Jaguar Logo: Meaning and Brief History
Jaguar is a famous British automaker known for manufacturing attractive and sleek cars. The auto brand has been operational since 1922 and launched an array of vehicles. Jaguar Cars Limited has evolved from producing sidecars to high performance passenger cars, similarly its logo has also evolved over the passage of time.
Like any other auto brand, the Jaguar logo also has a history and deep meaning. The jaguar jumping or leaping in the logo seems quite simple but there is an interesting idea behind. Let’s unfold the Jaguar logo meaning and its evolution over the years. We have also compiled some interesting Jaguar logo facts.
Before getting into the details, let’s first have a brief look into the brand’s history:
JAGUAR’S BRIEF HISTORY
The auto company Jaguar was initially established as Swallow Sidecar Company in 1922. Before manufacturing cars, the company used to produce motorcycle sidecars. A few years later, the company changed its name to SS Cars Limited and launched its very first first car, SS1.
Later in the year 1935, SS Jaguar was produced.
In 1945, SS Cars Limited was renamed to Jaguar Cars Limited so as to establish the brand’s distinct identity in the automobile industry.
What led to the automaker’s popularity was Jaguar’s first range of cars which were visually appealing and equipped with innovative technical features. The E-type, C-type and D-type Jaguar models from the initial years paved the way for the new models we see today.
JAGUAR LOGO MEANING
The leaping jaguar was added to the brand’s logo in the year 1945. This leaping jaguar in the logo symbolises the company’s ambition to leap forward as well as signifies power, grace, performance and elegance. The idea behind this Jaguar logo design is to signify the core values of the automaker.
JAGUAR LOGO HISTORY
Now let’s have a look at Jaguar logo evolution since its inception till date.
JAGUAR LOGO (1922-1935)

Let’s begin with the old Jaguar logo, which was for the Swallow Sidecar Company. The logo at that time had a circle in blue colour enclosed with a red frame with gold wings on two sides. Moreover, the complete company name was placed within the circle in handwritten-style font.
JAGUAR LOGO (1935-1945)
In the year 1935 when SS Jaguar model was launched, the badge on this model had Jaguar written, centre aligned in a hexagon with eagle wings on two sides as well as tail. The designer used a monochrome palette and the typeface had straight bold lines.
JAGUAR LOGO (1945 – 2012)
In 1945, when the company’s name was changed to Jaguar Cars Limited, the previous logo was modified. The leaping Jaguar car logo was introduced in the same year. The first version of this Jaguar logo is quite similar to the one we see on the latest car models by the automaker.
The leaping jaguar was contoured in black with Jaguar written in dark green colour beneath.
When the second version of the Jaguar car logo was refined and structured, the designers paid attention to details by adding ears and tech. Also, the angles were rounded for the jaguar to look more natural. The colour of the Jaguar wordmark was changed to black from dark green and typeface lines became thin.
The logo was slightly modified to create a third version of the Jaguar logo. The leaping jaguar appeared dark and the wordmark colour was changed from black to grey.
Moreover, one of the interesting Jaguar logo facts is that in 1945 the logo was placed on the vehicles as a hood ornament. The logo appeared as a hood ornament till the early 2000s era.
JAGUAR LOGO (2001-2012)
In 2001, the Jaguar car logo was simplified. The designers used black and white palette and modified the elements of the Jaguar badges. The leaping jaguar became more prominent and the wordmark ‘Jaguar’ was written in modern sans-serif font. Also, the corners of the bars’ ends were somewhat given a soft look.
JAGUAR LOGO (2012- PRESENT)
The Jaguar car logo underwent further modifications in the year 2012 to give it a more modernised feel and look. The leaping jaguar since then has a 3-D appearance in silver grey (metallic grey) colour with wordmark ‘Jaguar’ in silver. The gradient grey colour of the logo accents the 3-dimensional shape, giving it a sleeker look.
This Jaguar logo is used till date that signifies quality, elegance and high-end performance.
JAGUAR LOGO FACTS

The company placed the Jaguar car logo as a hood ornament in the year 1945, but it was removed after the European Union announced safety regulations. These regulations were introduced for the safety of pedestrians.
According to the regulations, all hood ornaments on the vehicles should fold away, collapse or bend when the vehicle encounters a frontal collision. Jaguar as well as other luxury car brands removed the hood ornament in models launched after the regulations were announced.
After that Jaguar started placing a badge on the front grille of the car models that featured a roaring jaguar face only in a red circle. The brand continues to use this badge in some of its vehicles. The front and rear grille also feature a leaping jaguar badge on the new models. Both badges are used by the automakers till date. The leaping jaguar badge is also seen on the steering of their vehicles.
This was all about the Jaguar logo evolution along with its brief history. Jaguar fans must be well-aware of the fact that it has produced one of the world’s loudest cars. This brief on Jaguar logo history and its meaning will add to the fan’s insight. Also, it’s insightful for car enthusiasts who like to explore the meaning of different car logos.
If you are a fan of Jaguar models and wish to own one, then you may check these used Jaguar cars for sale in the UAE and select your favourite model.
Stay tuned to the top auto blog of the UAE for more information on different auto brands’ logo, new model launches, maintenance guides and a lot more.