All marketing Hype
So they were at a world art event in Fl tonight
all they showed were the comic book type drawings and no concept car
The Jaguar Type 00 is a different kind of cat.
The big, battery-powered coupe concept introduced Monday in Miami marks a break for the Brit brand from a storied internal combustion-engine past that included a marriage with Ford Motor Co. from 1990-2008. Complete with all-new logos, the Type 00 showcases a sleek, two-door grand tourer in the tradition of the iconic E and F-Types of yore but with no engine under the long nose.
Instead, the stunning Jag is built on an electric skateboard chassis and previews an ultra-luxury, three-model lineup to compete with two fellow English marques, Rolls Royce and Bentley. Jaguar’s transformation comes as luxury automotive tastes have turned electric
While governments from California to England are forcing a transition to all-EV sales with heavy penalties for noncompliance, consumer interest has largely come from upper-income buyers, with upstart Tesla Inc.’s Model Y the best-selling luxury vehicle.
Legacy, gas-powered brands like Cadillac, Volvo, Alfa Romeo and Jaguar are determined to follow in Tesla’s tire tracks by 2030 but are taking different routes.
Jaguar made an initial stab at the market with its 2018 iPace, but sales disappointed (it is most noted for its participation in Waymo’s autonomous California ride-share fleets) and the $73K EV will retire in 2025.
The Type 00 marks an electric reboot to go further upscale with its first production variant an estimated-$250,000, four-door GT reportedly called the I-Type due late next year.
Jaguar telegraphed its transformation last month with an advertisement that featured an elevator-full of colorful, gender-bending models. No vehicle was shown, but the message was clear:
This is not your grandfather’s Jaguar. Owned by India’s Tata Group, Jaguar is marketed as part of Jaguar Land Rover Automotive PLC, with which it shares design, manufacturing, sales and EV ambitions but the announcement Monday was exclusive to Jaguar.
“Type 00 is a pure expression of Jaguar brand’s new creative philosophy. It has an unmistakable presence,” said Jaguar Land Rover Chief Creative Officer Professor Gerry McGovern. “It is our first physical manifestation and the foundation stone for a new family of Jaguars that will look unlike anything you’ve ever seen. A vision which strives for the highest level of artistic endeavor.”
Its artistic influences are a turn away from the curvy sportscars that made Jaguar a household name in the 20th century. The long-awaited Type 00 proportions look like an F-Type and Rolls Royce Spectre (Rolls’ first production EV) had a baby.
Gone is the feline, tapered nose of previous Jaguars replaced by a chiseled, upright fascia. Though Jaguar EVs will no longer feature straight-six, V-8 and V-12 engines under the hood, the front extends like a football field back to a narrow greenhouse that arches into an F-Type-like boat tail.
The imposing figure is draped over huge, 23-inch wheels.
Signature design elements include butterfly doors and a deleted rear window like the Polestar 4 EV. To see out back, Jaguar provides a cockpit screen. The boattail also bears the brand’s new, parallel, horizontal lines that frame the “leaper” Jaguar logo.
The lines are repeated on the front fascia as well as in the spare interior, which looks more Tesla-like than Rolls.
Like the 2022 Buick Wildcat coupe concept that previewed coming production attractions but never went into production, the Type 00 foreshadows new models like the sedan that will compete against the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S EVs.
The new Jaguar is no howling track beast, but a boulevard cruiser that comes on silent paws. Estimated EPA range is 430 miles, and the battery – using Tesla’s standard NCS connector can gain 200 miles in as little as 15 minutes. If the drivetrain is stealthy, the brand says it marketing campaign is "not afraid to polarize.” Like its drivetrain, its trio of new badges depart from tradition, adopting the design values "exuberant, modernist, and compelling."
Like Cadillac and its exotic, electric, estimated-$350,000 Celestiq sedan halo, the Type 00 signals a move up market as it redefines itself as an all-electric automaker. Unlike Cadillac, Jaguar no longer plans to sell in sub-$100,000 segments, where Cadillac has introduced the $50,000 Optiq and $60K Lyriq EVs. Jaguar competed in those markets with ICEs like the XF sedan and F-Pace SUV but they will not be replaced.
The brand says pricing will roughly double from its last-gen ICE chariots, and it expects to retain just 10-15% of its current customer base. Jaguar wants to build standout electrics in contrast to what it believes are a homogeneous mass of aero-focused blobs.
“Jaguar is no place for ordinary. When you see a new Jaguar for the first time, it must have a sense of awe, of having never been seen before,” said Constantino Segui Gilabert, Jaguar chief exterior designer. “Type 00 commands attention, like all the best Jaguars of the past.”
A current EV that defies the blob is the Taycan, made by a German automaker with roots in racing, like Jaguar.
Like Porsche, Jaguar built its brand in the mid-20th century racing with growling engines worthy of its namesake. Wins at international racetracks like Le Mans defined Jaguar’s DNA, DNA that allowed the brand to sell sporty sedans and SUVs in higher-volume segments.
Unlike Porsche and its signature, ICE 911, Jaguar is axing its ICE F-Type sportscar. Where previous Jaguars like the F-Type were introduced at old-school English venues like Goodwood race track, the Type 00 was introduced at Miami Art Week emphasizing the brand’s trendy turn in America’s new money backyard. Jaguar says it is targeting a younger, wealthier, more urban audience.
Even the concept’s colors showcase Jag’s break with the past: Miami Pink reflecting the city’s Art Deco backdrop and London Blue, a look back at its British heritage. Everything is different, not just the drivetrain. The Jaguar sports a new logo script and interpretation of its leaping Jaguar avatar. The Type 00 badge references 1) zero tailpipe CO2 emissions, and 2) car zero for a new model lineup.
The Type 00 marks a reboot of Jaguar’s electrification strategy after the disappointing launch of its first EV, the iPace in 2018. Aimed squarely at Tesla’s own four-door grand tourer, the Model S, iPace launched with traditional Jaguar hoopla including its own electric race series.
The 2019-2020 iPace eTrophy ran alongside the open-wheel Formula E series, where Jaguar also fields a car.
Whether Jaguar will use motorsports to market its new Type 00 model direction is an open question. Cadillac is entering the world’s richest motorsport, Formula One, in order to market its EV brand transformation
Jaguar last competed in Formula One from 2000-2004 under the ownership of Ford. Ford’s ownership of the brand from 1990-2008 is part of Jaguar’s checkered history of ownership since its founding in 1933.
The brand came into its own post-World War II with the startling designs of its XK120 and E-Type sports cars and parallel racing success. Financial difficulties, however, drove it into the arms of a succession of owners that included British Leyland, Ford and ultimately Tata Motors, which bought it in 2008.
Through thick and thin, Jaguar remained relevant with its superior engines, on-track success and design philosophy. With the Type 00 it embarks on a post-ICE journey.
