Jaguar was started in England, in 1922, as a small car manufacturer named the Swallow Sidecar Company by founder, William Lyons. But then, in 1935, Lyon developed the SS Jaguar, a breakthrough that took the car world by storm. Word of the company spread like wildfire over Europe, and soon Jaguar was a massive line of visually stunning and powerful vehicles. Jaguar soon became a staple brand for the British motor industry, showcasing its innovation with sports cars such as the XK120, C-Type, and D-Type which were some of the fastest cars in the world at the time. Its rich history makes it one of the greatest car companies on earth, constantly breaking barriers and creating beautiful, powerful machines for the world to fixate their attention on. Motor enthusiasts coveted the sight of the Jaguar’s famous racing green, and until its rebrand this year, they still did.
With a lack of innovation and money-minded executives, Jaguar’s sales have been steadily declining over the course of the past 10 years. With this in mind, executives and stockholders came up with a completely new design for the Jaguar brand, completely flipping the company upside down into a new, more refined one with the slogan “Copy Nothing.” However, this new rebrand has come at a cost. By 2026, Jaguar will become an all-electric company, no longer selling their staple cars such as the F-Type, a beautiful V8 luxury sports car whose final model is the 2024 version. They will end their rich history of loud, extraordinary vehicles and replace them with ugly, all-electric ones. Many famous car enthusiasts have been saddened by the rebrand. People like James May, an original Top Gear and Grand Tour presenter and long-time Jaguar lover, spoke on the BBC, saying “I just hope in my heart that they have come up with something genuinely contemporary and they haven’t in the last moment resorted to, despite their androgynous multi-hued advert, giving us something that’s faux-heritage.” In 2026, Jaguar will become fully electric, trading off its ingenuity for profits, a sad ending to an incredible history originating all those years ago. A history that was full of innovation, creativity, and desire to break boundaries, which can and will never be replaced.