A phoenix from the flames: 4 car brand relaunches that made history

These car companies relaunched so hard they made automotive history

The comeback is a difficult move to get right. But when a brand has been around the block a few times, eventually its image will need a rethink.

A refresh, if you will.

Because the automotive world stands still for no one, and carmakers don’t just have to keep up – if they’re any good at all, they’ll be the ones setting the trends for what sells.

These four carmakers have had some of the most successful relaunches in automotive history. And with the transition to electric driving well underway, we expect there’ll be many more.

How many of these showstopping relaunches do you remember?

SKODA: From naff to next-level 

It’s hard to imagine our fave reliable carmaker being the stuff of ridicule. But take a quick glance in the rearview mirror to the 80s, and you’ll see that’s exactly what was happening.

The Czech manufacturer – now such a sleek operator – was the butt of many, many jokes at the time because people thought of SKODA as boasting shoddy workmanship.

It’s a reputation that may have been completely unearned. Communism and the Eastern bloc fostered a strong bias against cheaper European brands, with players like SKODA staying stuck in the slow lane.

Faced with a backlash like that, what’s a self-respecting carmaker to do?

Cue: SKODA’s complete reinvention.

Thanks to new owner Volkswagen, a bold marketing campaign, and the launch of the SKODA Felicia in the 1990s, the brand’s reputation did a complete U-turn.

Within the industry, SKODA already had an excellent reputation for design and innovation. But under VW’s guidance, people outside the industry started to notice it too.

The Felicia wasn’t SKODA’s first dip into the hatchback pool – they’d made a respectable earlier attempt with the Favorit – but the challenge was changing the hearts and minds of the public.

Luckily, the Felicia turned out to be a cracking little car. And paired with SKODA’s new slogan, that shoddy reputation toppled like a stack of perfectly-placed dominos.

“It’s a Skoda. Honest.”

In just a few short words, SKODA turned the joke around on everyone who’d laughed at them – and even better, made it feel like a badge of honour.

We call that an act of absolute marketing genius.

Fabulous Fiat: The return of the 500

It may not be as difficult as turning the tables on a bad rep, but bringing back a legend from the scrap heap comes with its own risks.

And its own rewards, if you get it right.

Which is exactly what Fiat did when it decided to revive the iconic 500 model for the modern age.

The original Fiat 500 sold a cool four million cars in its production run (1957-1975). But with the car industry bigger and more crowded than ever, Fiat would have to top that to call its new version a success.

Taking inspiration both from Dante Giacosa’s original design, and Roberto Giolito’s 2004 Fiat Trepiuno 3+1 concept, the new Fiat 500 was born in 2007.

Now, that may seem like it was only yesterday – but it was almost 20 years ago that Fiat brought back this cute and quirky legend, so it’s now been around for the exact same duration as the original 500.

Mind-boggling? Absolutely. But the new Fiat 500 shows no signs of retiring. In its new run, we’ve seen cabriolet versions, and hybrid versions and now, at last, we’re onto the newest thing – electric power.

That’s right, you won’t find a new 500 with a fuel cap anymore. Fiat have turned it green with the Fiat 500e. And for a limited time, there’s even a 500e Armani model – what Fiat are calling the “best expression of ‘made in Italy’ on wheels.”

Instant classic? You bet.

But honestly, we’re just pleased the 500 is showing signs of longevity in the Fiat lineup. And at a time when so many carmakers are retiring petrol models, instead of remaking them as EVs (Ford, we’re looking at you).

Super-sized super-mini: Bringing back a classic

Admittedly, this may be where Fiat got the idea for a resurrection – but great ideas don’t exist in a vacuum.

And BMW had the idea to bring back an iconic car first. After acquiring the rights to the now-defunct Rover Group in 1994, BMW looked at the Mini marque and thought, this is just too good to waste.

Because let’s be honest – can you name a more iconic British car that the Mini Cooper?

It was designed in 1959 by Sir Alec Issigonis and manufactured at the infamous Longbridge plant.

Originally marketed under the BMC-owned Austin and Morris names as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini-Minor, the car became known as the Austin Mini in 1962. By 1969, it became the Mini in its own right and a star was born.

Now synonymous with the swinging 60s, it cemented its status as the star of The Italian Job and has been etched in our hearts ever since.

No wonder BMW knew they were onto a winner with this one.

It released the MINI Cooper series in 2000, opting for 3 or 5-door hatchback body styles that kept much of the original design, just in bigger (and safer) cars. The second generation was released in 2006, followed by a third in 2014.

The brand expanded, producing convertible versions in 2004 and 2008, with the much-anticipated MINI Cooper Electric unveiled in 2020 – a clear sign the MINI is here to stay as we move to greener, cleaner motoring.

Jaguar: Regaining relevancy 

There was clearly something in the water in the 80s – it wasn’t just SKODA rethinking their brand position.

Even big names like Jaguar have to adjust too. And that’s exactly what they did: the heyday they enjoyed in the 60’s with models like the E-type, was stalling.

Models like the XJ adorned British streets during the 60s and Jaguar was so happy with its performance, they didn’t develop any new additions to their lineup.

Cut to the 70s and these once popular models were looking tired – dated, even. And there was no new blood to replace them and get the audience excited.

Jaguar’s reputation wasn’t so much downtrodden as it was non-existent. People just weren’t buying them anymore, opting for more reliable and showy models from Mercedes and BMW.

So, when 1980 rolled around, a new head honcho came with the new year – and Sir John Egan took the wheel as he meant to go on. Rather than investing a fortune in developing new models, Egan focused on improving and refining the quality of existing models.

Because it turns out, there really was an audience for an up-to-date and more polished version of the XJ and XJS. Jaguar packed them as ‘heritage’ models, playing on Britain as a country with a long and varied history – including motor history.

It cost Jaguar a pretty £20 million – but as it resulted in a complete resurgence in popularity, we’d say it was money well-spent. With revenue soaring once more, Jaguar was able to start investing in new models like the XJ40.

Now we’re in the year 2025, and Jaguar is once again in the process of reinventing themselves. Because while the brand scores high in awareness, in recent years it’s not been hitting the right notes when it comes to relevancy.

And with huge shifts already taking place in the motor industry, for Jaguar it’s shape up or get shipped out to the scrapyard with the other defunct carmakers who couldn’t keep up with the times.

Whether their pivot towards electrification is as successful as Egan’s original relaunch remains to be seen.

Relaunching for an electric future

Jaguar isn’t alone in reshaping themselves for the electric revolution. Carmakers all over the globe are reinventing, reimagining and relaunching to keep up with changing market demands, government legislation, and a new wave of Chinese automotive geniuses hitting our shores.

And everyone has a different angle on creating electric fleets.

Some, like Genesis and Peugeot, are simply whacking great big batteries under the bonnet of their existing lineups.

Others are bringing back beloved old names on new EV’s – think Ford with the Capri, and Renault with the iconic 5.

Whatever it takes to stay relevant in an age when petrol and diesel are on the way out. We can’t wait to see which strategy is the winning one.