Jaguar’s Bold New Logo Is Just a Stripe on the Donkey

As a proper car guy, I’ve probably dedicated far too much of my life to the comings and goings of cars. But let’s get into the meat of it, specifically Jaguar’s recent “rebrand.” Here’s my take on why Jaguar’s new logo design isn’t the root of their problems, nor the solution.

From 2005 to 2015, Jaguar’s annual sales were more or less like a car stuck in neutral, barely peaking at 76,000 cars in their best year and sagging to a dismal 31,000 in the worst of it. It was all rather uninspiring.

2016: They started to get it right with standout designs like the XE and F-PACE.

Then came 2016, a year where things actually got a bit interesting. It seemed like Jaguar remembered that they needed to make cars that people wanted to look at and drive. They needed to look the part and be fun to drive, and they hit a home run with the XE and the F-PACE, dipping their toes into the much-lucrative SUV pool while giving us a sedan that looked properly good as well. Suddenly, their sales figures sprang to life like a cat that’s spotted the neighbor’s dog, jumping to 105,000 that year, and even pushing higher in the following years.

2024: The lineup blends into the streets, with the sedan resembling a Nissan rather than a luxury Jaguar.

But, Jaguar seems to have lost that plot again. By 2024, the sales are barely scraping past the 75,000 mark. Now, in a fluster, they’ve decided a rebrand might be just the ticket. Oh, please. Slapping a new logo on the current lineup and calling it bold is like adding stripes to a donkey and selling it as a zebra.

It’s not about whether the logo looks good or if the marketing team is putting in their 40 hours a week; it’s about making cars that make you turn back and look after you’ve parked up. It’s about the sound from the engine when you put your foot down and the feel of the buttons when you touch the dash. All the little things add up to a lot, the things that made Jaguar, well, Jaguar. People who are shelling out the cash for something special are looking for just that, something special!
Jaguar needs to remember what they’re good at, making cars that stand out, that have a touch of class with power to boot. They’ve done it before, and they can do it again. Forget the fancy new logos. If they want to see those sales numbers climb, they need to bring back the roar that made Jaguar special. After all, nobody ever paid top dollar for boring, and a rebrand won’t change that.