Let nobody tell you the car business is an easy one. Or if they do, believe nothing they say from that point forward. It’s a business full of tough competitors, yes. But that’s always been the case. Nowadays, it’s not the competition that’s forcing car executives to reach for the stress balls. It’s the push-and-pull of this transitional period when fossil fuel power and electrification are waging a battle to the death. This was never going to be an easy period, that much is true. When the Ford Model T arrived on the scene in 1908, it revolutionized the world by becoming the first mass-market automobile. Ever since, families in need of reliable transportation have turned to the internal combustion engine.

While alternative sources of fuel have been tried and tested over the years, nothing has challenged gasoline or diesel as the stars of the show—until very recently, that is. The first wave of modern battery electric vehicles was not compelling, full stop. But huge improvements in technology, the efforts of a certain tech innovator, and the decision by China to become a global electrification powerhouse have all played a role in making the 21st-century EV a viable form of transportation.

Although still not ready to outgun an internal combustion vehicle in a pound-for-pound, dollar-for-dollar fight, with each passing year, EVs get better and better. Driving range, recharging speed, and the public charging network are slowly being improved. But car manufacturers have had over 100 years to perfect the internal combustion engine, so it stands to reason that there’s some way to go before all-electric powertrains are ready to replace the incumbents.

Which brings us to the Jaguar Type 00.

Back in 2021, Jaguar representatives announced the brand was transitioning to an all-electric fleet, a goal that would happen, they claimed, by this year. At the time, the announcement was a bold but not outlandish one. Governments around the world had already mandated an increasing focus on zero-emissions vehicles, and a number of automotive brands followed the directives in lockstep.

Here’s the difference, though: other car brands have eased the pace of EV development due to various factors, including tempered consumer demand, still-developing infrastructures, and governments lifting or coasting on previous mandates. These brands are still moving toward electrification, just not with the same level of urgency. Not so with Jaguar—in fact, the British brand remains more committed than ever to going all-in on all-electric, and the Type 00 provides proof of that.

During a top-secret visit to Jaguar Land Rover headquarters in Coventry last November, a select group had the chance to get an early look at the design concept. Under normal circumstances, a concept vehicle doesn’t garner much attention beyond automotive media. After all, by definition, a concept is just that—a design that will not appear in production form, although the cues may help inform a future production vehicle. But two factors were at play here: first, the Type 00 is a uniquely arresting piece of work, and second, the vehicle reveal was accompanied by a brand identity change for Jaguar.

Stepping back, there’s something else to consider when studying these next steps for the British brand. Not only will every future Jaguar be all-electric, every future Jaguar will also be a much more expensive purchase, about twice as much as the outgoing product offering. Those steering the brand understand their new target is a very different demographic. The only current model still for sale at Jaguar dealerships is the F-Pace, a competitive midsize SUV, but it will ease into retirement before too long. When this happens, it will join the F-Type and the I-Pace on the sidelines, along with previously shelved models such as the XF, XE, and XJ. In discontinuing all of its recent models, Jaguar is, in effect, seeking to break from the immediate past. It’s also looking to reach further back into its history, to 1961, when two examples of the iconic E-Type debuted at the Geneva Motor Show. This was, arguably, the last time Jaguar could claim to be producing the most desirable car in the world.

___

“What does the new Jaguar stand for?” It’s a rhetorical question posed by Rawdon Glover, Jaguar’s managing director, because he knows the answer. “It stands for boldness, creativity, a sense of innovation, of carving our own path.”

When the Jaguar Type 00 is finally unveiled on stage in a cordoned-off section of the JLR design studio, Glover’s words receive added emphasis. The Type 00 is a sculptural design, monolithic, almost brutalist in nature. With its elongated hood, oversized wheels, and fastback silhouette, it looks menacingly futuristic. Even the paint scheme for the prototype, dubbed Miami Pink in recognition of its wider public debut at Miami Art Week in early December, does not soften the design much. It’s an absolute slab of granite, the type of vehicle that Masters of the Universe would drive down Fifth Avenue or along the Champs-Élysées, even if such streets were closed to regular traffic.

Opening the butterfly-style doors reveals a suitably minimalist passenger cabin: two seats, a pair of floating instrument panels, and three lines of real brass that run the length of the interior. The use of rich, authentic materials underscores the entire design. The seats are supported on a base crafted from travertine stone, while wool-blend textiles envelop the seat surfaces and flooring. It’s a design so unconventional and so difficult to produce, it seems unlikely to progress beyond the prototype stage. But people should be prepared to be surprised.

When the Jaguar rebrand and the Type 00 were first introduced, the hue and cry was more vociferous and more widespread than expected. Even those employed at Jaguar who had intended to make a splash were surprised. After all, this isn’t the first time a much-loved automotive brand has moved in a different and contentious direction. It’s also not the first time a given model has been discontinued. These days, well-engineered vehicles that verge on the legendary are being replaced like clockwork.
The automotive space is in the midst of a massive transition. The migration of more people to urban centres around the world, the increasing focus on zero-emissions forms of transportation, the push to ease gridlock in our cities—all of these factors are in play.

“I don’t think there are many EVs out there that set pulses racing,” Glover contends. If the models forthcoming from Jaguar evoke the Type 00 in any way, shape, or form, that should change things. The first among these, a four-door GT, is set to be revealed late this year. In addition to design cues drawn from the Type 00, this new model will have a driving range of up to 692 kilometres and fast-charging capability that could add 321 kilometres of range in as little as 15 minutes.
Game changer.

SHARE