Some rebrands make you wince.

Jaguar just unveiled new branding ahead of its all-electric future. The iconic leaping cat has been caged, and the typography… well, imagine James Bond pulling up to Casino Royale in a car badged with something loosely resembling Comic Sans.

The launch video features models in haute couture, swinging sledgehammers and sitting on rocks in a hot-pink desert. No cars appear. Not a one.

Elon Musk’s response on X was cutting: “Do you sell cars?”

This grabbed me because it illustrates something I discuss in “I Need That” — the delicate balance between heritage and evolution.

Jaguar clearly wants to shed its traditional masculine luxury image. But in doing so, they might be abandoning their buyers’ Coveted Condition.

Consider what Jaguar has always represented:

• Sophisticated performance
• British luxury heritage
• Automotive aristocracy
• Understated power

The new identity suggests:

• Modern inclusivity
• Fashion-forward design
• Environmental consciousness
• Gender neutrality

Noble goals. 👏

But here’s the problem: they’ve created a gaping void between what made Jaguar truly desirable and what they want it to somehow become.

With no new actual cars rolling out until 2026, they’re asking buyers to embrace a promise while jettisoning a truly enviable legacy.

For product makers, the lesson is significant: evolution should enhance your brand’s core appeal, not erase it.

What aspects of your brand are too valuable to lose?

Just me? Are you loving the new-look Jag branding?

Laurier

P.S. The ‘r’ in the new logo is a flipped ‘j’. Clever? Perhaps. But as any James Bond fan knows, sometimes being clever isn’t enough.