Jaguar’s upcoming electric grand tourer is set to have the same dramatic proportions as the Type 00 concept revealed late last year.
Eschewing the jelly bean look of some other brands, the upcoming electric vehicle (EV) has an extremely long bonnet… even though there’s no V12 under there, just one of the two electric motors.
In fact, Jaguar has made it clear its new Jaguar Electrical Architecture won’t support internal-combustion powertrains, including hybrids.
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The spied prototype differs from the Type 00 in featuring a pair of rear doors, but its proportions are very similar.
That includes not only the long bonnet, but also the short front overhang and fastback roofline.
In all, its styling is more Cadillac Celestiq than, say, Mercedes-Benz EQS. It’s even more brutalist than its bold American rival, and a marked departure from any previous Jaguar.
The production vehicle is set to make its debut in 2026.
Though Jaguar has previously released photos of a camouflaged prototype, it has revealed no technical details apart from saying the car will have a range of up to 700km and an electrical architecture that will enable it to take on 320km of range in just 15 minutes via a DC fast-charger.
It’s expected to feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive powertrain, with a recent Autocar report indicating it could produce 735kW of power in flagship guise – therefore making it the most powerful Jaguar road car ever.
The as-yet unnamed GT will be one of a trio of Jaguar models, expected to include an SUV and a sports car, as Jaguar moves away from its role as a British BMW rival and pursues bigger, pricier targets like Bentley, a move that will also see it produce far fewer vehicles.
Jaguar never got anywhere near selling the 600,000 vehicles a year it needed to be profitable.
The “complete reset” of Jaguar is based on a simple premise: JLR wants to sell fewer Jaguars at higher prices and have them deliver fat profits. And they’ll all be electric, too.
“We made the decision back in 2021 to have an electric architecture dedicated to us,” Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover told Autocar in March.
“There isn’t the opportunity to put a V8 into it or something else. We’re committed to being electric.”
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Type 00 concept -
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According to Mr Glover, “EV will be the right platform for us and the powertrain of choice”, adding “there is no flexibility” for anything other than EVs in the marque’s future.
That’s in contrast with other premium brands like Volvo, which have walked back goals of becoming EV-only by 2030, and Porsche, which is looking to launch a new petrol-powered SUV to sell alongside the electric Macan.
Jaguar is in the process of phasing out its entire current lineup, with the brand no longer selling new cars in its own home market of the UK as of late last year.
Its reinvention as a more exclusive, electric-only brand hasn’t been without controversy. A leaked letter from design staff criticising the rebranding efforts was published by Autocar India, and many Jaguar fans have been vocal about everything from the brand’s latest marketing campaign and even the typeface it’s now using.
