Jaguar’s striking Type 00 concept is a bold statement of intent, but it needs more to restore its patchy EV reputation | usagoldmines.com

• Jaguar’s new Type 00 concept previews electric four-door GT
• It’s targeting an EV range in excess of 430 miles
• Concept was launched at glamorous Miami Art Week event

Jaguar has lifted the lid on its Type 00 concept vehicle, which previews a bold new design direction, as the quintessentially British brand heads towards its all-electric future.

The Type 00, which represents zero emissions from the tailpipe and a nod to starting afresh – or year zero – previews an upcoming all-electric GT model that is due to land sometime in 2026, with a further two models, including a Range Rover-rivaling SUV, also sporting the bold exterior lines.

Unveiled at a glitzy event in Miami (during Art Week, no less), the comically long concept showcases some of the design touches and branding elements that caused various pockets of the internet to erupt in rage in recent weeks.

A new brass ‘Leaper’ emblem sits on the flanks, while JLR medallions are used on the centre caps of the equally enormous 23-inch wheels. The company redesigned its script so it effectively spells ‘jaGuar’ on the rear and the bold ‘Strike Through’ patterning can be seen on the flanks, the grille and the back end.

Keen eyes will notice that Jaguar has followed Polestar in ditching the rear window entirely, instead opting for twin-side cameras that provide a live video feed to interior digital rear-view mirror displays that elegantly glide into place when the vehicle is started up.

Detailed info surrounding specification is sparse, but we do know that the low-slung, two-door fixed-head coupé body style will be ditched in favor of a slightly more conventional four-door GT in the production model.

There’s also no word on the battery packs and electric motors that will be used, only that the Type 00 will spawn a car that develops in excess of 570bhp and can manage more than 430 miles on a single charge.

That’s some serious battery firepower, which begs the question of how Jaguar’s engineers will be able to replicate the extremely low-slung profile of the concept vehicle – something that no electric vehicle manufacturer has managed thanks to awkward packaging issues presented by EV powertrains.

Oh, and the upcoming GT will cost more than £120,000 when it goes on sale, or around $150,000 / AU$235,000. Jaguar is done with the mainstream and is instead opting for the ultra-wealthy, despite all of its cries of “inclusivity” when it launched its slightly bizarre advertising campaign hyping the rebrand.

Analysis: Style over substance?

The Type 00 is undeniably bold, striking and unlike anything else on the road today, but isn’t that the case for most concept vehicles? Saunter around a motor show of yesteryear and you couldn’t move for slightly madcap mock-ups that would rarely see the light of day.

Even those vehicles that have been praised for sticking true to their concept counterparts, such as the Audi TT and the Honda e, for example, inevitably morph into something more vanilla when they are run through the wringer of legislation and crash safety legalities.

Jaguar desperately needs to reinvent itself, with faltering sales and a distinct lack of new product forcing the brand to take a completely fresh direction. The Type 00 concept is certainly a bold statement of intent, showcasing the “fearless creativity” Jag’s design director Gerry McGovern has spoken of, but it is the production vehicles that will really have to deliver.

The British brand is entering new territory, commanding almost twice the asking price of any vehicle in its most recent range. With that comes an even greater expectation for faultless build quality, an enrapturing driving experience and technology that actually works.

Its first attempt at an EV in the iPace was a real innovator when it launched, but its tech soon slipped behind the competition and it has been plagued with problems and recalls during its life cycle.

Recent reports suggest that Jaguar is buying back almost 3,000 I-Pace EVs from the 2019 model year because their batteries may catch fire.

It’s all well and good coming up with a decisive ad campaign – one that even had Elon Musk chiming in on with a characteristically snarky X post – but the brand now has to find an all-new audience, build a new reputation in the hotly-contested EV market and sell in enough volume to claw back some of the monumental investment required to fund this brave new direction.

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