Jaguar's new leaper badge to replace text-only name tag
Click image to enlarge
If you look across the back of any current Jag, you'll see a chrome strip on the rear end with J-A-G-U-A-R spelled out across it. According to the marque's design honcho, Ian Callum, that bit of branding is going away. To see where things are heading instead, you need only look at the posterior of the newly-unveiled XF.
While the XF sports the aforementioned chrome strip, a new "leaper" badge is positioned above it. In the next 2 to 3 years, that new badge will supplant the more traditional text-based brand verbiage. In fact, the reason the name was retained on the XF at all is because Callum and company believe that the public won't know what the car is at first sight, and leaving the prominent "Jaguar" badging in back will solve that problem. At the same time, people will be exposed to the new rear-end leaper. A couple of years down the road, the "Jaguar" text will be redundant and expendable since the leaper badge will presumably be familiar to everyone. Of course, whether Jaguar exists as a strong brand by then depends heavily on the success of the XF, new tush leaper notwithstanding.
[Source: HeadlineAuto]
Headline News: Jaguar to drop name tag
The word 'Jaguar' will start to be ditched from the back of production cars within two or three years, the firm's design boss has confirmed.
Speaking in late June as he showed off the XF at a secret media briefing in London, Ian Callum confirmed the famous name is going. It's still on the boot lip of the XF – to be unveiled at next month's Frankfurt Motor Show – but with it is a flattened version of Jaguar's iconic big cat 'leaper'.
"Eventually we will take the name off and just leave the leaper," said Callum. "When people see the XF they won't know what it is, so they will look for a name badge. That's why we've left it on, but put the leaper there as well, The name will go probably on production cars within two or three years." Callum's comments have been under an embargo until today.
As well as the rear of car – due to replace the S-Type early next year – Callum spent time explaining the front end. "We went through 30-odd models and part of that was to look for a new face. We went through one new look with our show cars, such as the RD6, and because of that we were happy to let it go."
Callum said the objective on the XF's grille was to create something that Sir William Lyons could have penned, moving on from the XJ6 in 1968. "That car was the first one to have the front grille as an air intake and we wanted to evolve that," said the designer. Callum explained how on some of the early XF sketches he had started off with four headlamp roundels – as on the current S-Type – but felt it wasn't taking the design forward. After various revisions the same feature is still there, but inside a more modern shaped light cluster.
And Callum confirmed the nose of the XF wasn't a one-off. "It's styling that you'll see on Jaguars more and more," he added.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Don 3:30PM (8/28/2007)
Very cool. It's universally recognized anyway...might as well use it.
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Richard 3:40PM (8/28/2007)
"Tush Leaper"
Is that a market segment?
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Aetius 3:42PM (8/28/2007)
I think it looks stupid. Too bad the company has decided to abandon all it's heritage and class to play the 'Lets Make It Look Generic' game with the rest of luxury car makers. The XK managed to strike a balance.
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TriShield 3:49PM (8/28/2007)
It's a shame the front doesn't look anywhere near as good as the rear.
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Avant 2:30PM (8/14/2008)
that's all too often the case, but yet it never stops me from taking a ride, especially after a few beers
xplode 5:27PM (8/14/2008)
@avant: i see what you did there... :)
Alex 3:51PM (8/28/2007)
...
Makes perfect sense. In a couple of month Jaguar will be offloaded to a Chinese company, which will rename it Jaeh-goo-rar, while retaining the leaper.
(much like what happened to MG).
Frankly, after seeing this POS XF, I have no regrets... Quite a fitting end.
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Cal 4:03PM (8/28/2007)
When I will drive it, the rear is the only thing you will see anyways....
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mooj 4:25PM (8/28/2007)
ooooh....that is painfully hip. makes it look like a puma sneaker or something, and we all know those are cool.
stop ragging on this damn car. a good looking rear means muscular rear fenders, which imply a good stance, which imply presence.
i think they should lose all the badging and keep the clean chrome strip and just the leaper. i thought it was bland at first. i'm really starting to dig it. the personality is shining through.
i hope this cat lives. fine, redo the headlights. don't let the brand die.
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Tsunami Racer 7:44PM (8/28/2007)
i was thinking the same thing; when it's a 3D leaper coming at you on the hood, you don't make any association but when it becomes a 2D flat image, i was thinking Puma shoes too.
too bad the shoes look and handle better than the car.
toronado455 8:26PM (8/28/2007)
I agree. That back is too cluttered with badges. Go with the simple "JAGUAR" spelled out in the chrome strip.
The 2D side view of the "leaper" makes for an asymmetrical emblem/badge. Not good for the central placement on the trunk lid.
Craig 8:39PM (8/28/2007)
Keeping it clean is good. On my new Subaru Liberty (Oz Legacy) wagon, nowhere on the exterior of the car does it say Subaru. You get the constellation logo a few times but that is it.
Ceeze 4:29PM (8/28/2007)
Wow. That looks really bad. I can't think of any other trunk logos that totally lack symmetry and balance like that. From far away it looks like a bent trunk handle.
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TriShield 4:32PM (8/28/2007)
I agree. Revisit the headlamps and this would be a hot car, and give Jaguar a good shot at coming back.
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Barney 4:34PM (8/28/2007)
That's classy!
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Level 4:45PM (8/28/2007)
The headlights front facia needs to be redesign badly....You think they would learn the lessons after making the XK8 front end making it look like a Taurus.....
Ford's passing on the cooties to Jaguar
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JW 5:32PM (8/28/2007)
That's an idea that will fall by the wayside when another designer takes on Jaguar and start with fresh design language in a few years.
These ego-driven designers refuse to follow their predecessors lead and have to put their own mark (good or bad) on the marque.
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Richard 8:53PM (8/28/2007)
Well, you know, JW:
Every dog, every hydrant!
Arthur 7:52PM (8/28/2007)
The 'cat face' logo isn't all that bad and would help with the symmetry as mentioned above.
http://www.weblogsinc.com/common/images/3060000000056197.JPG
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toronado455 11:38PM (8/28/2007)
That cat face idea is exactly what I was thinking they should have done.
Or, since it's on the back of the car, you could have a logo with the cat's rear - tail and all. :-P (just joking)