Jaguar unveils all-electric Type 01 GT - but is it too big for London?

Jaguar has revealed the first model in its radical reinvention, the Type 01, taking the covers off the electric four-door GT that will lead its move upmarket. With a massive 1,016bhp and an expected maximum range of 450 miles, there’s plenty to get people talking about beyond its looks.

Before the big unveil in the Big Apple, I spent time in the Type 01 exploring the new car inside and out and seeing what it can do on the road with Jaguar’s chassis expert Matt Becker at the wheel of a disguised prototype. I was surprised by how nimble this big, heavy car felt, while it stayed comfortable on the rougher roads around JLR’s test track, too. That offered an encouraging answer to a question all the arguments about its styling couldn’t settle: would it still feel like a Jaguar?

The harder question is whether customers will be prepared to pay much more for one. According to Jaguar MD Rawdon Glover, prices are expected to have a ‘centre of gravity’ around the £125,000 mark. That’s a sizeable leap for the brand, with a lot depending on whether buyers are prepared to come along.

The new Jaguar Type 01 has been designed, developed and will be built in the UK

Jaguar

The engineering team’s reference point was the old V12-engined XJC, chosen for the way it mixed pace with a comfortable ride. Becker said, “At its best, Jaguar has always delivered two characters – performance and refinement.”

There’s certainly no shortage of the former. Three electric motors, one at the front and two at the back, make this Jaguar’s most powerful road car. It reaches 62mph from rest in 3.2 seconds, but the engineers are equally interested in the four seconds needed to get from 62–112mph. They want acceleration in reserve, rather than everything being about the initial getaway. Air suspension and adaptive dampers help balance that performance with comfort.

For London, though, the rear-wheel steering could be particularly useful. Despite being 5,235mm long, the Type 01 has an 11,500mm wall-to-wall turning circle, comparable to a compact family car. That’s a useful bit of help when you’re tackling a multi-storey rather than a test track.

Jaguar’s entirely new underpinnings were developed to fit a big battery without making the car tall. Some cells sit ahead of the passenger compartment, protected by a new crash structure, while spaces within the underfloor pack give rear passengers somewhere to put their feet. To help make the most of each charge, the rear electric motors can also switch off when cruising, leaving the front one to do the work.

That headline range comes from a 118kWh usable battery. Jaguar also quotes up to 320 miles at a steady 75mph if you ever get the chance, giving a better indication of its long-distance ambitions. At a suitable 350kW rapid charger, Jaguar says up to 200 miles can be added in as little as 13 minutes, with a 10–80 per cent charge taking around 22 minutes.

Slower AC charging sockets are fitted on both sides, which should make lining up alongside a kerbside charger less of a faff. Jaguar’s app can find available chargers and bring payments for participating networks together on one monthly bill.

The Jaguar Type 01 may be over five meters long, but it’ll only seat four people - in luxury, though

Jaguar

None of this means Jaguar has retreated on design. The now infamous advert without a car in November 2024, and the pink and blue Type 00 concept at Miami Art Week the following month, split opinion over the brand’s future. Some welcomed the change, while others wondered whether Jaguar was abandoning its identity. The Type 01 makes those ideas a production reality, with four doors instead of the concept’s two.

Its roof is just 1,403mm high, the bonnet stretches out ahead and 23-inch wheels are standard. There’s still no rear window, while the famous Jaguar leaper survives on the side finishers. Getting the sharp creases around the rear side window into metal took more than 1,500 hours of work and a pressing machine four storeys high – Jaguar calls that section the Impossible Panel.

There’s even a London Red paint inspired by the capital’s redbrick buildings and gallery walls. It joins French Ultramarine Blue in the Chromatic Moments collection, limited to 60 cars worldwide between the two colours.

The Jaguar Type 01’s interior is minimalist with no buttons, just touchscreens to control everything

Jaguar

The driving position comes as something of a surprise: for once, I was inclined to raise the seat. I generally prefer sitting low, but Jaguar has already taken care of that and if you don’t raise the seat it can feel like you’re sitting in a bath tub. A divider running the length of the cabin separates the four seats, all heated and cooled, with massage functions in the front. For luggage, a powered tailgate reveals more than 450 litres of space, rising to 1,000 litres when the rear seats fold.

I also got on well with the substitute for that missing rear window. Rather than putting a camera screen where the mirror would normally hang, Jaguar places it at the bottom of the windscreen. That extra distance suits my long-sighted eyes better than a display close to my face.

The rear-view screen shares its home with a soundbar, part of a 38-speaker Meridian system that can make the front seats pulse along to your music. A 24-inch display handles instruments and infotainment, with smaller, seven-inch, phone-like touchscreens front and rear for everyday adjustments. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are included, and software can be updated remotely.

On the road, Jaguar has aimed for the Type 01 to feel like a classic Jaguar XJC. It feels comfortable and surprisingly nimble for a big car

Jaguar

But Jaguar isn’t simply trying to sell another fast, comfortable car. Rawdon Glover describes its expected price positioning as “double where we were”. He sees room between the premium market, which he puts at up to £120,000, and luxury cars at £300,000 and beyond. The GT was picked to change perceptions, not to become the company’s biggest seller. That explains why the first car of this new generation isn’t an SUV; Jaguar wants to establish its new position before the rest of the range follows.

Production will be at Solihull, with orders expected to open early in 2027 and deliveries following in the second half of the year. Glover is also emphatic about getting quality right. At these prices, keeping customers happy long after the handover will be every bit as important as persuading them through the showroom door. My time in the car was encouraging; now Jaguar needs that enthusiasm to survive a look at the price list.