Jaguar’s “Copy Nothing” campaign may be generating plenty of controversy and negative attention for the brand, but it has also had the side effect of increasing demand for used models as customers scramble to get the models they want before Jaguar fully exits the ICE vehicle market.
Jaguar’s wild rebrand is fueling demand for Jag models of the past.
Jaguar took a very big gamble when the company not only announced that it was ending production of its ICE models but that it was also moving upmarket in an attempt to win over wealthy EV buyers who would otherwise go for a brand like Porsche or Bentley. The brand’s odd marketing campaign proved to be controversial and the company received criticism and negative feedback for some of the elements it used with the recently unveiled Type 00 concept not doing much to improve things.
However, it appears that the wild rebranding is also having some ripple effects for dealers, with some franchises reporting that there has been an increased demand for used Jaguar models as customers scramble to get the ICE-powered Jaguar model of their dreams before the company cuts off the spigot and boldly leaps into an uncertain future.
Customers scramble to get their fix
The surge comes as Jaguar is preparing to go all-electric.
This is according to Auto Trader UK who revealed that “advert views” for used Jaguar models have gone up by 5% since the rebranding effort was announced. Search views for these models are up by 10% too and point to a noticeable movement in the used vehicle market for Jaguar branded vehicles. “used Jaguars have appeared in consumers’ searches 29 million times, generating an impressive 1.3 million advert views since the announcement.”
The online marketplace further stated that November 23rd was the busiest day for Jaguar since March with three models leading the way. Unsurprisingly, the F-Pace SUV has the most demand with the SUV being the most popular model the brand sells even as it axes the rest of its lineup. The I-Pace (Jaguar’s last EV model) has also seen a strong resurgence in interest while the iconic E-Type brings up the rear for the classic vehicle side of the marketplace. Auto Trader’s Editorial Director Erin Baker elaborated further stating A spike in consumer interest … shows drivers are keen to see what they can still get their hands on from the Jaguar they have always known. I don’t think anyone has a reliable view on how this will go once the first [new] car is available to buy, but it’s a fantastically bold and creative reimagining of one of the UK’s most legendary marques.”
More Jaguar Stories
- Jaguar Boldly Wears Pink and Defies Critics As Images Leak Online
- Jaguar Releases First Images of Upcoming EV GT Model
- Jaguar Initiates Brand Reset, Debuts Bizarre New Identity
Dealerships can expect long-term pain in the long run
Dealerships can benefit short term from increased used sales, but will still be in for long-term pain as Jaguar accelerates its brand transformation.
While this jolt in used Jaguar demand is in the European market, look for a similar phenomenon to occur in the U.S. with our market having a strong pool of loyalists who religiously return to the brand for their next Jaguar purchase. Many of these loyalists will want an ICE-powered Jaguar model and the strong familiarity they have with these powertrains will motivate them to act quickly before they lose the opportunity to do so.
This will be good news for dealer service departments looking for a steady stream of repair revenue but the sales side of a dealership will likely only see a short-term jolt in sales and will still be in for plenty of pain in the long run. Jaguar is not releasing any new models for a whole year and while the Jaguar F-Pace will stick around, the bulk of the slack will be expected to be covered by sales of Land Rover SUVs and other used vehicle sales.
While relying on Land Rover as a backup plan may seem like a good tactic, it has flaws. A prominent one is that the two gateway models: Evoque and Discovery have gone a long time without any major updates and are rapidly aging. This age has affected demand and cut into demand for both of these key models.
0 Comments