Dive Brief:

• Jaguar unveiled a new brand identity rooted in what the automaker calls “exuberant modernism,” according to a press release. 
• The overhaul includes four key visual elements: a new logo typeface, or device mark, which blends lower- and uppercase characters; a strike-through graphic motif; a vibrant color scheme rooted in primary colors; and a revamp of the signature Jaguar leaper, along with a monogram.
• Jaguar will host an installation at Miami Art Week on Dec. 2 called “Copy Nothing,” which was the philosophy of its founder, Sir William Lyons. The show will highlight the brand’s return to this legacy positioning and detail its next chapter. The makeover complements a broader transition to focusing on luxury electric vehicles.   

Dive Insight:

Jaguar, founded in 1935, is shifting marketing gears in a big way as it pivots to solely manufacturing EVs. The company has paused new vehicle sales in its home territory of the U.K. amid the transition, targeting 2026 as a potential restart date. In the meantime, the brand associated with British royalty is aiming to change consumer perceptions of its products and positioning. As with many such maneuvers, Jaguar’s shakeup appears aimed at winning over younger drivers in the Gen Z and millennial age range. 

“To bring back such a globally renowned brand we had to be fearless. Jaguar was always at its best when challenging convention,” said Rawdon Glover, managing director at Jaguar, in a press statement. “This is a complete reset. Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation.”

New visuals trade a sense of staid, traditional luxury for more over-the-top, future-facing concepts. Promotional materials attached to the overhaul show a diverse array of people outfitted in brightly colored, elaborate costumes as they attack normalcy. “Break moulds,” reads one image featuring a character wielding a yellow sledgehammer. “Delete ordinary,” says another as a figure in all-red garb paints white streaks into the background. 

While the makeover is explicitly modern, and a break from Jaguar’s past strategy, it intends to bring the brand back to the idea that “a Jaguar should be a copy of nothing,” which was first shared by its founder. Other aspects of the transformation extend this theme. A new monogram made of an encircled “J” and “R” looks more like a high-fashion logo than one associated with a car. 

Jaguar is introducing its exuberant modernism design aesthetic at Miami Art Week to an audience of dealers, advisors and curators. Galleries spread over two spaces at the event will offer further detail on the brand platform and visual concepts, aided by artist collaborators who share the company’s “Copy Nothing” ethos. Jaguar is an official sponsor of Art Miami, which runs from Dec. 3-8 as part of Miami Art Week.