Jaguar unveils £130,000 electric car in British brand’s reboot

Jaguar presented the first model of its new fully electric lineup, a £130,000 (US$172,000) grand tourer aimed at breathing new life into the storied British brand.

Orders for the Type 01 will open in early 2027, more than two years after Jaguar stopped selling new cars in the UK as part of a decision to overhaul the marque with new branding and limit it to luxury EVs.

It will target younger customers — a change for a nameplate known for being popular with middle-aged men and the go-to car for British prime ministers.

The new model, the first in eight years, arrives at a key moment for Jaguar after a radical rebranding in 2024 was met with criticism.

A video released at the time to build anticipation prompted mixed reviews when it was devoid of vehicles and featured expressionless fashion models.

First—look footage of the Type 01 published on YouTube has also triggered a range of responses, including “boring” and “looks like a generic modern Chinese EV,” as well as “beautiful” and “fabulous”.

The official unveiling on Tuesday evening in New York follows similarly mixed receptions for other luxury EVs.

Ferrari NV’s first electric model, the Luce, was widely panned, while Volkswagen AG’s Bentley brand sought to steer clear of design controversy by sticking with a traditional look for its first fully battery-powered car.

Unlike Ferrari, Jaguar was in need of a drastic reboot. Its parent, Jaguar Land Rover Automotive Plc (JLR), owned by India’s Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles Ltd, had for years focused on its more profitable Land Rover and Range Rover sport utility vehicles with growing sales in the US.

By contrast, the Jaguar brand was fading, with annual sales of 66,900 in its final full year before it went into hibernation.

That was barely a third of what it produced after it launched the I-Pace, its most recent new model, in 2018.

Still, halting production completely is an unusual move from a carmaker, even when it’s overhauling the brand.

Jaguar ended production of all its models in 2024, apart from F-Pace SUVs, which it continued to make in the UK for export.

Jaguar, which traces its roots to 1922 and is known for classic cars like the iconic E-Type, “is a vital part of JLR’s growth story,” CEO PB Balaji said in a statement. The company initially announced its EV-only direction in early 2021.

It picked a venue in New York for the unveiling as it sees the US as a key market for the Type 01.

That’s as EV skepticism among US buyers remains entrenched, including at the luxury end of the market.

Even in Europe, where EVs are more prevalent, there’s still some nervousness about going fully electric, though sales have risen this year due to higher fuel prices and thanks to the return of incentives in key countries like Germany.

Some European brands, such as VW and Mercedes-Benz Group AG, have dialed back early pronouncements about making exclusively EVs after demand waned, only to find it recovering again.

The Jaguar Type 01 will be made at its Solihull plant, with electric drive units and battery packs produced in nearby Wolverhampton.

The EV will travel as far as 400 miles (644km) on a single charge, with 200 miles of range added in 13 minutes with rapid charging. The Type 01 can reach 62 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds.

The new Jaguar is “another big vote of confidence in our world-class automotive industry,” UK business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said in a statement.

It follows recent investment pledges by McLaren Automotive Ltd and Nissan Motor Co.

At the same time, JLR is cutting around 4,000 jobs as Britain’s largest carmaker grapples with challenges including US tariffs, the fallout from a cyberattack that crippled production, and intense competition, including from Chinese manufacturers. It also just unveiled its first electric Range Rover.

The new Jaguar brand is only expected to produce in small volumes, rather than return to historic levels.

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