Jaguar boss doubles down & DEFENDS new ‘woke Tesla’ pink EV in controversial rebrand – & warns of ‘industry disruption’

JAGUAR’S boss has doubled down on the firm’s controversial rebrand after the unveiling of it’s new bright pink EV saw the car dubbed as a “woke Tesla”.

The new model, which is intended to show the creative direction of the company going forward, has divided viewers as Jag moves away from its traditional customer base.

The concept model, named the Type 00, is the first indication of the British firm’s future after it announced it wouldn’t sell any new cars in the UK for a year.

Executives made the call to discontinue a handful of flagship petrol models, including the XE, XF and F-Type, as well as E-Pace and I-Pace EVs.

Only the F-Pace will continue into next year, but it’s future beyond then is uncertain.

Jag will then fully relaunch in 2026 as an all-electric brand, selling high-end, zero-emissions cars badged with its redesigned logo.

Bosses hope to be ahead of the curve in the transition to Net Zero and position the brand as a viable alternative to high-end rivals like Aston Martin and Bentley in that space.

As a first step, they unveiled the Type 00 at an “avant-garde” art event in Miami last night, with a deliberate emphasis away from the traditional auto show setting.

Hours before the event, pictures of the new design which provoked plenty of debate.

One viewer wrote: “Jaguar seems to be positioning itself as Tesla, but for liberals who hate Elon Musk.”

However, they did concede: “There might actually be a market for this.”

Jag’s managing director, Rawdon Glover, has now doubled down on the new car, saying that the new direction is actually “in keeping” with the firm’s core values.

He told : “We’ve certainly gathered an awful lot of attention over the last few weeks, but now I think it’s really important to talk about the vehicle.

“We need to make sure that Jaguar is relevant, is desirable, is future proof for the next 90 years of its history.

“At the moment, the industry is going through huge disruption: technology changes, as we all figure out actually what an electrified world means for our brand.

“At Jaguar, we’ve looked at that and we think we have to make a really bold step forward.

“But actually, the step we’re going to take is completely in keeping in ethos with the brand.”

Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody

Prof. Gerry McGovernChief Creative Officer, Jaguar

His sentiment was echoed by the company’s chief creative officer, Professor Gerry McGovern.

He added: “Controversy has always surrounded British creativity when it’s been at its best.

“Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody.

“It has already stirred emotions and it will continue to.

“Some may love it now, some may love it later, and some may never love it.

“And that’s ok, because that’s what fearless creativity does.”

PA

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