Jaguar unveils first car since controversial rebrand

Gender reveal or new car unveiling?

At first, we weren’t certain either but sure enough, Jaguar has taken the covers off its first vehicle since the controversial rebrand that “nobody likes”, with industry commentators slamming the relaunch, claiming it looks more like a ‘lipstick company’ than a vehicle manufacturer.

While some have taken issue with smaller details like the capital ‘G’ amongst an otherwise lowercase-lettered ‘JaGuar’ logo, others have taken aim at the brand, which has been around since the 1920s, for ‘throwing away’ its heritage.

Others have suggested the marketing team behind the re-launch should try a new career.  

Contentious re-brand aside, Jaguar’s first ‘reimagined’ vehicle has debuted at Miami Art Week as the Type 00 (pronounced Type Zero Zero), and it makes quite the statement, although we reckon that was Jag’s intent.

The concept car sports a bold new look for the now-EV-only brand, with a glass-less rear end, long swooping bonnet, and sleek body said to create a ‘sense of sculpture’.

Just about the only thing new-Jag appears to have adopted from the British marque that brought us the iconic E-Type sports car, as well as other popular models like the XJS, XJR and F-Type, is its ‘Copy Nothing’ ethos.

Oh, and the brand’s iconic leaper mascot, which has been laser-etched into hand-finished brass ingots at either side of the Type 00 is said to ‘theatrically’ deploy to reveal rear-facing cameras when required.

Riding on huge 23-inch wheels, the low-slung four-door GT wears thin LED headlights up front set on either side of an enclosed ‘grille’ sporting the new logo, while another set of LEDs sit low in the front bumper, and the enclosed rear end appears to sport a pair of thin LED lighting strips.

The rump also features a slatted panel, somewhat reminiscent of a rear window louvre your grandfather might’ve had on his Ford Falcon in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, butterfly doors open to reveal a cabin fit for royalty, with a pair of floating seats and hand-finished brass lines that run the length of the interior, one of which splits the two floating instrument panels in the dash.

While the concept Type 00 features just two doors, Jaguar says the first new-generation product will be a four-door GT, due for a late-2025 reveal.

The brand is targeting an electric driving range of up to a whopping 770km (WLTP) and electrical architecture that will allow it to add around 321km of range in around 15 minutes of rapid DC charging.

Jaguar’s new direction will also see it sell cars via exclusive brand stores across the world, the first of which will open in Paris: ‘the heart of the luxury fashion district’.

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