The Jaguar Type 00 has been revealed as the British brand's long-awaited concept that sets the tone for its future electric production cars.
Revealed at Miami Art Week, the concept-coupe introduces a brand new design language and is one of the most important cars the marque has shown the world since it began operating over 90 years ago.
In profile, it is similar to the Jaguar E-Type, a car that many people cite as a leader in the reinvention of Jaguar design. It might not be a production car, but Jaguar has admitted that the production car is very similar in design to the Type 00.
Its design is quite simple, almost flat in places. But its curves and shapes are positioned where they need to be in order to improve aerodynamics and make it as sleek and opulent as Jaguar's customers expect it to be. Its frontal area is also quite small, and it sits very close to the ground.
It ditches a rear window in favour of a system of cameras that feed to digital rear- and side-view mirrors inside.
The car has a bluff front, and the front grille has been replaced by Jaguar's new 16-bar Strike Through design. This also features atop the long bonnet and it flows through the raked windscreen onto the top of the dashboard. The lines also feature on the huge, 23in alloy wheels.
The final production car will sit on Jaguar's bespoke EV platform, called JEA. It will allow all future electric Jaguars to travel up to 430 miles and add 200 miles of range within 15 minutes of charging. Jaguar has not yet disclosed the size of the Type 00's battery, but it is likely to be larger than 100kWh.
Inside, there is enough space for two people in elegantly designed bucket seats, constructed in a way that avoids visible stitching. There is also a surface on the centre console that features genuine stone and a brass spine that runs along the length of the cabin.
The upholstery is cream-coloured and made from modern, sustainable textiles such as Kvadrat (which is already popular in production Land Rover Defenders and Range Rovers).
The door releases are in the roof console next to a long panoramic roof, and you can change the driving modes by dropping a brass token into a slot into the centre console.
The doors themselves are forward-hinged dihedral, and the whole car is built on a shorter-than-production wheelbase, which tells us that the forthcoming saloon will be even longer.
As reported by Move Electric's sister title Autocar, the customer base Jaguar is targeting with this car will primarily be "young, connected, cash rich and time poor" people, according to its design chief Gerry McGovern.
"Our product will be game-changing," he said. "Up to 430 miles of range, and in excess of 200 miles of charge possible in 15 minutes. That makes it fundamentally different from what's on the market today."
