Jaguar’s reborn electric sedan now has a name, and it’s about as daring as a spreadsheet formula. The Type 01, revealed ahead of a September debut, borrows from the storied lineage of D-Type, E-Type, and F-Type — then bolts on a zero and a one like a software version number. The company explains that ‘0’ represents zero tailpipe emissions and ‘1’ marks the first model of its all-electric future.
Fine. But naming conventions don’t sell six-figure luxury cars.
The Type 01 is the production version of last year’s Type 00 concept, a vehicle that polarized the automotive world like few reveals in recent memory. Spy shots confirm the sedan retains the concept’s radical proportions but adds a second pair of doors, a concession to reality that the concept’s dramatic silhouette didn’t require. Jaguar says the name “inaugurates a new era.” What it really inaugurates is a make-or-break gamble on whether anyone still wants a Jaguar.
Underneath that divisive skin sits Jaguar’s new dedicated EV platform, the Jaguar Electric Architecture, packing three electric motors — one driving the front wheels and two at the rear. Combined output reportedly exceeds 1,000 horsepower with roughly 959 lb-ft of torque. A 120 kWh battery pack provides the energy, though Jaguar hasn’t disclosed the cell supplier.
That omission matters more than Jaguar might like. The I-Pace, Jaguar’s first and so far only electric vehicle, earned heaps of praise at launch but became a cautionary tale. Repeated recalls tied to LG-sourced battery packs eroded owner confidence and tarnished what should have been a halo car.
The company killed it off rather than fix the problem. Whoever supplies the Type 01’s cells will carry the weight of that history on their balance sheet — and Jaguar’s reputation on theirs.
The performance numbers sound ferocious on paper. A thousand horsepower in a four-door sedan puts the Type 01 in conversation with the Rimac Nevera, the Lucid Air Sapphire, and the upper reaches of Porsche’s Taycan lineup. But horsepower alone didn’t save the I-Pace, and it won’t save this car either.
Jaguar is pitching the Type 01 against Bentley and the ultra-luxury establishment, a market segment where brand prestige, build quality, and ownership experience matter as much as straight-line thrust.
The branding itself is deliberately restrained. No chrome badges across the trunk lid. Instead, a small motif at the base of the windshield carries the Type 01 name. Jaguar clearly wants the design to speak for itself, which is a bold bet given how loudly people have already spoken about it.
Sales are expected to begin after the September reveal, though Jaguar hasn’t confirmed pricing. Industry speculation places it well north of $100,000, territory where buyers have abundant choices and long memories. The Bentley Continental GT, Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, and Mercedes-AMG EQS all live in this neighborhood, backed by brands with far more recent proof of execution.
Jaguar has been dormant as a serious competitor for years. The showrooms are thin. The pipeline was empty.
The Type 01 isn’t just a new model — it’s the entire argument for the brand’s continued existence. One car carrying one name carrying one company’s future.
September will tell us whether Jaguar has built something worthy of the legacy it keeps invoking, or whether the Type moniker has finally run out of road.
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