Reinventing a brand is tricky business. You risk alienating your current clientele in the hope of attracting new buyers. Jaguar is fine with targeting a different audience, even if that means saying goodbye to most of its existing customers. Managing director Rawdon Glover estimates that only 15 percent of current buyers will return for another Jag. Talk about taking a gamble.
That’s right—the Tata Motors-owned company told Auto Express that up to 85 percent of current buyers will take their business elsewhere. Jaguar knows it won’t be able to replace all of them, not by a long shot, especially since its new EV will target wealthier buyers. The striking Type 00 concept previews an electric grand tourer expected to cost six figures, whether in dollars, euros, or British pounds.
The transition to a lower-volume brand has already started, even before the Type 00's arrival in 2026 under a different name. Jaguar has retired most of its cars from the old guard, causing sales to drop to around 33,000 units in 2024. To put that into perspective, the company sold 180,833 cars in 2018. In just six years, demand plummeted by nearly 82 percent.
In 2024, production of the XE, XF, F-Type, E-Pace, and I-Pace ended, with the F-Pace to continue for a while. It can only mean that shipments in 2025 will likely be even lower, following the decision to sunset all but one model. The gasoline SUV will be phased out at the beginning of next year. In the meantime, the production-ready Type 00 will break cover by late 2025.
A recent spy video showed a camouflaged prototype failing to hide the vehicle's dramatic shape and imposing size. Glover says the road-going model will be cut from the same cloth as the outrageous concept, without any major changes. Consequently, don't expect a rear window. It'll be the most aerodynamic production car to ever feature the leaping cat mascot, which was barely visible on the sides of the concept. Instead, Jaguar preferred to just spell out the brand's name at the front and rear of its electric luxobarge.
Jaguar Type 00 Concept
Glover admits that for Jaguar to become sustainable, it needs to "create and attract a new client base." Okay, so who will buy the new-era Jag? Apparently, wealthier city dwellers will be drawn to its flamboyant design. For them, the powertrain won’t really matter. Last year, the company’s boss said affluent buyers in the upper echelon "buy cars for their design and interior. Powertrain is about 13th on the list." However, the firm's managing director hopes that buyers of high-end F-Type versions will be interested in the new electric GT.
Jaguar rules out putting a combustion engine underneath that stately hood. Glover says the British brand is still very much determined to become a purely electric automaker. The managing director estimates EVs will represent the “dominant powertrain” as early as 2030. He also thinks “the industry hasn't as a rule delivered really exciting EVs,” although cars like the Rimac Nevera and Lotus Evija would beg to differ. Mercedes-AMG is rumored to jump on the electric supercar bandwagon in just a few months.
Source: Auto Express
