Jaguar’s new electric concept car is dividing opinions

Luxury car manufacturer Jaguar has unveiled its new electric concept car and, like a recent controversial teaser video, has divided opinions.

Some on social media said the new Type 00 car was “exciting” and “absolutely stunning”, while another told Jaguar designers to go “back to the drawing board”.

The carmaker, which is facing the biggest change in its history, announced a new logo and released a so-called “social media tease” last month before relaunching as an all-electric brand.

Many critics pointed out that the promotional video didn’t feature a real car, but some also praised the company for its bold new approach.

Last month, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) stopped selling new Jaguar cars in the UK ahead of its relaunch as an all-electric brand in 2026.

Sales of its cars have fallen sharply in recent years, and some have argued that the rebrand is a gamble with limited downside because the company’s traditional image doesn’t seem to be working.

The Type 00 model, presented at an art fair in Miami, is a concept car and therefore will not go into production and be sold to the public.

However, there is a clue as to the direction of the brand’s new models, which are expected to cost over £100,000 when they go on sale.

Gerry McGovern, Jaguar’s chief creative officer, said he welcomed the attention Jaguar’s new direction had received.

“It has already stirred emotions and will continue to do so,” he said. “Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everyone.”

Automotive analyst Karl Brauer was skeptical. The company appears to be “sacrificing Jaguar’s past for hopes of a better future,” he told the BBC. “I don’t think it will work.”

Last month, the company urged people to “trust and reserve judgment” as it renamed the company, which has a history spanning more than a century.

“Too big”

Beatrix Keim, director of the Center of Automotive Research, told the BBC that Jaguar’s concept car was “too big, too unreal.”

“This is not the right way,” she said, since there are already big cars on the market and “electric cars can’t just be for the rich.”

“Of course Jaguar is a luxury brand,” she added. “But I don’t think that’s the direction Jaguar needs at this point because it’s also losing volume. And this is not a volume car.”

But Andy Palmer, a former Aston Martin boss and former Nissan chief operating officer, said Jaguar needed to change as it had “failed as a brand for a long time”.

He called the new design “a bold change in direction,” although he agreed it was “huge.”

“The rhetoric around electric cars has to be a way to make the cars more affordable,” he said. “Jaguar is an outlier.”

However, he added: “Good luck. I really hope it works.”

JLR said the decision to stop selling new Jaguar cars in the UK last month was a deliberate move to “create some breathing room” before unveiling the new look.

The company announced it would switch to electric vehicles in 2021 and kept all three UK plants open as part of the strategy.

Jaguar has been the weakest link within the JLR Group, which has been owned by Tata Motors for almost a decade.

In 2018, Jaguar sold 180,000 cars, but last year it was down to 67,000.

The Range Rover and Land Rover Defender were responsible for JLR’s highest profits since 2015, announced earlier this year.