New Jaguar Designer Eager to See More Sports Cars
SUVs may dominate the market, but Jaguar’s new chief designer also wants to produce more sporty rides.
When Julian Thomson joined Jaguar last year as Director of Design, he had some major footsteps to fill. His predecessor was the legendary Ian Callum, who left after 20 years at the helm. But Thomson was well-equipped for the challenge. He worked for the company (and alongside Callum) for 18 years and has an extensive design background.
Probably his biggest challenge in his new position was the design, execution, and debut of the 2021 Jaguar F-Type. And Jaguar came out of the gate hot with an updated, refreshed and overall daring F-Type. If this is a sign of things to come, Thomson has clearly announced his passion for sports cars. With a bruiser of a powertrain, and an aggressive yet sleek design, the new F-Type is ingrained with sports car DNA.
Thomson recently spoke with ABC News about what he envisions in the big cat’s future. And his is not an easy balancing act: meeting the market’s changing needs, while producing caliber the vehicles that made Jaguar the iconic brand it is.
“Our focus the last few years is to add a lot of new models to the range. We’ve expanded and grown like no other car manufacturer has…new segments like electric cars and SUVs. A lot of it has been based around growth,” Thomson says. “I’d like to get us back to probably a more glamorous, romantic vision of Jaguar.”
Clearly, his designs (pictured above) reflect his prowess in creating new Jaguar cars that tie-in the marque’s past. To that end, he wants more cars like the F-Type, which he describes as “pure, beautiful and balanced,” to represent a vital part of the automaker’s lineup. Which is not without its obstacles.
“Just getting to design sports cars [is a challenge]. Unfortunately, there aren’t many of them in the world,” he explains. “They do represent the ultimate dream of a car. They do represent you riding off into the sunset, they do represent that freedom. If the car is a reflection of the person, it reflects the most beautiful version of you. For a company like Jaguar, which is all about beautiful cars, the sports car always represents that pinnacle. That’s what distinguishes us as a brand — that’s the ultimate realization of beauty, power, and innovation for us.”
Of course to add more sporty rides, Jaguar needs to ensure that the cars will sell. One approach is to expand their reach to include different demographics. And the best way to do that is to turn out beautiful vehicles.
“I think you have to connect with young people,” he says. “A lot of customers who buy [sports cars] are more experienced drivers. They appreciate the history of them. You have to recreate that in the modern context for younger people. They’ve got to start believing in that dream of driving again….You just want the most beautiful, nicest thing to drive….We have to think differently about how these cars appear.”
Thomson’s plan is as simple as is it complicated: just make stunning cars. From the popular crossovers to the dynamic drop-tops, he wants to keep Jaguar’s focus on quality. Plus, more sporty, dynamic rides.
“I still think SUVs can be exciting. But I want to get the balance back the other way. A bit more into sedans, a bit more into sports cars.” Thomson says. “You’ve got to design beautiful sedans….We have to design sedans that you fall in love with,” he says. And sports cars. “Just more sports cars maybe. The world needs more sports cars.”
And he’s already thinking about how this will translate to want he wants more of in the next F-Type.
“I would say more Jaguar. We’re a brand that really connects with the heart and really has a human side to it. I would like to make sure we do more of that really,” he says. “We have to be different…even more to stand out. We’re never really going to do things that are outrageous or weird. We do things that are balanced and very beautiful. Very, very natural.”
We feel that Thomson might be a game-changer in automotive design right now. His is an exciting vision for the future; well informed by his regard for Jaguar’s past, as well as his unique talent, and passion for automotive excellence. Frankly, it seems a perfect fit. Thomson could well lead Jaguar into thrilling new territory.
Photos: Jaguar Land Rover
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