Forget just about everything you know about Jaguar. The British brand owned by Tata Motors is going through a complete reinvention by moving into a higher echelon. Rather than continuing to fight BMW, it wants to compete with Rolls-Royce in the rarefied ultra-luxury segment. It’s waving goodbye to combustion engines five years before the BMW-owned marque goes completely electric.
Yes, Jaguar is going all in on EVs, and the zero-emission journey starts with the outlandish Type 00. It’s a striking concept that previews a production model coming in late 2025. While the extravagant coupe seen here has just two doors, the road-going model will be a more practical four-door GT. Consequently, the concept portrays a Spectre rival that won’t happen, at least not at first.
With a dramatic profile and no rear window, the Type 00 has very little in common with Jaguars of yore. It sits on massive 23-inch wheels that barely fit into the nicely sculpted arches. Gargantuan butterfly doors and a heavily sloped roofline set it apart from the outgoing Jaguar models. The elongated front section might suggest a large-displacement engine is hiding but there’s no ICE to be found within the futuristic body.
The Type 00 appears to be as imposing as the Spectre and Cadillac’s Celestiq. Jaguar doesn’t specify the vehicle’s size but we estimate it’s as large as Rolls-Royce’s electric coupe. The central spine bisecting the interior spans 3.2 meters (126 inches), giving us a rough idea about the wheelbase. It’s about as long as the Spectre’s, a stately EV with an overall length of 5.47 meters (215.5 inches).
In keeping with EV design trends, the concept embraces minimalism with smooth exterior surfaces and a simplified cabin. Even the iconic leaping cat has been turned into a far more discreet motif, with a fresh Jaguar script taking its place front and rear. If it hadn’t been for the instantly recognizable logo, we honestly would’ve had a hard time identifying the Type 00 as a Jaguar.
Since this is a concept, Jaguar remains tight-lipped about the specifications. We do know the subsequent production model will ride on a dedicated electric car platform. The engineers target a maximum driving range of 430 miles (692 kilometers) in the EPA cycle. In the more optimistic WLTP, the gran tourer will do 478 miles (770 kilometers) before running out of juice. Thanks to fast-charging capabilities, the EV will add 200 miles (321 kilometers) of range after juicing up the battery for only 15 minutes.
The road-going model premieres near the end of next year, so deliveries won’t start until later in 2026. Jaguar will build the fancy GT car at home in the UK as the first model underpinned by the Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA). It remains to be seen whether the EV will inherit the Rolls-Royce-esque boattail shape of the Type 00.
Whatever the case may be, the electric grand tourer is sure to make a splash in the high-end segment. If there’s one thing we’d change about the concept, it’s the vent-like design. The layered horizontal lines, especially the ones at the back, are polarizing, to say the least. Otherwise, it’s definitely a bold take on an automaker’s reinvention under the “Copy Nothing” slogan.
First published by https://www.bmwblog.com
