Jaguar's electric Type 01 aims for fans who want something different

Jaguar has given a closer look at the Type 01, its new all-electric grand tourer. The car starts at about £130,000 (around $174,250) and produces more than 1,000 horsepower. In interviews with The National, senior figures at the British car maker said the design is deliberately meant to divide opinion.

“Jaguar is back,” managing director Rawdon Glover told the publication. He added that the team is eager to see how people react to the car.

The Type 01 has been six years in development. It follows the Type 00 concept, unveiled two years ago, whose bold styling and colourful rebrand got a mixed response. The production car stays close to that concept, which is unusual in an industry where showroom models often look much tamer than the show cars before them.

Glover described the buyers Jaguar now has in mind as younger, more urban and wealthier. He said they care about design and want brands that set them apart. The move points the company towards a lower-volume, higher-price model, a change from its earlier focus on selling in larger numbers.

Carlee Hardacre, Jaguar's global head of marketing, linked the approach to the brand's history. She recalled that some people disliked the E-Type when it launched 65 years ago, while Enzo Ferrari called it the most beautiful car. “We decided that the worst thing would be to make a car that everyone thinks is all right but nobody really wants to buy,” she said.

Customer research seems to back up the gamble. Jaguar asked about 5,000 potential buyers around the world to score the car from one to 10. According to Hardacre, it received both the most ones and the most 10s in the company's history of such surveys.

Beneath the styling there is plenty of engineering. Jaguar says the Type 01 is its fastest and most aerodynamic car to date, and its development produced about 360 new patent applications. Unlike many electric cars, which carry all their battery cells under the cabin, the Type 01 places about a sixth of them at the front.

The company says this gives an even 50/50 weight balance and adds range. It also allows a lower roofline and more rear legroom. To make it work safely, engineers developed a structure called the Tri-Apex Node. Jaguar says it can absorb 26 tonnes of force in a head-on collision.

For Gulf drivers who already pay premium prices for performance cars, the Type 01 offers another high-end electric option. Jaguar has not yet given regional pricing or delivery dates.