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Jaguar's Wild Ride: Can This Concept Car Salvage Its Year?
17 Dec
Summary
- Jaguar faced backlash over a concept car's ad campaign and "wokeness".
- A cyberattack cost JLR an estimated £1.9bn, with no insurance coverage.
- CEO and design boss changes added to Jaguar Land Rover's tumultuous year.
Jaguar has navigated a year fraught with challenges, beginning with the polarizing reception of its Type 00 concept car's radical design and its associated advertising campaign. The brand's managing director noted that the campaign's inclusive cast unfortunately generated significant online negativity and intolerance directed at Jaguar.
Further compounding Jaguar Land Rover's difficult year was the August announcement of CEO Adrian Mardell's resignation. This was swiftly followed by a severe cyberattack that crippled JLR's production lines. Critically, the company lacked cyber insurance, leaving it to absorb the substantial financial losses estimated at £1.9bn.
As if these crises were not enough, recent reports suggested the dismissal of design leader Gerry McGovern, the architect of the Type 00. After a period of silence, Jaguar denied these reports, but the situation underscored the volatile climate at the company under new CEO PB Balaji.
