There’s no arguing about taste, sure… but can we argue just a little bit? Some automobile designs are objectively so bizarre, so ‘out there’ and need to be discussed. Most recently, the media, social networks, and the internet at large have all been up in arms over British luxury automaker Jaguar’s rebranding. Not only did the company change its logo, it also revealed its new concept car, the Type 00 (pronounced zero-zero). And wow did it get a ton of mixed reactions.
The Jaguar Type 00 was revealed at Miami Art Week. The company said it was “introducing an unmistakable, unexpected and dramatic physical manifestation of Jaguar, as the brand continues its transformation,” CNN reports. The Type 00 was revealed in two colors: Miami Pink and London Blue. According to Jaguar, the blue references its British heritage while the pink reflects the “iconic Art Deco surroundings of its reveal.”
The reactions to the new Jaguar car couldn’t have been more different. Some called it sleek while others thought it was ugly. The design of the Type 00 was very controversial. Jaguar, which is reimagining its entire brand, said that it aims to become an electric-only company with a specific focus on luxury vehicles.
Motor vehicle industry experts were more nuanced and many praised Jaguar’s ability to steal the spotlight and make a splash in the marketing space. The Guardian reports that Jeff Dodds, the chief executive of Formula E and the former marketing director at Honda, noted how the new Jaguar Type 00 made him smile.
“If Jaguar’s intention was to guarantee attention on the launch then they certainly achieved it. There was a proper buzz waiting for the reveal and I know some of the guests were desperately hoping for the unveiling of some hideous monstrosity. And of course, it wasn’t hideous, but it is seriously different,” Dodds says.
“It’s much bigger, bolder, and more disruptive than I imagined. It will turn heads. Not everyone will like it, but I say thank God for that. Inspector Morse wouldn’t go near it, but if his grandson has just launched a cybersecurity startup then he might.”
Meanwhile, Manfredi Ricca, the global chief strategy officer at the brand consultancy Interbrand, which has worked with Bugatti to relaunch Mini and BMW, said that Jaguar’s campaign was a good one. “Flashback to two weeks ago. Nobody’s particularly interested in Jaguar. Out of the blue, a 30-second video is released. Millions immediately turn their heads. In the space of 24 hours, Jaguar is part of the global conversation, having shown no product,” she said.
“Today’s reality is that the number of people celebrating Jaguar’s heritage far surpasses those actually wanting its cars. Museums can live on the past alone; commercial businesses can’t—they must turn whatever heritage they have into something that a sufficient number of customers can be willing to pay enough for,” Ricca explained, adding that the Type 00 will seduce potential customers with its fierce innovation.
There are so many motor vehicles around the world that it’s hard to count them all. Doing so would probably cost too much time and money, and by the time you’re done, you’d have to count them all over again because the situation will have changed.
The best you can do is estimate the numbers. Automotive industry research firm Hedges & Company states that there should be around 1.47 billion (that’s ‘billion’ with a ‘b’) vehicles worldwide.
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The Drive reports that China has the most cars in the entire world, standing at around 415 million registered vehicles back in 2022. That’s around 1 car per 3.5 people at the time. However, China isn’t the only region that loves driving.
The North American continent boasts the highest concentration of cars per capita, at around 710 vehicles per 1k people. In the United States, there were roughly 278 million registered cars back in 2021, which comes out to around 1 car per 1.2 people.
