Jaguar Type 00 Concept: Rebooting In Magenta
Jaguar is at a critical point, currently building no new cars save the F-Pace SUV while it focuses on a reinvention it hopes will finally banish the oblivion that has been hounding it for decades. Now we have our first look at the brand’s next incarnation: the Type 00 concept, revealed Tuesday at Miami Art Week.
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An imposing, windowless fastback coupe with minimalist slab sides and a mail-slot greenhouse, the Type 00 (pronounced “zero zero”) is, given Jaguar’s current situation, even more of a statement than the typical concept car. The first “0” stands for zero emissions, as Jaguar’s future — whatever form it may ultimately take — will be as an all-electric brand. The second “0” denotes the Type 00 as “car zero” in the brand’s new lineage. Jaguar didn’t say so, but revealing the concept in magenta and baby blue (Miami Pink and London Blue) imparts the feel of a fabulous gender reveal fitting for such a momentous rebirth.
Exaggerated Exaggeration
While certain elements of the Type 00 concept are unlikely to translate to production, its proportions are consistent with those of camouflaged prototypes the brand has teased — the long hood, bluff front end and fastback styling are clearly shared. Versions of the Type 00’s panoramic moonroof and full-width taillights integrated into strakes across the rear bodywork also seem viable on a production car, though the 23-inch wheels would probably have to be scaled down.
Jaguar has also unveiled a new typography that will define its next generation, with a fresh “Jaguar” wordmark and new logos that rely heavily on brass. On the Type 00, Jaguar’s traditional “leaper” hood ornament migrates aft of the front wheels, where it’s laser etched onto brass plates that deploy outward to expose rear-facing cameras.
Along with travertine stone, brass is also used extensively in the concept’s minimalist interior, with three longitudinal bands of the malleable metal running the length of the cabin. And whereas the proliferation of ambient lighting and scent diffusers have inspired interior designers from numerous brands to develop customizable interior ambiences, the Type 00 takes that idea a step further: Rather than select their atmosphere by spinning an infotainment dial, the Type 00’s driver does so by selecting one of three “totems” (brass, alabaster or travertine) from a case and plugging it into a receptacle in the center console like Thanos fitting the Infinity Stones into his ring. The car responds by adapting the ambient lighting and scent, as well as soundscape and screen graphics, accordingly.
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The Type 01?
Stone totems seem to present a problem in crash tests, and brass and travertine aren’t the lightest materials, so the Type 00’s exuberant interior design likely will be scaled back in the translation to production car. But like the Type 00 concept, the first production Jaguar of this new era, a four-door GT, will ride on a dedicated electric architecture dubbed JEA (yes, that stands for Jaguar Electric Architecture). The brand says it’s targeting a range of 430 miles in EPA testing and the ability to add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes with DC fast charging.
Jaguar will reveal that model — which probably will not be called the Type 01 — in late 2025. The brand’s comprehensive reinvention will cover not only its cars and typefaces, but its distribution model, too. The marque will break out of its shared Jaguar Land Rover showrooms in favor of a network of exclusive dealerships. Continuing in the art and fashion vein of the Type 00’s Miami Art Week debut, the first of these dealerships will be in Paris’s iconic 8th arrondissement. Let’s hope this combination of product and marketing can finally find Jaguar the buyers it needs to sustain itself in the sustainable age.
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