Jaguar is about to undergo a major transformation, and this evening in Miami, the iconic marque revealed the concept vehicle that will serve as its north star as it embarks on a bold journey, fraught with peril, into full electrification.
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Last month the automaker set the car-chattering classes and indignant keyboard warriors into a hand-wringing tizzy with the release of a new Jaguar logo, alongside a pronouncement that the decades-old leaping Jaguar hood ornament will be consigned to the bin of history and replaced by a two-dimensional, stylized leaping cat; and the debut of a colourful, high-concept ad campaign that felt more like a fashion shoot than a car commercial.
Thousands of gobsmacked social media posts noted the ad didn’t even have a car in it! What have you done with my beloved Jaguar, some squealed. Where has my cherished British racing green gone, others bleated. This branding fiasco forever sullies the legacy of the most beautiful car ever designed, the Jaguar E-Type, exasperated expats whinged.
It will be interesting to hear and read the reaction to the unveiling of the actual vehicle, albeit a concept, that took place tonight during Miami Art Week.
I was among a small group of journalists who had the opportunity to get up close and personal with the satin Rhoden Rose Type 00 at Jaguar world headquarters in Gaydon, England last month, where I also experienced a deep dive into the what, the how, and most crucially, the why behind Jaguar’s massive gamble to turn its back on its rich and revered history to set course on an all-electric path featuring what it calls “an elevated family of highly desirable and exclusive new luxury vehicles.” Here’s what I learned.
What is the Jaguar Type 00?
The Jaguar Type 00 is a concept car in the seemingly lost tradition of concept vehicles. That is, it’s a highly stylized design study that doesn’t so much convey what the eventual production car will look like, but instead makes a statement about the proportions, forms, and overall design philosophy that will serve as inspiration for that production car.
Increasingly, concept cars of the last couple of decades often look very much like the production vehicle they spawn, and in some cases almost identical. It is telling – and seemingly on point in terms of Jaguar’s stated intent of producing exquisite works of rolling art moving forward – that the Type 00 recalls those wild-looking and in my opinion wonderful-looking concepts from auto shows of yore.
And so, the Type 00 heralds the 2026 arrival of the first vehicle emerging from the automaker’s transformation, an all-electric four-door Grand Tourer. A highly camouflaged prototype of this vehicle was recently spotted, and photographed, being put through its paces in the West Midlands. As to the name, ‘Type’ is a nod to the brand’s provenance (as in the C-, D- or E-Type), the first zero references zero tailpipe emissions from the all-electric powertrain, and the second zero refers to this being car zero in Jaguar’s new lineage and design language.
What is notable about the Jaguar Type 00’s exterior?
Jaguar has made a concerted effort to transform into an all-electric automaker by defying conventional EV design thinking. Instead of following the herd with a cab-forward, high-body-style design with smallish wheels and an aerodynamic front grille, the Type 00 strikes a very long and very low profile, with massive 23-inch wheels, a blunt nose, and a seating position nearer the rear end than the front end.
Among Jaguar’s many positioning statements about this transformational rebrand is the “copy nothing” ethos of founder Sir William Lyons. Maybe so, but when you stand beside the Type 00, it’s impossible not to see that its proportions — long hood, sweeping roofline, and fastback rear deck — mirror that of the legendary Jaguar E-Type. It’s a formula that can be found on great sports cars through the ages, from the Ferrari GTO to the Dodge Viper; and from the Lamborghini Miura to the Mercedes-AMG GTR.
The Type 00’s front end is bold and blunt, and the front light signature is designed to emphasize the corners and width of the concept vehicle. Look closer at the Type 00 and you’ll notice there are no side mirrors, nor a rear window. Instead, cameras convey to the driver what is behind. And that new Jaguar leaper is laser etched into a hand-finished brass ingot on each side of the car. These ingots open to reveal those back-facing camera lenses.
What is notable about the Jaguar Type 00’s interior?
Adding to the dramatic design of the Jaguar Type 00 is a pair of butterfly doors that open to reveal a minimalist cabin. Reflecting the emphasis on the longitudinal nature of the vehicle are three hand-finished brass lines which run the length of the interior; and a 3.2-metre brass spine that splits a pair of floating instrument panels of the dash.
Supporting the floating seats and central spine is a travertine stone plinth — yes, stone — and the seat fabric and surrounding surface trims are made of a wool blend inspired by handwoven yarns. This use of brass, stone, and wool underscores the Type 00’s simple yet sophisticated design ethos, and while it’s unlikely all those natural materials will make it into production cars, their presence in the concept definitely sets a tone.
What are the ‘totems’ in the Jaguar Type 00?
Speaking of natural materials, a unique feature of the Type 00 concept is the ability to change the cabin’s sensory experience by placing a totem inside the centre console. The three totems — each uniquely containing brass, travertine, or alabaster — are stored in a so-called “Prism” case that is stowed behind a power door located on the driver’s side front fender above the brass ingot. When placed in the centre console, each totem creates a specific mood in the cabin by changing the ambient lighting, the cabin soundscape, and the screen graphics in a way that reflect the natural material in a specific totem. There are also bespoke scents that are released into the cabin.
What do we know about Jaguar’s new EV architecture?
In two words, not much. Most of the information Jaguar has revealed surrounding its new vehicles has been about the design philosophy and the move from mid-priced luxury vehicles to high-priced luxury vehicles. We do know that all new Jaguars will be all-electric, and according to the automaker, that first production model slated to begin production later next year will use an all-new dedicated Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA) with a target range of up to 692 kilometres, and the ability to add 321 km of range in 15 minutes.
Considering the size and weight of the four-door GT, that range will only come from a very large battery pack, which clearly the new JEA is designed to accommodate. It should be noted that the full-charge range of nearly 700 kilometres is under the more real-world EPA rating rather than Europe’s questionable WLPT system. I also learned the first production Jaguar will have two charging ports located on each front fender — one the traditional CCS, and the other the NACS, or Tesla-style, system. No news yet if the batteries and motors will be built in-house or if Jaguar will partner with a supplier.
Final Thoughts
Will it work? That’s the billion-dollar question surrounding Jaguar’s decision to go all-electric, to build highly desirable all-electric vehicles with distinctive design, and to only build vehicles well into six-figure price territory. There’s certainly no shortage of opinion on that question, the majority of which seem to make the case that this rebrand and reposition sounds the death knell for an automaker set to turn 90 next year.
Of course, those opinions were formed following the release of a new logo and new ads. So, it will be interesting if that narrative changes during the coming hours, days, and weeks as social media churns out thoughts and judgments on Jaguar’s future now that the Type 00 concept vehicle has been revealed.
One last thing about all those naysayers: if one out of 10 of them had actually bought a Jaguar in the past decade or so, the automaker wouldn’t be in the position it is in, selling around just 60,000 units globally per year and having just one vehicle left in its production line.
Of course, integral to this whole new scheme working will be Jaguar’s ability clean up its quality and reliability standards, which along with some uninspired designs have brought the once proud marque to today’s existential crisis.
That said, it’s all well and good to gaze lustfully in the rearview mirror at Jags of old, which without question were among some of the greatest production and race cars of their respective generations. But the stark reality staring the Jag board squarely in the face in 2024 is that without a bold and risky move, the fate of the brand seemed sealed. Yes, becoming the first legacy automaker to switch to an all-electric stable exclusively and to go head-to-head with the Bentleys, Aston Martins, and even Rolls-Royces of the world is pushing all the chips into the centre of the table. But Jaguar’s only other choice was to fold.
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