Criticism of the New Barbie Pink Electric Car by Gen Z: Carmaker Abandons Classic Design for ‘Woke’ Appeal

When Jaguar announced their woke rebrand last week, it was clear they were after a younger market.

The legacy British brand, headquartered in Coventry, released pictures of the futuristic GT car dubbed the ‘Design Vision Concept’ ahead of its full reveal at Miami Art Week.

The Barbie pink, futuristic, design appeared to be trying to catch the attention of Gen Z.

But young people have declared that they detest Jaguar’s new electric-only rebrand and said it looks ‘cheap’.

The £100,000 car features an enormous bonnet, expansive front grille and no rear window.  

‘This is a complete reset. Jaguar is transformed to reclaim its originality and inspire a new generation,’ managing director Rawdon Glover previously told MailOnline.

It is thought the brand has changed its whole aesthetic in a bid to win over Gen Z – but many of them have heavily criticised the Jaguar’s new look. 

But they don’t seem to be a fan, and have instead taken to TikTok to slam the car for its new boxy exterior. 

One TikToker, called Fionnuala went online to compare the company’s new car to the character Muck, a red digger from the children’s cartoon, Bob the Builder. 

She said: ‘Now you’re telling me Jaguar had all that faff, all that rebrand, all that nonsense for a car that looks like Muck, and to be honest I’d rather [have] Muck.’

Critics have said that the ‘woke’ promotion has ruined the brand’s ‘Jag man’ heritage in a bid to target younger, wealthier customers. 

Glover said 85 per cent of future clients would be new to the Jaguar brand as it looks to appeal to a much new audience.

But their target audience are not best pleased about the logo change, with many saying it looked ‘cringe’ and low-value. 

Others pointed out that most of Gen Z (those aged 27 and under) won’t be able to afford at six-figure car.

It ditched its legendary roaring ‘Growler’ badge, introduced a new typeface and released an advertisement video featuring no vehicles. 

TikToker Joel, said Jaguar used to be an ‘iconic British heritage brand’ but the switch has made them ‘look cheap’.

He added: ‘It’s obvious Jaguar are trying to win over Gen Z and Gen Alpha, they were probably losing cultural relevance with that audience anyway.’

Albie, from Adelaide, said she ‘hated’ the new rebrand and said it was something you’d expect from a high-fashion brand, not a car retailer. 

She said: ‘Why would they create such a bold, bright campaign that is so far removed from their original brand identity? They are historically known as the brand for old white British men.’

Designer Arlo West, from Manchester, also chimed in and said: ‘I don’t think it’s going to last very long, they’ve tried to go minimalist and sleek but I think they lost who they were for.

‘The teaser on their website looked like it was for a beauty brand or wellness brand for the girly pops and definitely not for the clientele that would typically buy a Jag,’ Arlo said.

Car enthusiast Luke Malpas said Jaguar ‘c***ed up their brand overnight’ and said he disliked its new vibe.

He said: ‘What on earth is Jaguar thinking?

‘They’ve gone from being a staple of British engineering, creating some of the best cars we’ve seen on the road, to this.

‘Sorry but their new logo looks as though it’s been created by a three-year-old on Microsoft paint.’ 

Criticism of the new car also spilt onto X, with one user writing: ‘Jaguar’s new era is probably going to be looked back on as cringe. 

‘Especially with that f***ing weird a** ‘copy nothing’ ad they released.

‘Also doubling down after receiving valid criticism is never a good look for a company.’ 

Another penned: ‘If you thought the Jaguar rebrand was peak cringe then you gotta look at their new car.’ 

Gerry McGovern, the company’s chief creative officer, said that the car was a ‘taste of things to come’ at the Miami convention.

Prof McGovern said, according to the Telegraph: ‘Controversy has always surrounded British creativity when it’s been at its best’.

‘Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody,’ Prof McGovern said.

‘It has already stirred emotions and it will continue to. Some may love it now, some may love it later, and some may never love it.’

And many Americans also have opinions on the Jaguar’s futuristic-looking car – with some saying it was a mistake to scrap their entire history. 

Philip Tamorria put his head in his hands and said they had switched the cars from a ‘timeless classic’ to a ‘pink microwave’. 

Another car enthusiast, from Ohio, likened it to a ‘Roblox’ car and said it looked as though it was designed by a 13-year-old kid’.

Lola, who has had more than ten years experience in the marketing industry, said she did not understand why they did not create a separate line for Gen Z customers, rather than completely change their entire history.

She said that the Jaguar logo provided an insight into their brand as the animal is ‘sleek’ and ‘powerful’.

Glover said that only 15 per cent – around one in seven – of buyers from 2026 onwards are expected to be existing customers. This is the ‘scale of the transformation’, he added. 

While optimistic about the brand’s future, Glover also conceded that there is ‘no Plan B’.

‘We think it is going to be a success,’ he added.

‘There are a lot of people out there who have not got Jaguar on their shopping list. We have to persuade and convince them.’

With the images doing the rounds on social media, people have already likened the car’s colour and extended body to Lady Penelope’s FAB1 from Thunderbirds

The vehicle is purely a design vision concept. As reiterated by the manufacturer previously, it will not be one of the three all-electric cars it has promised to put into production starting from 2026.