Uncensored CMO: "New Jaguar Driven" — Rory Sutherland & Rawdon Glover on the World’s Most Anticipated Car Launch

Podcast: Uncensored CMO
Host: Jon Evans
Guests: Rory Sutherland (Vice Chairman, Ogilvy & longtime Jaguar owner), Rawdon Glover (Managing Director, Jaguar)
Date: April 1, 2026
Episode Focus: Deep dive into the creation, engineering, marketing, and philosophy behind the groundbreaking new all-electric Jaguar. Includes exclusive insights from test drives and the brand’s bold vision for the future.

Episode Overview

This episode brings listeners inside Jaguar HQ with Jon Evans, joined by renowned ad man Rory Sutherland and Jaguar’s managing director, Rawdon Glover. It’s an exclusive look at Jaguar’s most ambitious car yet — an all-electric model that aims to redefine luxury performance, brand heritage, and EV innovation. The episode covers everything from test track impressions, design philosophy, engineering ingenuity, market positioning, and the broader implications for electric vehicles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Engineering a True Jaguar Feel for the EV Era [00:59 – 08:53]

• Heritage-Informed Development

  • The engineering team was instructed to immerse themselves in Jaguar’s classic models, distilling the “essence” of the brand and driving experience.
  • Rawdon Glover: “We spent hours distilling… what should a Jaguar drive like?... More importantly, how should a Jaguar make you feel? What’s the DNA of the brand?” [01:16]

• Performance Philosophy

  • Focus wasn’t just on 0–60 times; instead, the aim was useable, controllable power and that signature sensation of always having reserve.
  • “It’s a lovely feeling that it’s not about using resources, it’s knowing you have resources you can draw.” — Rory Sutherland [02:43]
  • The new car boasts over 1,000 horsepower with advanced motor configuration — 950 on rear motors alone.

• Comfort vs. Performance

  • Despite the dramatic low-slung, sporty looks and large wheels, the car retains Jaguar’s famous ride comfort (“almost like being in an XJ”).
  • Due to unique chassis set-up and inventive suspension solutions, they've achieved both ultra-low design and ride refinement—even patenting a new battery arrangement. [04:23–05:44]

• Resolving Contradictions Sparks Innovation

  • Rory references “integrative thinking,” noting innovation happens when brands overcome seemingly impossible trade-offs (like comfort vs. performance).

2. Testing & Extreme Validation [07:52 – 10:33]

• Ice Lake Testing in Sweden

  • “Testing vehicles on basically flat surfaces with very little grip is the best conditions for refining… torque and power delivery.” — Rawdon Glover [08:07]
  • Puts the car’s handling and EV systems through harshest conditions; also does hot weather testing in deserts.
  • “This car will be the most rigorously tested Jaguar in history.” [08:53]

• Four-Wheel Drive & Steering

  • “It’s effectively four wheel drive… The production car’s over 5 meters, but it’ll have the turning circle of a Fiat 500.” — Rawdon [10:13]
  • Maneuverability and sure-footed grip are core to brand feel.

3. Design Purity: Concept to Reality [10:33 – 12:54]

• Uncompromising Aesthetics

  • Jaguar committed to delivering a car that looks almost identical to the stunning concept.
  • Innovations included packaging batteries ahead of the bulkhead (a first), enabling a lower design without sacrificing range: “We’ve patented it… no logical reason why you do that apart from just an absolutely kind of die hard, passionate, say, no — we need to deliver on that concept.” — Rawdon [11:10]
  • Result: 70 extra miles of range, no design compromise. [11:58]

• Brand as Contrarian Innovator

  • “The best way for us to win is not doing it the way everyone else does… That’s the Jaguar story.” — Rawdon Glover [12:38]

4. The Target Audience & Brand Narrative [12:54 – 14:41]

• Individualism Over Demographics

  • New Jaguar will appeal to tech-savvy, craftsmanship-oriented buyers who want to stand out — “That desire for individuality… that’s who we think will be buying these things.” — Rawdon [13:12]

• Physical Presence Matters

  • The car’s stunning looks are felt most strongly in person; conveying this presence in photography is a challenge for launch. [14:58]

5. Proportions, Heritage, and “Premium Gap” [15:46 – 19:33]

• Aesthetic DNA

  • Proportions echo classics like the E-Type and XJ-S — e.g., “if you stack two wheels on top of each other, that’s greater than the height of the car.”
  • “The proportions of the premium gap on our vehicle is identical… to what we did on E type.” — Rawdon [19:08]

• Engineering & History Analogies

  • Rory tells a story about premium gap as an 18th-century staircase design problem [19:46].

6. EV Metrics, Perception & Reframing [20:53 – 32:19]

• Comparing Electric to ICE Cars

  • Rory: “When we’re making this comparison between internal combustion engine cars and electric cars… it’s not an apples to apples comparison at all, is it?” [21:44]
  • EVs offer better dynamics, value, and lower cost for equivalent performance.
  • Multiple “aha” moments about how ICE history skews perception of EV practicality.

• Range, Charging & User Experience

  • Most owners charge at home; “range anxiety” is often overblown and fades with use.
  • Interface design could further alleviate user anxiety — less granularity, better UX.

7. Distinctive Marketing & Launch Approach [36:58 – 39:54]

• Anticipation Building
  • “We will be taking a number of global journalists… making sure people understand the link with our provenance.” — Rawdon [38:04]
  • Focusing on owned, shared, and earned media, not traditional big-budget car launch campaigns.
  • “It will all be about being one of one. This is like no other.” — Rawdon [39:05]

8. Residual Value, Customization, and Market Nuances [40:47 – 45:33]

• Managing Residuals

  • Key is not oversupplying market: “The easiest way to destroy residual values is to oversupply the market.” — Rawdon [41:11]

• Customization as Core

  • “They want their Jaguar to be their Jaguar… The idea of being able to bespoke aspects of the interior, of the exterior… fundamental part of the Jaguar program.” — Rawdon [42:58]
  • Configurator and curating process is experience-driven — expectation and anticipation shape satisfaction (cf. Nir Eyal’s “Beyond Belief”). [45:33]

9. Rory Sutherland’s Marketing Brainstorms [46:09 – 49:30]

• Innovative Sales, Recommendation Approach
  • Suggests network, peer-to-peer recommendation programs (“One owner can nominate a friend for a two-week test drive”).
  • Points out power of geographic clusters (“the importance of geography; localized, concentrated marketing”).

10. Color, Custom Identity, & Heritage [49:30 – 52:33]

• Striking Color Choices

  • London Blue, Miami Pink — deliberate, bold palette to signal individuality.
  • Rory: “Thank you for that alone because… the roads used to be actually quite colorful…” [50:00]

• British Racing Green

  • Anecdote on the origin of the color — a nod to heritage. [51:12]

Notable Quotes & Moments

Brand Essence & Innovation

• “What we did is… said to the team… go and drive the classic cars of our history and our heritage… understand, not just refinement, control, performance, delivery, but… how should a Jaguar make you feel?” — Rawdon Glover [01:16]

• “It’s not just what you have, but how you spend it.” — Rory Sutherland [03:55]

Engineering Ingenuity

• “We’ve patented it… no logical reason why you do that apart from just… a die hard passion — we need to deliver on that concept.” — Rawdon Glover [11:58]

Marketing Mindset

• “It shouldn't be about the marketing campaign… We've peaked people's interest. But now it's about the vehicle, the people behind it, how we've arrived at it.” — Rawdon [39:35]

Reframing the EV Debate

• “If all cars were electric… and you went along and recommended the internal combustion engine… the whole thing would seem ridiculous.” — Rory Sutherland [28:05]

Customization Power

• “That sense of discovery… involvement in the creation process is almost as important as the end result itself.” — Rawdon [45:19]

Timestamps for Essential Segments

• [00:59] – Driving impressions; beginning of brand/engineering philosophy
• [03:01] – Approach to ride/comfort balance
• [05:44] – Creative “integrative thinking” in engineering
• [08:07] – Ice lake & extreme environment validation
• [10:13] – Four-wheel steering & agility surprise
• [11:10] – Packaging batteries for aesthetics/range; new patents
• [13:12] – Who is the new Jaguar for?
• [14:58] – The challenge of capturing the car’s presence outside of reality
• [19:08] – Premium gap and heritage design
• [20:53] – Comparing EV cost/value with ICE vehicles
• [24:38] – Dynamics & engineering made possible by electrification
• [28:05] – “What if petrol came after electric?” thought experiment
• [38:04] – September unveiling, campaign strategy
• [42:21] – Customization as a new luxury necessity
• [50:00] – The return of car colorfulness
• [51:12] – British Racing Green trivia

Memorable Moments

• Rory’s “deposit, not current account” analogy for reserved power [02:43]
• The test drive’s shock: “The comfort level… just astonishing.” — Jon Evans [04:01]
• Rawdon’s “premium gap” revealed as both an aesthetic and engineering necessity [19:08]
• Rory: “One of the invisible forces in marketing… habit and social proof” — on why the second person in a peer group is the one to break through for EVs [47:10]
• Customizer and anticipation as part of the ownership experience, likened to holiday planning [45:19]

Episode Tone & Style

The conversation is energetic, playful, and insightful, featuring candid back-and-forth between host, a marketing maverick (Rory), and a passionate, technically versed executive (Rawdon). Jaguar is portrayed as bold, contrarian, and grounded in brand soul but unafraid of rewriting the rules. There’s plenty of irreverent British wit, anecdotes from car history and personal experience, and sharp analysis of both macro trends and fine technical points.

Bottom Line

This is more than an auto industry podcast — it’s a rare case study in brand reinvention, strategic marketing, and the magic that happens when engineering and design philosophy align. The new all-electric Jaguar is presented not just as a car, but as a statement: proof that heritage and radical innovation can thrive together, with marketing, engineering, and customer experience seamlessly integrated.

“We shouldn’t forget the importance of geography… and I’m fascinated by your color choices as well!” — Rory Sutherland [49:30]