Bold new Jaguar revealed: Type 00 lands as “a copy of nothing”
Say hello to Type 00, Jaguar’s new design vision concept made real. Shocking, brave, radical, brilliant. It’s all-electric, takes the form of a low, muscular coupe with a long bonnet, sweeping roofline, fastback profile and moon-sized 23” alloy wheels. It is, says its maker, an example of what Jaguar does best: “a fearless statement, an object of desire.”
Yeah, not what you expected, is it? This “woke” New Jaguar. The car that nobody had seen but, on the basis of a 30-second rebrand teaser video released two weeks ago featuring some brightly-clad, fashion-forward interplanetary nomads, was apparently destined to bring about the end of one of the UK’s most revered car brands.
Well, that’s awkward. Instead lands a car of vision, daring and audacity, the stuff of bedroom posters and Gran Turismo, but in the here and now and three dimensions.
Under this extraordinary skin, Type 00 – zero emissions, car zero for New Jaguar – delivers a range of 430 miles on a single charge, no less. And yes, a year from now you’ll be able to order something that flows from this; in two years it can be sat on your drive. Think it’s a bit much? Fair enough, it’s not for you, and New Jaguar is fine with that. Think they won’t make it? Let Jaguar MD Rawdon Glover disabuse you:
“We are expecting a big reaction, but we haven’t created something this unexpected to turn back. We have forged a creative new character for Jaguar that is true to the DNA of the brand but future facing, and that stands out.”
That it does. Four years ago, Jaguar set out a plan to reimagine its brand and its product line. Those charged with delivering on a strategy to swap a no-profit, premium volume market position for a high-luxe operation capable of making a return from more modest sales, returned to the promise of its founder, Sir William Lyons, for inspiration. He declared a Jaguar should be “a copy of nothing.”
Details in the interim have been scarce. The future was all-electric, we were told, and JLR Chief Creative Officer Gerry McGovern – whose CV includes the current crop of Range Rovers, the groundbreaking Evoque and the reinvention of the iconic Land Rover Defender – spoke of a three-car family to come: four-door GT Coupe, four-door saloon and five-door SUV. And that was it. Until now.
Today, at the opening of Miami Art Week in the Miami Design District, just as a pair of Jaguar E-Types rocked the 1961 Geneva Motor Show, two examples of Type 00 present contrasting visions of New Jaguar. One is finished in Satin Rhodon Rose – dubbed ‘Miami Pink’, to reflect the art deco skyline in early evening – the other in Inception Silver Blue, colloquially ‘London Blue’, to echo the opalescent 1960s Jaguar shade.
But whatever the hue, this design concept is an extraordinary new face for Jaguar – flush, taut surfaces, a windowless rear tailgate and a full-length glass roof with body-coloured glazing that deliver a shape that’s crisp, fresh and suitably dramatic. It’s “exuberant modernism” in New Jaguar parlance, and it’s certainly uninhibited as a statement – it’s links with Jaguar past more aligned with thought process than retrospective design echoes.
Inside is a step-change, too. Dramatic butterfly doors and a pantograph tailgate open to reveal an exceptionally minimalist interior, with floating screens for driver and passenger that fold away once journey parameters have been set to leave clean lines and open spaces. Three hand-finished brass lines run the length of the cabin, with a 3.2-metre central spine creating split cockpits for each occupant. The seats, sound bar and floor are covered in a tactile wool blend material, while a travertine marble plinth anchors both the seats and the central spine.
Whatever the flights of fantasy inside and out of this concept, though, this is a brave new beginning that makes good on the New Jaguar brand promises that have excited and agitated so many these past weeks. At least, from here, it can (or should) be all about the cars again, rather than some abstract definition of “woke” that so motivates pitchfork-wielding social media commentators. Though Jaguar’s gauntlet remains laid down. Says Gerry McGovern:
“Type 00 has an unmistakeable presence. It does not desire to be loved by everyone – it’s polarising and emotionally-fuelled. This is the result of brave, unconstrained creative thinking and unwavering determination. It’s the foundation stone for a new family of Jaguars that will look unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”
That much we now know, but amen to that.
The post Bold new Jaguar revealed: Type 00 lands as “a copy of nothing” appeared first on Attitude.
