Jaguar

Summary

Down to Business English – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Jaguar
Release Date: December 5, 2025
Hosts: Skip Montreux & Des Morgan

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Episode Overview

This episode of Down to Business English takes an in-depth look at major changes underway at Jaguar, one of Britain’s most iconic automotive brands. The hosts explore how Jaguar is attempting a radical transformation into an all-electric, design-forward company—risking both legacy and customer loyalty in the process. Alongside the business news, they introduce relevant business English vocabulary and idioms, and touch on the cultural implications of these sweeping changes.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Context: The Mood in the UK (00:47–01:39)

• Des shares impressions from a recent trip to the UK, highlighting a nationwide sense of gloom, possibly caused by "a steady stream of gloomy government reports."
• Business climate: This downbeat public mood appears to be spilling over into British industry.

The Heritage & History of Jaguar (02:44–04:55)

• Jaguar’s roots: Founded as The Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922, initially making motorcycle sidecars before entering car manufacturing as SS Cars.
• Branding history: The name 'Jaguar' was first used in 1935, along with the debut of the famous Leaping Cat logo—symbolizing "grace, performance, power and the ambition to leap forward."
• Classic acclaim: The 1961 Jaguar E-type was so acclaimed that "even Enzo Ferrari himself called it the most beautiful car ever made." (Des Morgan, 04:16)

Corporate Changes: Tata Ownership & JLR (04:58–05:53)

• Acquisition: Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover in 2008, merging them to form Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), the UK’s largest automaker as of 2024/2025 with 33,000 employees and 430,000 units sold.
• Structure: Jaguar and Land Rover remain separate entities within JLR.

Jaguar’s Big Shift: All-Electric by 2025 (05:58–07:38)

• Announcement: In 2021, JLR announced a plan for Jaguar to become an all-electric brand by end of 2025, much earlier than rivals like Mercedes-Benz and BMW.
  • Mercedes-Benz has postponed its EV-only plans to 2030, adopting "a more measured approach." (Skip Montreux, 06:23)
  • BMW plans to keep offering gas-powered cars until at least 2035.
• Industry authority: "Car and Driver is considered one of the most influential sources of automotive media." (Des Morgan, 07:10)

Branding Overhaul: Logo and Advertising (07:38–10:04)

• Logo redesign: The iconic Leaping Cat logo now sits within a modern, barcode-like frame, and the font has switched to a rounded, softer look.
• New advertising: In December, Jaguar released an avant-garde commercial with no car shown—instead featuring fashion models in futuristic outfits set on a "Martian landscape," with slogans like "live vivid" and "delete ordinary."
• Public reaction: Many fans and the wider public were "confused," seeing this as a radical and possibly alienating shift away from Jaguar’s traditional, conservative luxury image.
• Quote (Public reaction): "Now, out of nowhere, it's trying to rebrand itself to appeal to a totally different market." (Des Morgan, 09:47)

Rebranding Debate: Risks and Criticism (10:07–13:45)

• CEO Defense: Jaguar CEO Rowdon Glover defended the campaign, saying, "if Jaguar played in the same way that other auto brands do, they would just be drowned out." (Des Morgan, 10:07)
• Elon Musk’s criticism: Musk publicly questioned Jaguar’s strategy on X: "'Do you sell cars?' and it sort of went on from there." (Des Morgan, 10:38)
• Product development: Current Jaguar EVs exist only as a prototype (Type 00) and concept pictures, with launch now delayed to mid-2026 or early 2027.
  • According to JLR's Chief Creative Officer, Jerry McGovern: "You will feel uncomfortable and that's okay" about the designs. (Des Morgan, 12:12)
  • Bold, non-traditional colors (bright blue and purple) mark a sharp break from the classic Jaguar palette.
• Critic's view: James Ramsden (London design agency director), as cited by The Guardian, calls Jaguar’s rebrand "a shame," adding: "If Jaguar was going to break the mold, they better have a great lineup of new cars full of innovation, which we won't know until the new models are actually on the market." (Des Morgan, 13:17)
• Risk analysis: Skip sums up: "At the end of the day, that is one of the hardest things in business. Keeping your loyal customers while trying to attract new ones." (Skip Montreux, 13:45)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Leaping Cat: "It was designed by an artist and sculptor by the name of F. Gordon Crosby and it's meant to symbolize grace, performance, power and the ambition to leap forward." (Des Morgan, 03:56)
• On the E-Type: "The most legendary Jaguar model is probably the E-type, introduced in 1961. It was so stunning that even Enzo Ferrari himself called it the most beautiful car ever made." (Des Morgan, 04:16)
• On Jaguar’s new advertising: "Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't very British." (Des Morgan, 09:40)
• On breaking tradition: "James Ramsden... summed up the rebrand succinctly: he told the Guardian newspaper that it was a shame that Jaguar had walked away from one of the most iconic, treasured and beautiful brand designs in generations." (Des Morgan, 13:13)

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Key Vocabulary & Business English (14:11–18:50)

1. Radical (adj.) (14:11–15:11)
Extremely different from what existed before; used often in the context of big change in business.

2. A Measured Approach (idiom) (15:41–16:59)
Doing something carefully and thoughtfully; the opposite of acting radically.

3. An Authority On Something (phrase) (17:18–18:10)
Someone recognized as an expert in a field; trusted and influential source.

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Additional Vocabulary for Members (20:04)

• Quintessential
• Do the trick
• An entity
• To be drowned out
• To alienate

(Discussed separately in their bonus vocabulary episode)

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Conclusion

This episode explores how Jaguar, a "quintessential" British brand, is pursuing a radical reinvention—electrifying its entire lineup, overhauling design and messaging, and seeking to attract a new demographic. The hosts discuss the business risks, the critical public and industry response, and the challenge of balancing innovation with tradition. The episode is especially valuable for listeners wanting to expand their business English vocabulary as used authentically in the corporate world.

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Useful Timestamps

• [00:47] – UK mood and business context
• [02:44] – Jaguar’s origins and history
• [05:58] – Tata acquisition and Jaguar Land Rover formation
• [05:58–07:38] – Industry-wide EV transition timelines
• [07:38–10:07] – Jaguar’s rebranding and advertising changes
• [10:07–13:45] – Public and industry reaction, risk discussion
• [14:11–18:50] – Detailed business English vocabulary explanations

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For further vocabulary and targeted language explanations, refer to the D2B bonus episode for members.

Transcript

[Narrator]

From Tokyo, Japan and Changsha, China, this is down to Business English with your hosts, Skip Montreux and Des Morgan.

[Skip Montreux]

Hi Des, Good to be back with you.

[Des Morgan]

Hi Skip, how are you?

[Skip Montreux]

I'm fine, thank you very much. You know, the last time we spoke, you. You had just returned from Scotland.

[Des Morgan]

That's a little while ago now.

[Skip Montreux]

You know, we didn't really talk much about your trip.

[Des Morgan]

No, we didn't. I guess the topic we were reporting on that day gave us a lot to talk about.

[Skip Montreux]

It did. So anyway, how was your trip?

[Des Morgan]

Well, on the personal side it was fine. My family's fine, all my friends are fine. The meetings I attended at my home university were all fine.

[Skip Montreux]

Just fine. You don't sound very enthusiastic.

[Des Morgan]

Well, something felt a bit off.

[Skip Montreux]

Off? Off how?

[Des Morgan]

It's hard to explain. It just felt like the UK has changed somehow.

[Skip Montreux]

Oh really? In what way?

[Des Morgan]

This is just my personal take on it, but the overall public mood felt a bit depressed.

[Skip Montreux]

Depressed? Depressed over what?

[Des Morgan]

I don't know, Perhaps it was the steady stream of gloomy government reports coming out all the time about how bad things are.

[Skip Montreux]

Yeah, if all you hear is bad news, it becomes a kind of self fulfilling prophecy, I suppose.

[Des Morgan]

But whatever the reason, the UK is definitely going through some changes.

[Skip Montreux]

What about the business side of things? Is that depressed mood spilling over into industry?

[Des Morgan]

I would say so. In fact, it's a change, a radical change at one of Britain's heritage brands that I want to talk about today.

[Skip Montreux]

A heritage brand meaning a company with deep British roots and a long tradition?

[Des Morgan]

Exactly. A quintessential British company like Bentley or Rolls Royce. You're in the right industry. But the brand I'm thinking of isn't quite as expensive as those two.

[Skip Montreux]

That pretty much leaves just Land Rover and Jaguar.

[Des Morgan]

Well, guess, Skip. And it's the second of those two, Jaguar, that will be the focus of my report today.

[Skip Montreux]

Beautiful cars. They are.

[Des Morgan]

So let's do it. Let's get D2B down to business with Jaguar. What's changing with the iconic mark and how people are reacting to those changes?

[Skip Montreux]

You are right about Jaguar being a heritage brand. When I hear the name Jaguar, I immediately think of England as you should.

[Des Morgan]

Jaguar's British roots go back over a hundred years and believe it or not, the company did not start out as a carmaker.

[Skip Montreux]

Let me guess, they made bicycles.

[Des Morgan]

You're not far off their skip. They made sidecars for motorcycles.

[Skip Montreux]

Motorcycle sidecars. Really?

[Des Morgan]

William Lyons and William Walmsley founded The Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. And over time they Branched out into designing bodies for small cars. Huh.

[Skip Montreux]

That is an interesting piece of trivia.

[Des Morgan]

It is. Over time, they evolved from making just the body of a car to making their own vehicles under the name SS cars.

[Skip Montreux]

And when did the Jaguar name start being used?

[Des Morgan]

In 1935, when they released the SS Jaguar 2.5. Literally. It was also around that time that they introduced the now famous Leaping Cat logo.

[Skip Montreux]

Is that what it's called? The Leaping Cat? I didn't even know it had a name.

[Des Morgan]

Oh, it sure does. It was designed by an artist and sculptor by the name of F. Gordon Crosby and it's meant to symbolize grace, performance, power and the ambition to leap forward.

[Skip Montreux]

Well, it certainly did the trick. I think most people consider the classic Jaguar cars to meet that description.

[Des Morgan]

The most legendary Jaguar model is probably the E type, introduced in 1961. It was so stunning that even Enzo Ferrari himself called it the most beautiful car ever made.

[Skip Montreux]

The founder of Ferrari, an Italian car brand, calling a British car beautiful, that is certainly a compliment.

[Des Morgan]

That was, though, a long time ago and in another era. The brand isn't what it used to be. And that is what I want to focus on today, the changes at Jaguar in recent history.

[Skip Montreux]

Ok, so what can you tell us about that?

[Des Morgan]

Back in 2008, Tata Motors, the Indian automotive giant, acquired Jaguar and Land Rover. They combined the two and created what we know now as Jaguar Land Rover, or jlr.

[Skip Montreux]

Well, jlr, that is much easier to say than Jaguar Land Rover.

[Des Morgan]

It is. With 33,000 employees and sales of around 430,000 units in fiscal 2024. 2025, JLR is the UK's biggest automaker.

[Skip Montreux]

And those figures are for both companies combined?

[Des Morgan]

Yes. However, it's important to note that even though they are under the same umbrella company, they are run as two separate entities.

[Skip Montreux]

So the issue you are going to discuss only affects Jaguar, not Land Rover.

[Des Morgan]

That's correct.

[Skip Montreux]

So what is the issue with Jaguar specifically?

[Des Morgan]

There are a few issues. Firstly, in 2021, JLR announced that Jaguar would be transitioning their entire lineup from gas engines to electric by the end of 2025.

[Skip Montreux]

By the end of this year. 2025. That's pretty sudden. I don't think other luxury brands are doing this quite so quickly.

[Des Morgan]

You're right. Mercedes Benz, one of JLR's main competitors, originally had a plan to go all Electric by 2030. But just last year they announced that they were planning to soften this approach and react to market demands.

[Skip Montreux]

Well, that sounds like a more measured approach. What about Jaguar's Other competitors.

[Des Morgan]

According to a report in Car and Driver last year, BMW is expected to continue offering traditional gas powered cars while at the same time developing its lineup of electric models until at least 2035.

[Skip Montreux]

Again, a more flexible approach. Is Car and Driver an authority on cars?

[Des Morgan]

Are you kidding me? It's considered one of the most influential sources of automotive media. They have a huge influence on buyers and manufacturers alike.

[Skip Montreux]

Daz, I live in Tokyo. Driving is not a big part of my lifestyle.

[Des Morgan]

Well, that would explain it then.

[Skip Montreux]

In any case, it seems BMW and Mercedes Benz are both taking a flexible approach to transitioning to electric vehicles.

[Des Morgan]

I would agree. However, Jaguar's abrupt change to an all electric lineup is only the beginning of Jaguar's adventurous thinking.

[Skip Montreux]

Oh, what else has Jaguar changed?

[Des Morgan]

That elegant leaping cat logo that we were talking about earlier has undergone an incredible transformation.

[Skip Montreux]

No way. Really? How has it been changed?

[Des Morgan]

Previously, the cat figure stood alone and the name Jaguar was written in a

[Skip Montreux]

sharp, strong serif style font which was instantly recognizable.

[Des Morgan]

But now the leaping cat is encased in a modern barcode like frame and the font used for the name has been changed to a softer, rounded font. It's still recognisable, but it's very different from Jaguar's previous branding.

[Skip Montreux]

Ok, so Jaguar has made some design choice changes. That's not necessarily a bad thing.

[Des Morgan]

True. But this is where things get decidedly weird. Last December, Jaguar released a concept ad without having a car in it.

[Skip Montreux]

An advert for a car without featuring an actual car. A little strange, I suppose. So if there was no car, what was in the commercial?

[Des Morgan]

It was a 30 second video of fashion models dressed in brightly colored, futuristic looking outfits walking across what looked like some sort of Martian landscape.

[Skip Montreux]

Yeah, that does sound very strange.

[Des Morgan]

And all through the ad were slogans flashing on the screen.

[Skip Montreux]

Oh, what did the slogan say?

[Des Morgan]

Things like live vivid, delete ordinary, create exuberance, break molds, copy nothing. And then it ends with the word Jaguar on the screen in that new softer font.

[Skip Montreux]

Yeah, that, that sounds very avant garde.

[Des Morgan]

Yeah, well, whatever it was, it certainly wasn't very British.

[Skip Montreux]

And how did that go down with the public?

[Des Morgan]

As you can imagine, people were somewhat confused. Until now, Jaguar has been a fairly conservative sports and luxury car brand. Now, out of nowhere, it's trying to rebrand itself to appeal to a totally different market.

[Skip Montreux]

A radical rebrand at that. Never easy.

[Des Morgan]

Jaguar CEO Rowdon Glover defended the ad, though. He said that if Jaguar played in the same way that other auto brands do, they would just be drowned out.

[Skip Montreux]

But they are an auto brand, aren't they?

[Des Morgan]

They are. And that was exactly what Tesla CEO and fellow automaker Elon Musk pointed out on X. In fact, Musk and Glover had a bit of a snarky exchange over it.

[Skip Montreux]

Oh, really? What did Musk say?

[Des Morgan]

He asked one simple question, do you sell cars? And it sort of went on from there.

[Skip Montreux]

Typical Musk. He is known for making comments like that about companies who promote themselves as being what he regards as woke.

[Des Morgan]

It definitely had that woke feel to

[Skip Montreux]

it, but it's not a bad question to ask. Is Jaguar still a car company? Have we seen any of these new electric models?

[Des Morgan]

Yes. Jaguar has released a prototype and concept pictures of the type 00, which is the base concept for all the models in their electric lineup.

[Skip Montreux]

Wait a minute, all they have is a prototype and concept pictures? I thought you said they were going to be launching these at the end of 2025.

[Des Morgan]

Yes, I did say that, but as these things go, there have been delays. They originally targeted late 2025, but that's been pushed back to mid-2026 or even early 2027.

[Skip Montreux]

OK, so what does this concept car look like?

[Des Morgan]

It's a radical change from past Jaguars. Based on what it looks like, and if the three models that follow are without too many changes, I think it's fair to say Jaguar's new car design will be polarizing, meaning some people will

[Skip Montreux]

love it and others will absolutely hate it.

[Des Morgan]

When the concept photo was first released, Jerry McGovern, JLR's chief creative officer, warned journalists, you will feel uncomfortable and that's okay. He then went on to show Pictures of the Type 00 in bright blue and purple, 2 non traditional Jaguar colors.

[Skip Montreux]

It's great to try to appeal to new customers, but it's also a bit risky. It seems as though Jaguar might end up alienating its core customer base.

[Des Morgan]

It rather does, doesn't it? James Ramsden, director of one of London's most well known design agencies, summed up the rebrand succinctly. He told the Guardian newspaper that it was a shame that Jaguar had walked away from one of the most iconic, treasured and beautiful brand designs in generations.

[Skip Montreux]

That is a pretty strong comment against the new designs.

[Des Morgan]

He also said that if Jaguar was going to break the mold, they better have a great lineup of new cars full of innovation, which we won't know

[Skip Montreux]

until the new models are actually on the market.

[Des Morgan]

The first model of the new lineup, the Saloon, is expected by summer next year. So let's wait and see if this was a bold move on Jaguar's part. Or a case of creative suicide.

[Skip Montreux]

At the end of the day, that is one of the hardest things in business. Keeping your loyal customers while trying to attract new ones.

[Des Morgan]

And on that note, I think it's time for us to get D2V down to vocabulary.

[Skip Montreux]

The first word on our D2V list today is the adjective radical. Something that is radical is extremely different from what existed before.

[Des Morgan]

Radical collocates in many nouns. You can have a radical idea, propose a radical design, or come up with a radical solution to a problem.

[Skip Montreux]

But it's especially common when talking about a change.

[Des Morgan]

A radical change isn't small or slow. It's a change that moves in a completely new direction.

[Skip Montreux]

In the introduction to today's episode, Des told us he would be reporting on a radical change happening to a British heritage brand. And then he went on to explain how Jaguar was making radical changes to its brand image and design.

[Des Morgan]

In other words, Jaguar's new designs are extremely different from their traditional look.

[Skip Montreux]

Can you give us another example using radical in a business situation?

[Des Morgan]

Sure can. In a B2B setting, you might hear something like, our company is considering a radical change to our pricing model. This means the company is thinking about charging for their product or service in a completely different way.

[Skip Montreux]

Great example. What's the next word on our list?

[Des Morgan]

Next we have the idiom a measured approach. A measured approach means doing something carefully and thoughtfully, not too fast and not too extreme.

[Skip Montreux]

It is almost the opposite of doing something radically. If you take a measured approach, you consider the risks, think through your options, and move forward step by step.

[Des Morgan]

In today's episode, Skip used this expression when talking about Mercedes Benz. After I explained that Mercedes had announced they would go fully electric by 2030, Skip said it sounded like a more measured approach.

[Skip Montreux]

In simpler terms, Mercedes isn't rushing into the EV market. Unlike Jaguar, Mercedes is taking their time and carefully making decisions according to what they see happening in the market.

[Des Morgan]

Can you give us another example using a measured approach in a business setting? Skip?

[Skip Montreux]

Sure. As you know, AI is everywhere these days. Most Fortune 500 companies are in a rush to implement it in their organization.

[Des Morgan]

Yeah, there seems to be a lot of pressure to adopt AI quickly.

[Skip Montreux]

Well, one company that is taking a measured approach to AI is the global investment bank Goldman Sachs. They are choosing to move slowly, focusing on human oversight rather than quickly replacing workers with AI.

[Des Morgan]

Nice example.

[Skip Montreux]

Thanks. Moving on, our next and final word on the D2V list today is the phrase to be an authority on something. If someone is an authority on something, it means they are an expert in

[Des Morgan]

that subject, people trust what they say because they have deep knowledge and experience.

[Skip Montreux]

Exactly. When you call someone an authority on something, you're saying they really know the topic.

[Des Morgan]

Well, we can talk about an authority on branding, an authority on leadership, or even an authority on the financial markets.

[Skip Montreux]

In today's episode, Des said that Car and Driver Magazine is considered an authority on cars and the automotive industry.

[Des Morgan]

In other words, Car and Driver is a trusted expert in the automotive field. They've been reviewing cars for a long time and their opinions influence both buyers and car manufacturers.

[Skip Montreux]

Des, I consider you to be an authority on all things British, whiskey, football, even cricket.

[Des Morgan]

Well, that's nice of you to say, Skip, but I don't consider myself to be an authority on all things British anymore, as I've been out of the country for a long time. But I will still drink a nice glass of single malt once in a while.

[Narrator]

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[Skip Montreux]

Thanks very much for that report on all the changes Jaguar is currently going through, Des. It will be very interesting to see how this rebranding works out for them.

[Des Morgan]

My pleasure, Skip. I wish Jaguar all the best. I could be wrong, but something tells me this could be a misstep. But who knows?

[Skip Montreux]

We shall see. D2B members and Apple Podcast Subscribers the Bonus down to Vocabulary episode for today's report will be released very soon. In that bonus episode, we will be discussing five additional vocabulary items that we used in today's report.

[Des Morgan]

These words and phrases are quintessential to do the trick, an entity to be drowned out, and to alienate DTB members.

[Skip Montreux]

Be sure that you have copied the Members Only Podcast Feed URL from your account page on the D2B website and have pasted it into the podcast app of your choice. That way you won't miss the bonus

[Des Morgan]

DTV episode and Apple Podcast subscribers, you don't need to do anything. The bonus DTV episode will appear automatically in your podcast feed once it's released.

[Skip Montreux]

And if you are not yet a DTB member or an Apple Podcast subscriber, but you find down to Business English helpful for your Business English studies, please do consider supporting the show as a member.

[Des Morgan]

You'll gain access to all our Bonus Vocabulary Episodes Members Only episodes, our interactive audio scripts, along with the complete library of our PDF scripts to become a D2B member.

[Skip Montreux]

Just visit d2benglish.com membership and sign up today. Thanks for listening everyone. See you next time.

[Des Morgan]

Bye Bye.

[Narrator]

Down to Business English Business News to improve your business English.