Jaguar reset sees it focus on high-concept, low-volume cars

Call it what you will — a rebranding, a reimagining, a reinvention, a reset— but Jaguar is about to set course on the biggest philosophical change in the storied marque’s nine decades of existence. Yes, there will be a new logo (Jag calls it a “device mark”), a bespoke font that it describes as “a powerful celebration of modernism – geometric form, symmetry, and simplicity – demonstrating the unexpected by seamlessly blending upper and lowercase characters in visual harmony.” Oh, and, yes, perhaps more importantly, this revamp also involves ditching gasoline-powered vehicles in favour of an all-electric lineup.

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Most importantly, however, this philosophical change repositions Jaguar as a very upscale, very high-concept, and very low-volume automaker. Literally, its new aim is to build objects of desire. That’s a stark departure from what Jaguar has been doing for the past few decades, a span of years where numerous attempts at offering lower-priced models in hopes of creating a high-volume environment fell woefully short.

Those efforts crashed so hard that today Jaguar builds just one vehicle, the sport crossover F-Pace. And that vehicle, starting in Canada at $71,750, will discontinue production next year, leaving the England-based automaker without a new vehicle in its stable.

The four-door GT caught doing some testing around Jaguar world headquarters in Gaydon, England Photo by JaguarWhat will replace the Jaguar F-Pace?

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We don’t know just yet, but we will have some idea of what’s next for Jaguar on Monday, December 2, when the automaker will reveal an all-new, all-electric Design Vision Concept vehicle that will set the tone for Jaguar’s impending transformation.

Notably, that reveal will not take place at a traditional location for such an important unveiling — the L.A. Auto Show, Pebble Beach, Goodwood — but instead during Miami Art Week (look for our story on that reveal at 8:00pm EST on Monday, December 2). That, combined with the four images Jaguar released today, expressions of the rebranding of the automaker, indicate that high-concept art and style will be at the core of the new Jaguar.

“To bring back such a globally renowned brand, we had to be fearless,” says Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover of what he deemed a complete reset. “Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation.”

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Glover added that the new Jaguar will be targeting an entirely new customer base — “cash-rich, time-poor” — with a premium on exclusivity and featuring a somewhat new vision of what an electric vehicle is and can be. He noted the traditional EV is tall, with a cab-forward design, slippery body, and smallish wheels, and that the new Jaguars will be the opposite.

The first of this new generation of Jaguars is expected to arrive in late 2026 and feature a four-door GT body style. That certainly is reflected in a recent spy shot making the rounds, of a heavily camouflaged four-door GT being put through its paces near Jaguar world headquarters in Gaydon, England.

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The new Makers Mark features a redesigned leaping Jaguar Photo by JaguarJaguar gets new logo and more

In addition to that new logo – err, “device mark” – Jaguar unveiled a graphic it calls a ‘strikethrough,’ which will be a design cue found on all the new Jaguar EVs moving forward. “Exuberant colours” will be a cornerstone of Jaguar’s new brand identity, strongly influenced by art rendered in primary colours: hues “born from the painter’s palette – yellow, red, and blue – are the tonal building blocks, always presented with texture or movement.”

And finally, there is the “Makers Mark,” which reimagines the iconic Jaguar “leaper” mark of provenance and according to the automaker signifies how it’s always leaping forward.

Jaguar founder Sir Williams Lyon famously said that “(a) Jaguar should be a copy of nothing,” and that seems to be at the core of what the automaker has planned for future vehicles.

It’s said that a leopard can’t change its spots; we’ll find out soon if a Jaguar can.

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