Jaguar Is Awake and in the Pink

The British automaker hasn’t released a new model since 2018 and only builds one today, the F-Pace.That will be going out of production early next year, and then it will take the unusual step of essentially putting the entire brand on hiatus for a year as it prepares for a reboot in 2026 as a high-end maker of electric cars.It can do this because it is part of the recently rebranded JLR with Land Rover, which still has plenty of SUVs to sell. Nevertheless, it is a risky move that Jaguar is leaning into with abandon.It made waves in November when it released a new advertising campaign that featured modernized logos, pastel colors and a cast of actors straight from the DEI central casting office that made it seem more like a luxury fragrance ad than a commercial for a century-old car company. In fact, there was no car.Jaguar released a controversial advertisement prior to the Type 00’s reveal. Courtesy JaguarIt proclaimed “delete ordinary” and “create exhuberant” and was decried as woke by some vocal critics, but it accomplished what it was intended to do: get attention. Which, as they say, is all good.Jaguar took advantage of the spotlight with the debut of an electric concept car at Art Basel Miami, which is precisely the type of event where you’d expect to find the folks from the commercial and the young, hip affluent audience Jaguar is hoping will buy its future products.The Type 00 was revealed on stage painted in bright Miami Pink and London Blue colors that offered a stark contrast to the British Racing Green Jags of old while highlighting its dramatic styling.The car contains three ‘totems’ made of brass, travertine and alabaster. Each adjusts the cabin’s lighting, sound and scent to set a unique ambiance. Courtesy JaguarThe two-door has the profile of a classic sports car with a long hood and a rounded rear end similar to the iconic 1961 Jaguar E-Type’s, if you squint.The Type 00’s slim headlights look like they are doing that and are split by a faux grille that is only a pattern of strakes in the bodywork. Electric cars don’t need grilles, or long hoods for that matter, and both are artifices of internal combustion engine vehicle design.It has another grille-like silver insert over the back bumper, which hides the taillights, and a hatchback with no window. A rearview camera is used instead.The interior is trimmed in brass and travertine. Courtesy JaguarButterfly doors provide entry to the two-seat cabin with minimalist style that is trimmed in brass and travertine. Digital screens for the driver and passenger hide inside the flat dashboard and deploy only when needed.One flight of fancy is a set of three “totems” made of brass, travertine and alabaster that is stored in a compartment on the side of the vehicle. When inserted in the center console, each adjusts the cabin’s lighting, sound and scent (ah, there’s the perfume) to set a unique ambiance.The Type 00 doesn’t have a rear window. Courtesy JaguarJaguar chief creative officer Gerry McGovern said that his team was inspired by the words of company founder William Lyons, who once said “a Jaguar should be a copy of nothing.”“Some may love it now, some may love it later, and some may never love it, and that’s OK,” Mr. McGovern added.An art show wasn’t the venue for sharing boring technical details, but McGovern confirmed that the production version of the car would be the most powerful Jaguar ever with 1,000 hp and a driving range of 430 miles between charges. Pricing is targetted around $125,000, which is a step above where Jaguars have been in recent years.The production version will be a four-door model.Courtesy JaguarThe first car won’t look exactly like the Type 00. It will be a four-door sedan, but images of a camouflaged prototype that Jaguar had previously released suggest that it won’t stray too far from the concept’s style, which sets the tone for a lineup of several models that will follow.“Those of you who know me know that I don’t believe in concepts unless they become a reality,” Mr. McGovern said.Now Jaguar just needs to figure out how to keep everyone’s attention until it does.

Jaguar Is Awake and in the Pink

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