Jaguar EV-TYPE trademark signals electric sports car on way

Jaguar has been caught registering the name 'Jaguar EV-TYPE' as a trademark, dropping the largest hint yet that it plans to reinvent the ageing F-TYPE as a zero-emissions sports car.

News that the 'EV-TYPE' trademark was applied for in February not only supports rumours the Jaguar F-TYPE will switch to electric power, but also fuels speculation among enthusiasts that the car being planned is the long-awaited spiritual successor to the E-Type sold during the 1960s and 1970s.

It's thought the sports car Jaguar is plotting could ditch the F-TYPE's front-engine, rear-drive configuration in favour of a sportier mid-engine layout that could take inspiration from the still-born C-X75 supercar that came close to entering production back in 2010.

If a mid-engine layout is green-lit, a powerful petrol-hybrid version could also be developed.

In another indication of what it might release in the future, Jaguar last year unveiled the Vision Gran Turismo Coupe – a concept made exclusively for the PlayStation gaming franchise, but one now tipped to preview what the car-maker plans next.

That car, as well as boasting big power from its quad 650kW electric motors, clearly took influence and design elements from both the C-X75 and the F-TYPE.

What could kill the future EV-TYPE from seeing the light of day is the car-maker currently lacks a suitable platform for a low-slung electric sports car.

That problem could be solved if parent Jaguar Land Rover forges a closer technical alliance with German car-maker BMW, with which it already has a powertrain-sharing agreement.

If so, a replacement for the discontinued BMW i8 could share its platform and tech with the next EV-TYPE.

There's no word on when we'll see the new EV-TYPE, but it's thought the current, recently facelifted F-TYPE will only soldier on for two more years before it's pensioned off, meaning the zero-emission Jaguar EV-TYPE could be here as soon as 2023.