"Therefore, that's what the strategy is.”
Jaguar Land Rover’s incoming CEO has hit back at criticism of the company’s recent “woke” rebrand, dismissing claims from Donald Trump that the firm is in “absolute turmoil”.
PB Balaji, who will take over as Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) CEO this November, claimed customers are responding well to the controversial rebrand.
The campaign, launched in 2024, ditched the iconic wild cat logo and featured a glossy video focused on bright colours and catwalk models, with no actual cars shown.
The 30-second advert flashed slogans like “live vivid”, “delete ordinary” and “copy nothing”, sparking outrage among fans on social media.
Yet Balaji insists the new image is the right strategy.
He said: “We have put our plans together, the cars are being revealed, they’re getting exciting responses from the customers on the ground.
“Therefore, that’s what the strategy is.”
In response to Trump’s remarks, Balaji argued that JLR’s performance should be judged in the context of a struggling global car industry.
He added: “You need to compare our numbers vis-à-vis how others are delivering.”
President Trump had suggested that the company’s current CEO, Adrian Mardell, was stepping down because of the rebrand backlash.
Mardell, who joined JLR 35 years ago, will leave in December, but the firm denies this is connected to the campaign.
Last year also saw JLR announce up to 500 job cuts. July brought further bad news with European sales plunging 97.5%.
Despite these challenges, JLR reported a pretax profit of £351 million for the quarter to June 30, down 49% from the same period last year.
The company cited lower demand for Discovery and Range Rover SUVs, US tariffs, and currency headwinds as factors.
Profit margins fell from 8.9% to 4.0% over the year.
Jaguar’s rebrand aims to attract younger buyers, moving away from its reputation as a status symbol for middle-aged men.
The carmaker plans to sell fewer vehicles but at higher prices, while shifting focus to a fully electric lineup due in 2026. The Jaguar Type 00 concept was unveiled in Miami last December.
The new campaign has drawn criticism from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who warned it risked “going bust”.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk also weighed in, questioning if Jaguar even sells cars given their absence from the video.
Despite the controversy, Balaji remains confident in the company’s direction and insists Jaguar Land Rover is on the right path.
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