Leaked images appear to reveal Jaguar’s concept EV ahead of its debut as the British automaker continues to struggle with its ill-fated rebranding campaign.
Leaked images of Jaguar’s EV concept appear to have spoiled the element of surprise for the British automaker.
Jaguar took a big gamble when it chose to abandon decades of heritage-based marketing and instead launch an ambitious campaign to rebrand itself as a fashion-focused EV maker with the brand unveiling new logos and branding alongside a trippy teaser video that had plenty of abstract concepts and no vehicles in it whatsoever. The internet showed little sympathy to Jaguar after the video dropped with some calling it one of the worst pieces of marketing ever created despite the company ironically accomplishing its task of gaining massive amounts of attention in a short time.
The lone mystery surrounding this entire stunt was a mysterious concept vehicle with Jaguar choosing to tease it with carefully edited teaser images and several photographs of a heavily wrapped version of the vehicle. The concept was supposed to make its debut during Miami Art Week but it appears an online leak has completely wrecked Jaguar’s plans and has exposed the company to even more criticism.
Leaked images trade Jaguar heritage for Barbie-inspired lines
The concept embraces GT styling elements but its Barbie-inspired lines and funky logos could turn off potential buyers.
The supposed leaked images first made their appearance on the Italian forum Coches Spias before they were subsequently published by AutoCar magazine. Jaguar for its part has so far refused to issue an official comment on the validity of the images (we will publish a response if this changes) but the concept appears to double down on Jaguar’s attempts at re-branding itself. The shape does have a slight resemblance to the Jaguar E-Type in the rear with the vehicles in the leaked images also featuring the classic Grand Touring layout with a long flowing hood and a short stubby rear end being the defining traits.
However, the front end goes for a slab-sided look with the slender headlights being mounted above the square-shaped grille panel and the lower rear bumper which also gets small LED accent lights with Jaguar’s new letter logo being used in place of the Prowler logo which is typically mounted in the center of the grille on current Jag offerings. The lack of a rear window continues to be a prominent styling feature for the concept with an extensive suite of cameras being used to make up for some of the lost visibility. The rear of the EV also gets the new Jaguar script which is below a large sqaure-shaped vent of some kind. The images also confirm the presence of a second metallic blue version but it’s clear that pink is the bold focal point Jaguar is using here with this concept no matter what critics have to say about it.
Interior goes for simplicity
The interior of this Jaguar concept is pure design study but it thankfully goes for a subtler look.
With the exterior of the concept being the most controversial aspect of the concept, the interior goes in a much simpler and subdued direction. A large oval steering wheel is nestled in a driver-oriented cockpit with the driver and front passenger areas being divided by a large piece with splashes of wood trim also being added in. Since this appears to be a pure design study versus anything remotely ready for production there are plenty of elements here that will most likely not make production including the seats and the core layout of the dashboard.
There also doesn’t appear to be a formal infotainment screen in place which is a shame because the new lineup of EVs would potentially debut a new generation of infotainment systems with this technology always being a noticeable weakness in Jaguar models for the past few decades. It will be interesting to see how the new EVs overcome that weakness and what other interior technology Jaguar will bring to the table to try and help the new model stand out from rivals like Porsche and Bentley which have been benchmarked by the company in past statements.
More Jaguar Stories
- Jaguar Releases First Images of Upcoming EV GT Model
- Jaguar Initiates Brand Reset, Debuts Bizarre New Identity
- Jaguar’s Coming EV Makeover will take it Back to the Future
Is Jaguar heading for a big fall?
Jaguar could potentially be heading for a big fall if the EV fails to connect with new buyers and Jaguar loyalists.
While the concept featured in these images is certainly visually striking, it has also proven to be controversial with some users online saying that it’s more “Pink Panther” than Jaguar. But put Jaguar’s recent marketing decisions and some of the other odd moves they made aside and it seems as if the brand could be heading for a very big fall from grace. Jaguar’s customers have very high loyalty to the brand and this loyalty has allowed JLR as a whole to continue to survive prior to this rebranding.
However, with the move upmarket, many of these customers will be priced out and the few that are still left might not like the idea of being loyal to a brand that has ditched its long-established identity in an attempt to keep up with fickle fashion trends and embracing a new personality that some say is divisive and completely different from Jaguars of the past. That includes the brand’s interpretation of “Modern Exuberance” with bright colors like pink, orange, yellow, and cream being prominent hues in current marketing material versus long-established colors like British Racing Green and other similar hues.
Then there’s the matter of how dealerships will feel with the entire dealer network being forced to live through a year long drought of new models from the Jaguar brand as it attempts to transform itself. The lone respite will be the aging Jaguar F-Pace but other than that dated model, dealers will have to rely on Land Rover products and other aspects of the business to pick up the slack to make up for the missing Jaguar sales especially as the EV’s attempt to move upmarket will draw in a smaller pool of potential buyers in the long haul. If Jaguar’s attempt at flash and trendy design fails, it could spell the beginning of the end for an iconic British automaker.
This is the ugliest car I have seen in years and if most people agree with me they will be out of business soon