Jaguar Land Rover unveils new logo as part of rebranding to JLR

What’s in a name?

A lot, according to the car company formerly known as Jaguar Land Rover.

For henceforth, the British car giant – owned by India’s Tata group – will be known only by its initial letters ‘JLR’ as part of a major rebranding and restructuring exercise which, controversially, also sees the name ‘Land Rover’ sidelined from products.

And now it has revealed its facelifted corporate identity – no doubt created and implemented at great expense and after much soul searching and agonising – with a brand spanking new logo.

The change is part of a wider £15billion corporate and product line-up shift which JLR describes as its ‘Reimagine’ strategy.

And, just like the late rock star Prince – who changed his name to a symbol in 1993 as part of a rebranding effort (and his long-running dispute with Warner Bros) – JLR bosses feel the need to do the same.

In a statement released on Thursday, the car manufacturer said its new simple motif follows the minimalist ‘modern luxury’ styling ethos of forthcoming JLR products and dealerships – and is said to embody ‘elegance, modernity and the company’s forward-thinking essence’.

As part of the wider shake-up, the original ‘Land Rover’ name for the company’s off-roaders since the firm’s inception in 1948 is being controversially sidelined for use only as an overarching ‘Trust Mark’. 

That means it won’t be seen on the giant pillars or signs outside showrooms, but will be a mall badge on the grilles of its SUVs.

In fact, it has already been dropped from advertising campaigns. 

Instead, the new car brand names for its 4X4 range will be standalone marques.

The four will consist of Range Rover, Defender and Discovery, while Jaguar will be the fourth brand umbrella.

It calls this a ‘House of Brands’ approach.

Commenting on the new identity, CEO Adrian Mardell, said: ‘Today is an exciting day as we unveil a new identity for our company as part of our House of Brands approach. 

‘I’m confident this perfectly illustrates JLR’s ambition in the modern luxury space.’ 

Jaguar Land Rover’s design boss professor Gerry McGovern said the move had been made for ‘clarity’ as customers already referred to their vehicles this way, rather than as ‘Land Rover Range Rover’.

He added: ‘The creative process behind the new identity focused on elegance, modernity and a forward-thinking essence to exhibit the direction and ambition of the company.

‘The descending ‘J’ aspires to add elegance, while the lighter weight of the emblem illustrates the step change to refinement and modernity.’

JLR has insisted throughout that while the Land Rover name will be less prominent, it will not be scrapped entirely.

Unveiling the JLR logo this week, the company reiterated that the ‘Land Rover brand will remain a key part of the company’s DNA’ and that the trademark oval badge will not disappear entirely from its portfolio.

The product naming shake-up was first announced in April when under-fire bosses gave an update on their plans for electrification.

They also announced then that, with immediate effect, the company would in future be known only and officially as JLR, which will be its new over-arching corporate identity. However, at that stage, the redesigned logo was not unveiled.

JLR said in April: ‘Land Rover will remain. 

‘It is strong, well known and we will use that collective strength to give our brands authenticity and purpose. 

‘The Land Rover name remain on our vehicles, reinforcing our off-road credentials and technology capabilities.’

It now says on its official website: ‘Jaguar Land Rover is a House of Brands: Range Rover. Defender. Discovery. Jaguar.

Truly distinct, global brands that embrace our modernist design philosophy and are emotionally compelling and unique.’

Sharp-eyed observers noticed however that while the Land Rover brands – Range Rover, Defender and Discovery – all share the same font, the script for Jaguar is decidedly different.

Back in 2021, bosses spelled out an exciting exclusively-electric future for Jaguar from 2025 onwards.

And in April it announced that a jaw-dropping four-door grand tourer costing around £100k and with a ‘wow factor’ will spearhead the renaissance of the luxury sports brand and its off-road siblings as part of a £15billion investment.

However, those who have followed the motor industry for many years might also conclude that keeping a separate identity for Jaguar also gives them some wriggle room – if the audacious rescue plan succeeds they will be winners. 

Alternatively, it would make it easier – should the need arise – to sell off the Jaguar arm as a going concern with a product plan and line up, possibly to one of the Chinese car giants currently buying up British brands.

Bosses have already confirmed that the new electric Jaguar will be built at the JLR factory in Solihull near Birmingham as a part of a wider shake up of production and factories.

And fresh reports emerged last month that JLR’s owners are gearing up to select Britain for a multi-billion pound electric car battery plant after also considering a site in Spain.

A location near Bridgwater in Somerset has been identified as the potential gigafactory location, which could create around 9,000 new jobs in the area, according to BBC reports.

The news comes after a troubled period for the upmarket British car maker owned by India’s giant industrial conglomerate.

Bosses in April apologised for a long period of silence on its future strategies but said they had been working quietly – but busily – behind the scenes and now had something concrete to shout about. 

It also follows the surprise departure in November last year of previous CEO Thierry Bollore after just two years in the top job.