By RAY MASSEY
Updated: 21:17 AEDT, 7 December 2024
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With Wizard Of Oz spin-off Wicked hitting cinemas, what better time to explore how 'magic' works in the motor industry.
My tale centres on the controversial 'rebranding' of British car firm Jaguar and the subsequent launch this week in Miami of its radical new Type 00 electric two-seater fastback concept car.
In pink with gullwing doors, it is the forerunner of three 1,000hp production cars due in 2026 – a four-door GT grand tourer (with a camouflaged prototype now on test), an SUV and a sporty coupe promising 478 miles on a single charge.
Until then, no Jaguar cars are being sold in the UK.
In the Wizard Of Oz, the omnipotent wizard projects a frightening aura. Only when our heroine Dorothy's dog, Toto, pulls back the curtain is the 'wizard' revealed to be a mere mortal.
Having covered this week's Jaguar controversy, let me take you for a secret peek behind the company's car-launch curtain to reveal what really went on.
Radical: Jaguar's Type 00 electric two-seater fastback concept car in 'Miami Pink'
In early November, I was among journalists invited into Jaguar Land Rover's world-leading design and engineering centre in Gaydon, Warwickshire, for a day-long immersion into its ambitious plans and a preview look at the new model.
Upon arrival, we surrendered our phones and signed a Non-Disclosure Agreement threatening sanctions if breached. Inside, we attended a four-hour briefing and walked around the car.
JLR's creative director, Professor Gerry McGovern OBE – the design wizard overseeing Jaguar's 'reimagining' – had promised it would be 'jaw-dropping'. It was.
But it was the presentation on Jaguar's re-branding – subsequently dismissed by critics as 'woke' and worse – that set alarm bells ringing.
Jaguar bosses were, however, upfront that they were setting out deliberately to cause controversy. This was no accident. The brand was stale and cars weren't selling. Drastic measures were needed to get it noticed.
So to 'reimagine' Jaguar, they would ditch 85 per cent of their middle-aged, middle-class customers spending £50,000 per car and aim higher for a younger, richer and more diverse clientele willing to spend £100,000 on a dramatic car that dares to be different. And they'd need only sell around 50,000 a year globally.
But to grab the attention of that rarified new cohort of shiny, happy people they first had to create controversy.
The first came when the rebranding story appeared with a social media advert featuring diverse models on a pink, alien landscape – but no car.
Then, hours before the official unveiling, photos of the new Jaguar were 'leaked'. Suspicion fell on Jaguar. When I asked them, they did not deny this.
The wizards of the reborn Jaguar believe their future lies beyond the yellow brick road. And if that fails, it really is curtains for them.
As the backlash intensified over Jaguar's social media advert, which featured no car, executives appeared to panic.
Breaching their own NDA embargo agreements, they released 'teaser' photos of parts of the car to prove its existence.
Backlash: Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover denied going 'woke' and countered that some criticism displayed a 'level of vile hatred and intolerance'
Critics attacked Jaguar's new look as 'a car crash in slow motion'. Jaguar enthusiasts and owners' clubs accused bosses of committing 'commercial suicide' and turning the marque into a 'laughing stock'.
Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover denied going 'woke' and countered that some criticism displayed a 'level of vile hatred and intolerance'.
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