A look back at Jaguar's history — from a sidecar company to James Bond villains, to the latest rebranding controversy

• Jaguar's founder started in the motorcycle sidecar business before building his first Jag in 1935.
• The luxury carmaker is rebranding with a new logo and controversial ad campaign.
• Here's a look back at the British carmaker over the last century.

Luxury British carmaker Jaguar has come a long way from its humble beginnings in the early 20th century.

The company's founder started making motorcycle sidecars in the 1920s before creating the first Jaguar car in 1935. Over the next few decades, Jaguar became synonymous with elegance and power. It's been used in racing, as the preferred vehicle of the British royal family, and by several villains in James Bond movies.

Today, Jaguar is preparing to launch its all-electric vehicle lineup, set to come out some time in 2026. And in preparation for its next generation, Jaguar unveiled a new branding campaign — complete with a new logo, redesigned leaping jaguar mark, and a promotional video that's stirred controversy online.

Here's a look back at the company over the last century, and surprising facts you might not know about its history.

Early days as Swallow Sidecar Company

In 1922, Sir William Lyons — who later became known as "Mr. Jaguar" — co-founded the Swallow Sidecar Company with a man named William Walmsley. Within a few years, Lyons had built his first car, called the SS1.

In 1934, Lyons bought the company out from Walmsley, renamed it SS Cars Limited.

And in 1935, the first Jaguar was born, a model named the SS Jaguar.

Lyons renamed the company Jaguar Cars Limited in 1945 in an effort to build a brand around the luxury sports cars it was making at the time.

Mid-century success

The 1930s through 1950s were marked by a number of innovations for the company, which it touts on in corporate history.

Jaguar introduced its first four-door model in 1937 with the SS Jaguar 2½ Liter Sedan, and by 1948, it had created the world's fastest production car — the Lyons-designed XK120, which could reach speeds up to 133 miles per hour.

In 1951, Jaguar introduced its aerodynamic C-type model, which was 25% lighter than the XK120 and won first place when it debuted at the Le Mans 24-hour race.

Then, in 1954, Jaguar rolled out one of the first cars with a unibody structure, the D-type racecar. Like the C-type before it, the D-type also made history at Le Mans, scoring first place three consecutive years, including in 1957, when the car secured five of the top six places.

All this built up to 1961 when Jaguar unveiled one of the most iconic cars of all time — the E-type.

Italian racing driver and founder of Ferrari, Enzo Ferrari, is frequently cited as declaring the E-type "the most beautiful car in the world," according to classic car auction house RM Sotheby's.

Some of the E-type's most famous owners included Frank Sinatra, Brigitte Bardot, and Steve McQueen, according to lifestyle magazine Gentleman's Journal.

The Museum of Modern Art in New York City acquired and first exhibited an E-type in 1996, becoming just the third car in the museum's design collection.

"Rarely has a car inspired the kind of passion in both car enthusiasts and the general public that the Jaguar E-type has. Even today, the E-type is considered an icon of the postwar British sports car," Christopher Mount, a MoMa curator who organized the Jaguar exhibition, said in a press release at the time.

Jaguars in popular culture

Jaguars have long been a favorite of the British royal family, along with Land Rovers and Range Rovers, which are part of the Jaguar Land Rover brand, owned by India-based Tata Motors.

The family's love for the brand dates back at least to 1955, when the Queen Mother Queen Elizabeth acquired the Jaguar Mark VII M Saloon 464 HYV, which was specially made in the royal color, claret, according to historic preservation charity Jaguar Heritage Trust.

Other members of the royal family, including Princess Diana and Queen Elizabeth II, also owned and drove Jaguars over the years.

And a number of Jaguar vehicles have been driven by villains in James Bond movies, like the Jaguar XKR driven by henchman Tang Lin Zao in 2002's "Die Another Day," the Jaguar XF featured during a car chase in 2021's "No Time to Die," and the Jaguar C-X75 driven by assassin Mr. Hinx in 2015's "Spectre."

Jaguar's next chapter

Jaguar first announced in 2021 that it would be ditching internal combustion engines to go all-in on EVs.

In November, Jaguar stopped selling new models of its cars in the UK as it prepares for its electric vehicle launch, expected to hit the market sometime in 2026.

As part of this next phase, Jaguar has debuted a new brand identity focused on the creative philosophy of "exuberant modernism," which the company defines as "imaginative, bold, and artistic at every touchpoint."

Jaguar Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern said in a statement that the company's new vision was inspired by Lyons' belief that "a Jaguar should be a copy of nothing."

The company's new marketing campaign included a promotional video that featured models clad in colorful high fashion, with no cars in sight.

Some conservative social media users criticized the company as being too "woke" — partly over the look of the models it chose, while others have questioned why the ad didn't show any cars.

Meanwhile, high-profile critics of the rebranding video — which has been viewed more than 160 million times on X — included Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the influencer brothers Andrew and Tristan Tate, and the conservative personality Ian Miles Cheong.

In response to the video posted on X by Jaguar, Musk wrote: "Do you sell cars?" And Nick Freitas, a Republican member of the Virginia House of Delegates, replied to Jaguar on X: "Well … we know where the advertising team for Bud Light went," referring to the backlash to a Bud Light ad in 2023 that featured a transgender influencer.

Jaguar's managing director, Rawdon Glover, defended the British luxury car maker's rebranding campaign to the Financial Times — calling out some of its online critics and characterizing their reaction as "vile hatred" and "intolerance."

Jaguar said it would announce more details about its new branding strategy in December, though it's not clear whether that will include specifics about any of its forthcoming electric vehicles.

As part of the brand's positioning, the newly announced Jags are expected to be significantly more upmarket than the ones that are being phased out, Car and Driver previously reported, citing a Range Rover from the brand's corporate cousin that costs about $400,000 as where the brand wants to be. (Most 2024 Jaguar models have list prices of about $50,000 to $80,000.)

Without commenting specifically on the recent backlash to the new branding campaign, Jaguar previously said in a statement to Business Insider: "The brand reveal is only the first step in this exciting new era, and we look forward to sharing more on Jaguar's transformation in the coming days and weeks."