on 2 December (3 December UK time) at Miami Art Week.
It will preview the four-door electric GT first seen - heavily camouflaged - at the beginning of its rigorous testing regime last week.
Jaguar's next-generation electric four-door 'Grand Tourer' is one of an all-new three-EV line-up due from 2026.
The production car is expected to produce more than 575bhp and have a battery range to cover in excess of 430 miles.
Prices will start above £100,000 - almost double the average cost of a new petrol or diesel Jaguar in 2024 - and see Jaguar go head-to-head with heavyweights including the Audi e-tron GT, Mercedes EQS, Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S.
Jaguar's new rebrand has attracted accusations the company has gone 'woke' - as it launched the new look with an advert featuring no cars
This is the new Jaguar logo - a roundel made up of the letter 'J' that looks the same both ways up
The company already showcased its new Jaguar logo typography featuring largely lower case letters - save for a single capitalised 'G' - in what the company is calling a 'complete reset'
The 'growler' logo, the universally recognised snarling Jaguar head badge used for decades on the grilles and bonnets of iconic cars including the E-Type, has fallen victim to a revamping of the firm's style and identity as it seeks out younger customers
Jaguar audacious rebrand launched this week - reportedly the brainchild of a team of 800 marketing and advertising folk - has caused a major public stir.
Customers and car fans have been angered by the company's decisions to ditch its classic iconography, including the 'growler' badge depicting a roaring big cat that has graced iconic cars from its past - notably the E-Type.
The company's fresh direction also included a questionable advertising campaign, with a video that features precisely no cars and a techno music soundtrack and the slogans 'create exuberant', 'live vivid', 'delete ordinary' and 'break moulds'.
The new look sparked a furious reaction in recent days.
'Congratulations,' weighed in one commenter on Jaguar's Instagram. 'You've killed a British icon.' 'Hello, thanks for the feedback! We’ll be sure to pass it onto the team. Best wishes,' the firm said to many of its detractors on social media.
'Go woke, go broke,' wrote several people in tweets to the firm. 'Go hard,' Jaguar fired back.
Responding to an almost accusatory tweet reading 'I thought you guys made cars??', the firm's social media team simply said: 'We do. All will be revealed.'
Jaguar has unveiled its new 'brand' look with a technicolour advertisement that features precisely no cars
Jaguar has been accused of going 'woke' by car fans on social media - but responses from the firm suggest it is not bothered by the reaction
Jaguar has given short shrift to the outrage on social media - and even invited Elon Musk, boss of direct rival Tesla, to the launch event for its new concept car in Miami
Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk got in on the act, asking the firm via his X platform: 'Do you sell cars?'
Jaguar replied warmly, inviting him to the launch event for its new concept car at Miami Art Week.
It said: 'Yes. We'd love to show you. Join us for a cuppa in Miami on 2nd December?'
The bold new strategy and brand identity is a significant pivoted away from the qualities that made Jaguar distinctly British.
This includes discarding its associations with the stoicness of Inspector Morse in his red Mk2, or Ben Kingsley, Mark Strong and Tom Hiddleston purring that villains 'all drive Jaguars' in a (now banned) TV advert.
Jaguar has long been associated with the likes of Inspector Morse (as played by John Thaw, above) - rarely seen without his iconic Mk2
The Jaguar E-Type - a stone-cold design classic (left) - and its spiritual successor the F-Type (right) are now consigned to the past
The radical move is part of Jaguar's complete reimagination as it races ahead of the 2030 deadline for car firms to stop selling petrol and diesel cars in the UK.
It had already promised to become an 'exclusive premium EV brand' from 2026, doing away with the internal combustion engine it has relied upon for nine decades, some four years earlier than the Government intends to ban sales of new combustion cars.
Saying it will start with a 'clean sheet', the company has already set about resetting its social media platforms, with Instagram now showing just two posts to the company's 17million followers: these being the concept teaser image and the daring advertisement.
Its new advertising campaign has drawn comparisons to the legendary Silk Cut cigarette adverts, which featured no cigarettes. The tobacco brand famously sponsored Jaguar's most iconic race car, the XJR-9, which won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988.
While many have blasted the liberal ad for not featuring a single car, it is at least an accurate depiction of the auto company's current position.
Jaguar has already withdrawn from the UK car market and said it will not offer any new models for 12 months as part of a 'sunset period' it says was a strategic decision to create a 'fire break' for dealers and customers to prepare for its electric rebrand.
Production of right-hand-drive UK cars has already ended, though its biggest model - the F-Pace SUV - is still being built for overseas markets, while the electric E-Pace remains available to 'corporate clients into 2025'.
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