Everyone’s been talking about Jaguar since its questionable rebranding video was uploaded to YouTube a few weeks ago. Although this campaign got caught up in a heated political debate, it is only a 30-second video, and the real test would be the presentation of the car itself. That moment finally came when the concept car debuted at Miami Art Week on Monday night.
Unfortunately, some publications broke Jaguar’s confidentiality agreement and leaked the concept photos on Monday morning. The fact that those publications are willing to threaten their dates with JLR over the concept art shows how much attention the release is getting. There has been a lot of hype around the arrival of the new car, meaning Jaguar will cease all production of its internal combustion engine cars and then build any car until its electric vehicle hits the market in late 2025.
The new electric vehicle is called “Type 00,” which implies a complete reboot of the lettered Jaguars of the bygone era (C-Type, D-Type, E-Type, F-Type). According to Jaguar, the 0s mean more than a simple alphanumeric reconstruction. The first 0 refers to 0 tailpipe emissions, so it is currently the first in Jaguar’s range of new electric vehicles. The car will be based on a new all-electric platform called Jaguar Electric Architecture, which is not the one used for the popular I-Pace. Parent company JLR has invested billions in its transition to electric vehicles, putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to electrification.
The Type 00 will be targeting a range of 478 miles (WLTP) and 430 miles (EPA), with the ability to replenish 200 miles of range in 15 minutes of charging. JLR is working with Fortescue’s battery and charging specialists Elysia to make good on this. Elysia is a company with technology that can charge 264-ton mining trucks at 2MW, so this is no empty promise. Jaguar’s continuing dominance of Formula E also raises hopes that the new Type 00 will be an electric GT that can deliver class-leading performance.
But what about the physical design of the car?The leaked photographs have sparked mixed reactions, with some claiming it’s the ugliest vehicle they’ve ever seen, while others appreciate the ambitious outing of the Jaguars of yesteryear. It’s not an E-restomod type, the long front is a bit reminiscent of that direction, as is the sloping rear. Otherwise, the angles are acute. The brand’s previous relaunch was intended to “copy nothing” and, angularity is strongly in line with the new automotive design, the new car is unlike any previous Jaguar.
This reflects the direction Range Rover is taking, but perhaps the most telling comparison is with some of the models that are arriving recently from China, such as the Huawei Maextro S800, which was also recently unveiled. The design of the Jaguar is much sleeker, smaller and classier. than Huawei’s, but you can be sure that Jaguar expects to make a lot of sales in China’s burgeoning luxury car market.
One journalist described the Maextro as a vehicle on the hunt, as if “someone had put a Maybach, a Rolls Royce and a Porsche in a blender”, and this is also the target of the visitor base that Jaguar is now targeting. The E-Type necessarily put Jaguar on the global map looking for more than just a new, equally fast Ferrari at a partial price. But at times, Jaguar has been a British choice over BMW or Audi, and perhaps Mercedes with its larger cars, than high-end luxury. Sedans were famous with mobsters and bank robbers. This symbol is being swept away, with the new Jaguar EV obviously aimed at “high-net-worth individuals”, or even the emerging “ultra-high” category. You may simply be in a festival straight with the Rolls Royce spectrum.
Jaguar’s advertising strategy will also evolve in this direction. The platforms will consist of exclusive Lopass outlets around the world, in addition to classic dealerships, complemented through a broader global network of luxury retailers. The first lopass store will be located in Paris, in the 8th arrondissement, where the center of the city’s fashion industry is located. Considering that Jaguar decided to launch the vehicle at Miami Art Week, where portions start at six figures and go up from there, there is a clear break in this market positioning.
No luxury car has entire doors that open upwards.
The main design points are as ostentatious as you would expect from this target customer, starting with the gigantic 23-inch wheels. The doors open “butterfly” (since all high-end cars will have to have doors that open upwards rather than outwards). The tailgate is described as a “pantograph”, which generally refers to the arrangement on top of an electrical operation to draw power from overhead wiring. But there are no images of this yet, so we still don’t know how it translated into a door leading to the rear shipping area of a vehicle.
Inside, brass is used extensively, adding a 3. 2m long central column in the middle that separates the two dashboard screens. It turns out to be in the way if the driver and passenger wanted to kiss each other lovingly, and there is no transparent evidence of the cup. headlines. Where the hell will the occupants put their champagne glasses?
The use of brass is eye-catching, but where do you put your champagne?
After the video launch a few weeks ago, a lot of the more dubious criticism revolved around the actors in the video. More valid concerns were expressed about the discontinuation of the “growler” big cat emblem and the font used for the Jaguar name. However, the feline branding is still evident, with the “leaper” images found on golden rectangles on the side, which deploy to reveal rear-facing cameras.
Jaguar’s color choices are likely to keep the controversy rolling.
However, the possible two-color options revealed are sure to keep the “anti-awakening” debate alive. They are called Miami Pink and London Blue. Both have a pastel hue that is a million miles away from British Racing Green, which is what most people seem to think all British cars are painted with. However, pink is a color related to Miami, where the launch takes place, and blue echoes the opalescent silvery blue that was the hallmark of Jaguar’s E-type sports cars in the 1960s.
Criticisms of conceptual images deserve to be taken with caution. The officially released photographs are design drawings and not photographs of the original car. The car presented in Miami has slightly smoother lines and the side profile is beautiful. This is a car that will attract as much attention on the road as the advertising crusade on social networks. I saw this vehicle “camouflaged” on a control track and also appeared in spy photographs. It’s a law-enforcing vehicle, showing transparency about its owner in a way that previous Jaguars since the E-Type haven’t.
We may not see the back of the Jaguar logo yet.
Like it or love it, the Jaguar Type 00 is a huge departure for the brand. Everyone’s eyes are on it. Maybe there’s some E-Type in it, but it’s nothing like the fast sedans driven by shady characters that have been the hallmark of the brand for decades. It’s also nothing like the mid-sized family F-Pace SUV, either. We will have to wait until later 2025 to find out if Jaguar can actually sell them to their intended customers. But the launch has definitely grabbed enough eyeballs to keep our attention.
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