When Jaguar unveiled their new branding and visual identity last month, most were up in arms (including ad professionals) calling the move unrespectful of their history; some even called it, “woke.” Whichever side you’re on, Jaguar was quick to pivot the conversation. They said, “wait until you see what we come up with first.” That time is now, and boy, now everyone sees you’re fucked.
In their move to rival Bentley (price-wise) and to a full EV line-up, Jaguar remains insistent on their “Copy Nothing” ethos. The thing is, they admit that their new Type 00 concept—an example of them at their every best as they themselves say—is a call back to their iconic E-type. How ironic that they’re looking back at their 63-year-old coupe to dictate their future design.
Jaguar calls the Type 00 “unique and different to the norm.” Now, I’m no car designer, but I fail to see how the Type 00 re-writes any car design rules. In fact, I’d call it downright fugly. It rides on a bespoke EV platform called the Jaguar Electric Architecture so they could have gone for something truly clean slate design-wise. Instead, they’ve come back to a long hood and a fastback roofline—things which are so reminiscent of a combustion vehicle.
Looking at the details, designers have gone for something more sculptural (which is good), but the flat, flushed surfaces give it the same art appeal as a banana duct taped to a wall. The result is rather generic; like it was designed at the eleventh hour to appear as an NPC in the next Grand Theft Auto game.
The iconic leaper—now in a strikethrough format—is found at the side as a brass-finished ingot and hides the rear-facing camera (the Type 00 doesn’t have sideview mirrors nor, for good measure, even a rear windshield). Giant 23-inch wheels contain the new Jaguar “J” mark. If anything, only the “body-harmonized” glass roof is the best detail here.
Opening the Type 00 is dramatic with its butterfly doors and “pantograph” tailgate. Inside, however, the modernist interior makes the cabin look as generic as anything made in China.
Here, however, Jaguar has stood out with the use of brass lines running the length of the interior (including a 3.2-meter-long spine) as well as the integration of travertine stone and unique wood blended textile. There are also powered storage areas. Oh, and that glazed roof happens to cast a subtle pattern into the cabin. As I said, it’s the only great design detail here.
To make the interior more personalized, its mood can be changed using the “Prism Case.” This totem—made of natural materials like brass, alabaster, and travertine changes the mood of the interior from the ambient lighting to the instrument graphics.
And speaking of the graphics, the displays are animated through Chiaroscuro which uses light and shadow to define three‑dimensional objects. This was done as not to overpower the interior with huge displays.
The resulting production Type 00, which will be a four-door grand tourer, will be produced in the United Kingdom in late 2025. It will offer a range of up to 770 kilometers on a single charge. It can also add 321 kilometers of range in as little as 15 minutes with rapid charging.
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