New York Post: Jaguar sales in Europe plunged a shocking 97.5% following a botched rebrand that included a commercial featuring men in skirts to announce its upcoming pivot toward an all-electric fleet — but the cars have yet to arrive at dealerships.
The luxury British automaker registered just 49 vehicles in Europe in April, compared with 1,961 vehicles in the same month last year, according to data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association.
Sales between January and April plummeted 75.1%, with just 2,665 cars sold across the continent.
The stunning decline comes after Jaguar rolled out a controversial ad last November that featured non-binary models wearing a rainbow of colors with slogans like “Copy Nothing” and “Live Vivid” — but excluded any images of its sleek sports cars as it touted its transition to a fully electric, ultra-luxury company.
The uproar over the “woke” ads was likened to Bud Light’s bizarre 2023 partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney, which led to a boycott of America’s best-selling beer and severely damaged the brand.
However, the collapse in sales can mostly be attributed to the delay in releasing its flagship model, a four-door GT. The EV, expected to cost around $200,000 won’t be out until late 2025, according to India-based The Economic Times.
Making matters worse, Bloomberg reported that the company has effectively “gone dormant” this year as it phased out all of its gas—and diesel-powered models ahead of time, leaving dealerships empty.