At least it has dropped the bright pink. But in every other respect the new, all-electric Jaguar launched in New York yesterday was exactly the same as the widely ridiculed ‘barbie-mobile’ that was first revealed as a concept car two years ago. Despite all the evidence, Jaguar has decided it has the right design, and it is sticking with it. ‘Brave’ would be one word for that. But a more accurate one would be ‘fatal’. The reason? It is very hard to see how the manufacturer can survive if this model does not succeed.
The only thing Jaguar still has going for it in a very crowded EV market is the heritage of its brand
The reaction to the Type 01, Jaguar’s planned flagship for the exciting new world of electric vehicles, was, to put it politely, underwhelming. With its chunky body, boxy lines, bright-pink colour scheme and gender-fluid adverts, the car had perhaps one of the worst launches of all time. It didn’t even have the famous flying cat that adorned the bonnets of its most famous models. Nigel Farage dismissed it as ‘woke’, Elon Musk wondered if it was even a car, while President Trump weighed into the debate, complaining ‘Who wants to buy a Jaguar after looking at that?’ It was hardly a great start for a model that was meant to relaunch the business.
In the two years between the concept and the actual launch, Jaguar had lots of time to reflect. It could have gone back to the drawing board, and come up with something that had a little more of the stylish, slightly rakish, and very British appeal of models such as the E-Type, or the Mark II – cars that are widely regarded as among the greatest cars ever made. But no. Instead, the company decided it was on the right track. It has dropped the pink, but otherwise it has stuck to the design. In the unlikely event you want one, it will be available for £130,000 soon.
That is going to be a huge mistake. The only thing Jaguar still has going for it in a very crowded EV market is the heritage of its brand. By breaking with that, it has abandoned the only thing that was ever likely to persuade people to buy one. Meanwhile, it has lost a lot of time, with Tesla dominating the top-end of the market, and with rivals such as Ferrari getting luxury models onto the market. Meanwhile, the new Chinese manufacturers are not just cheaper and more technologically advanced, they are increasingly stylish as well. The Jaecoo 7 is muscling out Jaguar’s partner Range Rover, while new sports models such as the Xiaomi SU7 are as stylish as anything Jaguar ever made. The Type 01 is the company’s last chance to get back into the game – and by sticking obstinately to such a widely disliked design it has almost certainly blown it.
