Jaguar has accelerated its controversial transformation into an all-electric luxury brand, unveiling what it describes as one of the most anticipated new cars in recent automotive history.
The 91-year-old British marque made a dramatic break with its past in December last year when it ended sales of every petrol- and diesel-powered model.
Its radical rebrand triggered a wave of criticism, including attacks from Donald Trump, after Jaguar released a so-called ‘woke’ campaign featuring androgynous models in vivid avant-garde outfits — without displaying a car at all.
The latest chapter arrived in New York, where the company unveiled the production Type 01 during a spectacular city takeover. Jaguar says the electric grand tourer will reposition the brand as a higher-end manufacturer focused on selling fewer, more expensive vehicles.
With an estimated starting price of about £120,000, the new Jaguar will cost roughly twice as much on average as the combustion-engined cars it replaces.
The electric model features huge 23-inch wheels, more than 1,000 horsepower and a claimed real-world driving range of up to 400 miles.
Measuring an imposing 5.2 metres from nose to tail, the four-door grand tourer can sprint from rest to 62mph in just 3.2 seconds. Jaguar insists the Type 01 will ‘never arrive unnoticed’.
Jaguar’s daring electric rebirth: The British brand has unveiled its new Type 01 four-door GT car, with customer deliveries expected from next year
The reveal comes nearly two years after Jaguar announced its sweeping rebrand in November 2024. That campaign used fashion-led imagery and slogans including ‘Copy Nothing’, ‘Delete Ordinary’, ‘Break Moulds’ and ‘Live Vivid’ — while deliberately keeping its cars out of view.
Jaguar also confirmed plans to retire its famous ‘growler’ emblem, depicting a snarling jaguar, as part of a move towards a more modern visual identity.
Two weeks later, the company intensified the debate by showing the Type 00, an electric concept previewing its future zero-emission range. The show car was finished in a striking Barbie-style satin pink.
The strategy provoked an unusually strong response from loyal owners, members of the public and prominent figures such as Elon Musk and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage.
US President Trump branded the rebrand ‘seriously woke’ and called it a ‘total disaster’, claiming Jaguar had been left in ‘absolute turmoil’.
However, after the Type 01 was finally unveiled in New York last night, managing director Rawdon Glover told the Daily Mail that he believed the car would connect with younger buyers in cities — particularly those who ‘want to make a strong statement about themselves’.
At the same time, he accepted that the electric saloon’s dramatic proportions and divisive styling would not appeal to every potential customer.
He said: ‘I am worldly enough to know that for some people it’s perhaps too bold. And that’s OK.’
The bold electric saloon is expected to cost from around £120,000, while higher-specification versions could rise above £150,000
Jaguar bosses say the plan is to secure the future of the 90-year-old British marque by repositioning it as a luxury brand that sells fewer cars at higher prices
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Has Jaguar turned its back on its heritage by pursuing wealthy buyers with a daring new electric design?
The company previously stated it expects 85 per cent of customers buying its next generation of EVs to be new to the brand as the carmaker veers in an entirely different direction in terms of powertrain, styling and price.
But its managing director says some 50,000 people have already expressed an interest in being ‘kept informed’ about Type 01’s availability, with 78 per cent non-Jaguar owners, suggesting a slightly higher retention rate than originally predicted.
‘Jaguar was absolutely at a crossroads. We realised we needed to make some really big decisions about where we went next with the brand,’ Glover said.
‘Our client base was shrinking and ageing. That’s not a great combination. And if you look at the commercial performance of the Jaguar brand, all those things pointed us in one direction.
‘We had to do something much bolder and take a very big step forward.’
The Type 01 is the most aerodynamic Jaguar ever and is just 4ft 6in high, with battery-cooling vanes at the front and a spoiler at the rear.
It is also the structurally stiffest and most powerful road car the company has produced.
The monumental 5.2m-long four-door grand tourer will ‘never arrive unnoticed,’ Jaguar says
A tri-motor setup, with two electric motors at the rear and one at the front, produces 1,015 horsepower and 1,035 Newton metres of torque, with drive sent to all four wheels.
Even more impressive than its 0 to 60mph time is its acceleration from 62 to 112mph, which takes just four seconds – the result of Jaguar’s focus on reviving a tradition of delivering cars with ‘power in reserve’.
At its heart is a 118kWh battery that delivers up to 450 miles of range under the official WLTP test cycle used to ratify all new models entering showrooms.
But Jaguar says its own tests show the Type 01 will cover 400 miles in real-world conditions and as much as 320 miles when driven continuously at motorway speeds.
Its 850-volt charging set-up also gives it the ability to add 200 miles of range in just 13 minutes.
Customers will be able to place orders from early 2027, with first deliveries expected after the middle of the year. Glover says it will not be the best-selling model in Jaguar’s forthcoming line-up, but it will be the most striking.
It will be built in Solihull, and although annual production output has not been disclosed, the volume will be a fraction of the petrol Jaguars produced in recent years.
It will undoubtedly by joined by a Type 02 and possibly a Type 03 model in the coming years, one of which is almost certain to be an SUV.
At just 1.4m high, built on a bespoke platform and using a tri-motor setup, the Type 01 is the most aerodynamic, stiffest and most powerful Jaguar road car ever
Jaguar Type 01: Design
The Daily Mail and This is Money were granted early access to the new Type 01 a few weeks before the New York reveal. In fact, it was the third time we’d seen the car without it being decked out in camouflage.
And, without question, it will be the sheer scale and polarising design of the electric four-door saloon that generates the most conversation and controversy.
Jaguar says the EV demanded ‘exuberant proportions’ to create a sense of ‘drama from every angle’.
This is amplified by the Type 01’s monolithic body, which features expansive panels with few shut lines to create a reductive, sculpturesque appearance.
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The slab-fronted grille, elongated bonnet and visor-like frameless windows (the doors are frameless too) accentuate its vast size, as does the slimline four-light arrangement at the front. These are just 84mm height (the narrowest headlights ever on a Jag) that each contain 17,000 pixels.
The absence of a rear window only serves to further exaggerate its epic dimensions.
Yet it also looks planted on the road.
This is largely thanks to its colossal 23in wheels, fitted as standard, which account for more than half of the Type 01’s total height and give the impression of the car being hunkered down to the ground.
The face of the car features four incredibly narrow lights. The design team at Jaguar says this is to make it distinctive when you seen it coming up behind you on the motorway at night
Measuring in at 17ft in length – much of that being its enormous, flat bonnet – it’s as big as a long-wheel-base Range Rover
The leaper logo’s strikethrough design is carried across elements of the car, including the top of the bonnet and running seamlessly into the cockpit at the top of the dashboard
I can tell you there is some subtlety to the design that you’ll only begin to appreciate when you see the Jag in the metal.
There’s a curvature to the doors that photographs of the satin-silver car almost disguise, while the ‘Impossible Panel’ – the three-metre-long section of bodywork that meets at numerous angles to create an arrowhead-like indentation in the rear quarter panel – is nothing short of a work of art.
The redesigned Leaper logo’s strikethrough element is also carried across various sections of the car, not just the bronze-effect aluminium signatures behind the front wheel arches.
The batten-style hallmark is used for both the front grille and rear light cluster, with the brake lights and indicators concealed within the upper sections (a third brake light sits flush in the tailgate above the active spoiler).
These straight lines are mirrored from the top edge of the bonnet onto the upper section of the cockpit to create a sense of continuity. And the motif is repeated on the door mirrors and the interior rear panel leading into the 450-litre boot compartment that’s a modern twist of the classic E-Type’s stowage area.
One of the most impressive design features of Type 01 is the ‘Impossible Panel’ above the rear wheels where the aluminium bodywork meets at three different angles. Jaguar had to create a bespoke body press to create it
The batten-style strikethrough hallmark has inspired both the grille and rear light cluster, with the brake lights and indicators concealed within the upper sections
With a drag coefficient of 0.23Cd, this is the most aerodynamic Jaguar ever.
Not only does it better the F-Type Coupé (0.34Cd), it’s not far short of the slipperiest production car on the market, the American electric Lucid Air, which has a Cd figure of 0.197.
Glover says Jaguar will retain some control over the specification and finish of the initial cars delivered to clients, with customers able to choose from a range of satin and gloss paint finishes.
Well-heeled buyers willing to wait a few months are likely to gain access to JLR’s bespoke personalisation programme, where they can add individual touches and create unique paint finishes, all at a premium, of course.
My opinion on the looks
Jaguar has been incredibly open about the fact that this car isn’t going to be to everyone’s taste.
In fact, I get the distinct impression it’s expecting plenty of criticism, especially after the furore surrounding its controversial rebrand announcement two years ago and accusations that it had turned its back on almost a century of heritage.
However, Jaguar’s top brass remain steadfast in their belief that the Type 01 and the company’s wider strategy represent far more than a change in powertrain. This is a complete transformation of the brand’s identity.
It no longer wants to be a mainstream player. Instead, it’s targeting a smaller share of the highly lucrative luxury market.
And with more eyes on Jaguar than ever before, you have to wonder whether there’s really any such thing as bad publicity for this new era of electric Jags.
Motoring Editor Rob Hull is just 5ft7 tall, which shows just how low the Jaguar Type 01’s roof is
Do I personally like the way it looks? In parts, yes. But certainly not in its entirety.
But the question I’ve been asking myself for months is whether I’m Jaguar’s target audience going forward.
Young? Not any more. Urban? Nope. Affluent? I wish. Obsessed with technology? Absolutely not.
So this isn’t a car aimed at me at all.
And that’s precisely why Jaguar couldn’t give two hoots about what I, or anyone else like me, thinks.
Jaguar Type 01: Battery and charging
The total capacity of Type 01’s lithium-ion battery is 120kWh, though just 118kWh is usable. And its safety is monitored constantly.
While the car will be officially ratified with a 450-mile range, Jaguar’s own tests suggest 400 miles is the achievable distances between charges.
That should be enough for its usual client base; its analysis of 920,000 JLR vehicles found that 99.7 per cent of its cars never covered more than 303 miles in one driving stint.
The brand’s advanced battery management software continuously checks the health of every cell. If it detects an overheating issue, Jaguar says it can isolate an individual cell in as little as five milliseconds.
As a result, the Type 01’s battery is covered by an eight-year or 100,000-mile warranty.
It also features JLR’s ThermAssist technology, which is being rolled out across the Range Rover Electric and Range Rover Sport Electric.
This system automatically directs available thermal energy to where it is needed most for maximum efficiency, whether that’s the battery to accelerate charging speeds or the cabin to provide warmth on a winter morning. By transferring heat in this way, the battery cells can be maintained at their optimum operating temperature, helping to extend battery life.
While the Type 01’s 850-volt architecture enables charging speeds of up to 350kW, Jaguar says ultra-rapid chargers capable of delivering that output are not yet widely available in most countries, including the UK.
To address this, the battery features split-charging capability to charge the battery in two sections, allowing up to 250kW from a suitable 400-volt charger.
One clever touch is the inclusion of charging ports on both front wings of the Type 01.
Both support AC charging at up to 22kW, meaning drivers don’t need to worry about which side the charging socket is on when pulling up to a public charger at the roadside or a friend’s home wallbox. The right-hand port also supports DC charging.
Inside, a 24in OLED display stretches from behind the steering wheel to the centre of the dashboard, while minimalist seats and plush fabrics feature throughout
This central spine runs through the centre of the car to split the Type 01’s cabin into four compartments. Inside are cupholders, cubbies and venting for rear passengers
Jaguar Type 01: Interior
We were given an earlier preview of the Type 01’s interior in August.
You can read our full cabin report here.
What we’ve most recently discovered is that
I’ve already driven it…
Daily Mail and This is Money Motoring Editor Rob Hull at the wheel of one of the Jaguar Type 01 prototypes in March
To get a sense of what buyers can expect, I was one of the first people outside Jaguar Land Rover to drive a prototype this year.
The first big surprise is that you sit low within the guts of the chassis, as you would in a traditional sports car. That is unusual among EVs, which typically have a higher driving position due to the battery pack sandwiched in the floor below.
Jaguar has achieved this by ingeniously splitting the battery pack, creating a structural channel that allows the front seats to be mounted lower in the chassis. It also helps explain how the company has managed to keep the roofline exceptionally low.
Having sat inside the finished article, I can tell you that the cockpit is wonderfully luxurious.
A 24in Oled display stretches from behind the steering wheel to the centre of the dashboard, while minimalist seats and plush fabrics feature throughout.
The view behind is beamed from a roof-mounted camera to the dashboard, which also features a 13-speaker soundbar, removing the need for speakers in the doors.
Instead, a further 25 speakers are dotted around the cabin, including in holes in the rear passenger doors and concealed in the roof lining. There are speakers in the headrests too, though these are predominantly for noise cancelling tech to keep the ride hushed.
The front seats pulse with the music you’re listening to.
Rob says that while the Type 01’s looks won’t be to everyone’s taste, the car could be a class leader in terms of long-distance GT cruising in supreme comfort
How did the big cat drive? Well, it didn’t disappoint.
Even when travelling well beyond motorway speeds on JLR’s high-speed bowl in Gaydon, the Type 01 gathers pace with remarkable ease.
There is an abundance of power at your disposal. Even in the comfort ‘Jaguar’ drive mode, the only one of five I was authorised to use (Dynamic, Efficient, Ice & Snow and a personalised ‘Curated Mode’), the nose rises noticeably as the bulk of the car’s 1,000-plus horses are delivered to the rear axle.
It creates the wafting sensation typically associated with half-a-million-pound Rolls-Royces. The sportier drive modes will stiffen everything up considerably and push more power to the rear axle.
Torque vectoring, which distributes power between individual wheels rather than simply across an axle, scans for even the slightest hint of wheelspin 1,000 times per second – a necessary process to ensure this 1,000hp EV continues along its intended trajectory.
Rear-wheel steering makes it feel far more agile than its 5.2-metre length and two-and-a-half-tonne kerb weight would suggest and means it has a tiny turning circle of just 11.5 metres. That’s about the same as a supermini.
Most striking of all, however, is how the Type 01 glides across the road.
Active air suspension keeps the car composed yet beautifully cushioned, delivering a sense of poise that disguises the big Jaguar’s considerable mass.
And it has one of the most cocooned cabins I have experienced at speeds above 100mph.
Without doubt, Type 01 will devour miles in supreme comfort, as any great GT car should.
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