Jaguar’s new four-door electric grand tourer pairs dramatic proportions with up to 1,030PS, 1,365Nm and an expected range of up to 720km. Subtle it most certainly is not

Jaguar had courted controversy with its woke rebranding, and the unveiling of the Type 00 Concept. What spawned from that is the new Type 01 — The first production new Jaguar, and nothing about it is mellow.

A luxury four-door electric grand tourer, the Type 01 combines a long bonnet, low roofline, sweeping silhouette and ginormo-enormous 23-inch wheels. It is the first production Jaguar to embody the brand’s new design philosophy, which it calls ‘exuberant modernism’.

That is quite a name for a design brief, but the result certainly isn’t short on drama. Jaguar says the Type 01 will be unmistakable from every angle, and its proportions suggest that subtlety was never the objective.

More importantly, this isn’t just a styling exercise. Beneath the bodywork sits a dedicated electric vehicle architecture, three electric motors and enough power to make some supercars sit up a little straighter.

A new Jaguar, from the ground up

The Type 01 is built on Jaguar’s bespoke Jaguar Electrical Architecture (JEA), developed specifically to deliver the car’s distinctive proportions and performance.

That matters because electric cars can sometimes look as though their designers have had to negotiate with a battery pack before being allowed to draw anything interesting. Jaguar says its new architecture allows the battery to extend ahead of the passenger compartment, helping preserve the low roofline and long bonnet without compromising battery capacity.

The 118kWh battery is integrated into the structure, contributing to body rigidity and helping create a low centre of gravity. The chassis uses 73 per cent aluminium and has a quoted torsional rigidity of 51.7kN/deg.

Jaguar also says more than 360 patent applications were filed during the Type 01’s development. Among the engineering highlights is its Tri-Apex Node front body structure, designed to accommodate additional battery cells while helping manage impact forces.

The result is a car that measures 5,235mm in length, yet has a claimed turning circle of just 11.5 metres. Rear-wheel steering turns the rear axle by up to six degrees, helping the large GT feel more manageable at low speeds while improving stability at higher speeds.

Power in reserve, and then some

The Type 01 uses a tri-motor electric drivetrain, with one motor at the front and two at the rear. Together, they deliver up to 1,030PS and 1,365Nm of torque, making this the most powerful Jaguar road car according to the manufacturer.

The quoted century sprint takes just 3.2 seconds, while accelerating from 100km/h to 180km/h takes a claimed four seconds. Jaguar’s stated philosophy is to provide effortless performance throughout the speed range, rather than simply chasing a headline-grabbing launch figure.

At a steady 100km/h, the company says the car uses only two per cent of its available power. The rest, presumably, is waiting for the driver to find a suitable stretch of road and a suitably understanding passenger.

The system also uses intelligent torque vectoring to distribute power where it is needed, with control technology informed by Jaguar’s Formula E racing programme. Its integrated traction management system is claimed to reduce torque reaction time at each wheel from 100 milliseconds to as little as one millisecond.

Jaguar has also developed a system that can deactivate the rear motors when their performance is not required, switching to single-axle operation during cruising. This is intended to improve efficiency and contribute up to 18 additional miles of range.

The Type 01’s driving character can be tailored through Jaguar Drive Control, with Jaguar, Dynamic, Efficient and Ice & Snow modes, plus a Curated setting for a personalised setup.

Land Rover Defender 110 5.0 Review: The One with Old-World Charm

An electric GT that can go the distance

The Type 01’s 118kWh battery uses an 850-volt electrical architecture. Jaguar quotes an expected range of up to 450 miles, or approximately 720km, under WLTP testing, while the US EPA figure is expected to reach up to 400 miles.

For longer journeys, the company says the car can cover up to 320 miles at sustained highway speeds. As always, actual range will depend on driving style, weather, road conditions and other factors.

Battery temperature management is handled by Jaguar’s ThermAssist system, which redistributes thermal energy between the battery, electric motors and cabin. The aim is to improve efficiency, preserve battery performance and reduce charging times without requiring the driver to intervene.

The battery has also undergone testing in extreme conditions, including repeated immersion of a hot pack in ice-cold water. Jaguar says its battery management software can isolate an individual cell in as little as five milliseconds if a safety issue is detected.

Jaguar quotes an eight-year or 100,000-mile battery warranty. Exact warranty terms will depend on the market.

Design with the details hidden in plain sight

The Type 01’s exterior is defined by clean surfaces, a long bonnet and a distinctive new front-end treatment. Its slim digital LED headlights measure just 84mm high, with 17,000 pixels in each headlight, while the new four-light signature establishes a different visual identity for the brand.

Active aerodynamic vanes at the front open when cooling is required, while a three-stage deployable rear spoiler appears when needed. Together with the carefully shaped body, these features contribute to a claimed drag coefficient of 0.23Cd, making the Type 01 the most aerodynamic Jaguar to date.

One of the more unusual engineering features is the rear quarter panel, which undergoes a six-stage pressing process to achieve its sculpted shape. Jaguar calls it the ‘Impossible Panel’, and it also forms part of a design approach that allows frameless doors to close directly against the body, with the glass seals hidden from view.

The long gap between the front axle and the front door — a characteristic of classic Jaguars — measures 898mm. Jaguar calls this the ‘luxury gap’, and says it accounts for 17 per cent of the car’s total length, almost the same proportion as the E-type.

It is a small but telling detail. Even as Jaguar moves towards an all-electric future, it wants its new cars to retain a visual connection with the models that made the badge desirable in the first place.

Four individual spaces

Inside, the Type 01 takes a similarly distinctive approach. A central spine runs the length of the cabin, dividing it into four individual spaces, while brass-inspired trim elements emphasise the car’s long, low proportions.

The driver gets a 24-inch OLED display that combines instrumentation and infotainment, alongside a separate seven-inch touchscreen between the front occupants for frequently used functions. Rear passengers have another seven-inch display in the centre console to control comfort settings.

The cabin also features a full-width Panoramic Soundbar at the base of the windscreen, forming part of Jaguar’s immersive audio system. The arrangement removes the need for conventional speakers in the front doors, allowing the interior surfaces to remain clean and uninterrupted.

There is more to the cabin than screens and clever audio, thankfully. The seats are electrically adjustable, heated and cooled, with a hot-stone massage function. A panoramic glass roof with an adjustable virtual blind is standard according to the press kit, while the rear seats can also be heated and cooled.

Materials include leather or Ultrafabrics NeoGrain, alongside Kvadrat textile and recycled-content flooring. Three interior colourways are offered, including a special ‘Original Story’ combination created for the first ‘Curated by Jaguar’ Design Vision edition.

The boot offers more than 450 litres of luggage space, expanding to 1,000 litres with the rear seats folded.

A new chapter, with familiar ambitions

The Type 01 represents a significant change for Jaguar, but the stated ambition remains familiar: a car that balances performance with refinement, and that makes every journey feel like an occasion.

Jaguar has made no secret of its desire to reinvent the brand for a new era. The Type 01 is the first production car to put that ambition into practice, with a design that is deliberately distinctive.

Whether it can deliver the right balance of comfort, engagement and everyday usability remains a question for a proper test drive (so this one is definitely worth the wait). For now, one thing is clear: the Type 01 has no intention of being mistaken for anything else.

Photos: Jaguar