Jaguar is moving its heavily criticized rebranding into high gear after the nearly century-old carmaker unveiled a radical new redesign this week.
The rollout, which was labeled “woke” and “unhinged,” continued Wednesday with a cryptic post apparently teasing a new vehicle.
The image appeared to show yet more departures from the company’s classic iconography, with what appears to be the back of a car looking more like Tesla’s Cybertruck than an F- or S-Type.
The accompanying caption read: ‘December 2, 2024 Miami. Don’t copy anything.’
Within two hours, the post had been viewed more than a quarter of a million times, prompting a series of hateful comments.
Most expressed confusion about the mysterious image.
“Is it the back, the front… is it even a car?” one person responded…
“Stay tuned to find out,” the company responded.
Jaguar has released an image that appears to show even more departures from the company’s classic iconography, showing what appears to be the rear of a car that looks more like Tesla’s Cybertruck. The rollout has been panned as ‘woke’ and ‘unhinged’
The classic Jaguar ‘growler’ logo has been removed and replaced with the logo on the right
“The plot thickens,” another user added.
Many compared the British automaker’s campaign — which included an ad featuring a group of models dressed in bright and flamboyant clothing — to Bud Light’s ill-fated collaboration with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney.
“Bud Light 2.0 is coming,” one user commented.
When the campaign first debuted on Tuesday, one person snapped, “Well… we know where Bud Light’s ad team went.”
Another said, “Jaguar just pulled a Bud Light. Wtf is this?’.
“Where are the vehicles in this chilling, woke commercial?” said another.
After the most recent message from the British car manufacturer, a storm of speculation began
The company says a team of 800 people worked on the radical redesign and rebranding
The characters in the ad can be seen grabbing sledgehammers, painting across the screen and posing for photos in sync
Jaguar’s iconic ‘growler’ badge, which depicts a roaring cat, also appeared to be no more – after the company had already done away with the associated bonnet ornaments.
One person, hesitant to embrace the new look, wrote in response: ‘Hi Jaguar, it was nice knowing you
‘[T]Just think, you were once the pinnacle of British automotive engineering.”
As for the date mentioned in Wednesday’s ad, it referred to an already announced showcase next month, where the company’s new look will be unveiled.
As the report indicated, it will debut in December during Miami Air Week.
The company says a team of 800 people worked on the radical redesign and rebranding.