- Jaguar is reinventing itself as a more exclusive manufacturer of ultra-luxury cars.
- The signature product of its rebrand now has a name: Type 01.
The future of Jaguar has a name and a few teaser images. The heart of the automaker’s efforts to rebrand itself will be an all-electric grand touring car called the Jaguar Type 01.
The company announced a controversial plan to remake itself as a rival to Bentley and Rolls-Royce, selling only exclusive six-figure cars, in late 2024.
An artistic launch video featuring models in avant-garde clothing and cryptic slogans like “live vivid” was widely mocked and may have contributed to the dismissal of the brand’s creative director.
But the company has stuck with the plan, releasing a highly stylized concept car called the Type 00. Rather than touring the auto show circuit with the concept car, as automakers usually do, Jaguar spent much of the last year bringing the Type 00 Concept to art-world events like Miami’s Art Week.
The company explains, “In Jaguar Type 01, the ‘0’ represents electric propulsion and zero tailpipe emissions,” while “‘1’ denotes its status as the first Jaguar of a new era.”
It will appear this coming weekend in Monaco ahead of a Formula E race. In the meantime, a teaser photo the brand has released shows little. The car won’t be a direct copy of the 00 Concept, as the photo shows a diagonal edge to the false grille that appeared rectangular on that model.
But a press release calls it a “luxury 4-door GT,” an industry term meaning grand tourer – a luxury car with near-sports-car performance, typically tuned slightly more for road-trip comfort than for track days.
We’ll bring you more after the race.
