How Jaguar Finally Outran Fear

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While many have called Jaguar's rebrand "the worst marketing decision they'd ever seen" and declared it "brand suicide," it just may be Jaguar's bravest business decision in decades.

In this episode of "A Case Study in Corporate Fear," host Taras Wayner examines how a brand that once epitomized independence became trapped in automotive purgatory with zero profitability and a rapidly aging customer base. And how, for over fifty years, Jaguar consistently chose fear over courage at every crucial decision point, allowing it to systematically destroy one of the world's most iconic automotive marques.

We’ll analyze how Jaguar's controversial 2024 rebrand, universally mocked as "brand suicide," might actually represent the most courageous business decision the company has made in decades. When Managing Director Rawdon Glover bravely declared he was "willing to lose 85% of current customers to save the brand," he chose the bold, uncompromising vision that Sir William Lyons would have embraced.

Timeline of Events

·       1922: Founded as Swallow Sidecar Company by Sir William Lyons

·       1948: XK120 becomes fastest production car in the world

·       1951-1957: Dominates Le Mans with C-Type and D-Type victories

·       1961: E-Type launches - Enzo Ferrari calls it "the most beautiful car ever made"

·       1966: Merges with British Motor Corporation (first fear-driven decision)

·       1968: Government forces merger creating British Leyland Motor Corporation

·       1970s: Production stagnates despite XJ6 being rated "best car in the world"

·       1984: Spun off as independent public company under Margaret Thatcher

·       1989: Ford acquires Jaguar after bidding war with GM

·       1999-2009: Ford ownership results in zero profitability for 19 years

·       2008: Tata Motors acquires Jaguar from Ford

·       2012: Tesla Model S redefines luxury car market

·       November 2024: Controversial rebrand launches with "Copy Nothing" campaign

·       December 2024: Jaguar stops production, preparing for EV-only 2026 return

Key Quotes

Sir William Lyons: "Cars should be sculptures that happened to move, not just machines that happened to look decent."

Enzo Ferrari: "The E-Type is the most beautiful car ever made."

Car and Driver on X-Type: "The X-Type feels like a Ford wearing a Jaguar costume."

Rawdon Glover: "We're willing to lose 85% of our current customers to save the brand."

Rawdon Glover: "To bring back such a globally renowned brand, we had to be fearless."

Further Reading & Resources

·       "Jaguar: History of a Classic" by Andrew Whyte

·       "The Most Beautiful Car Ever Made" documentary on Jaguar E-Type

·       YOUTUBE: Jaguar - The FULL Story of What Happened – https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=yyY5kqqVq1k

Connect with Taras

·       Website: fear-incorporated.com

·       LinkedIn: Taras Wayner

·       Instagram: @fear_incorporated

·       Email: [e-mail]