Jaguar’s 1,000-HP Answer To Bentley Looks Nothing Like The Jaguar You Knew

Automakers rarely take a wrecking ball to their own portfolio, yet that is precisely what Jaguar has done. The British luxury marque has hit the reset button in a bid to radically transition and compete with Bentley and Rolls-Royce. 

Spearheading the charge is an all-electric large sedan tentatively called the ‘GT’. It’s Jaguar’s shot across the bow, a moment to get people to stand up and take notice. Previewed by the Type 00 Concept, it will also be the most powerful Jag ever to grace our roads. The final design was selected from 17 full-size clay models before the public had seen any official previews.

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Curious? Read on as we’ve peeled back the prototype camouflage and compiled all there is to know about Coventry’s biggest bet ever.

The Bold And The Controversial

Unlike Jaguars of old, the GT takes a stunning new direction with monolithic surfaces, hard-edged lines, and proportions that betray its EV underpinnings. Forget curves, this thing brings a blend of 70s muscle and Cyberpunk 2077 futurism.

The front is blunt, upright and imposing. Slim matrix LED headlamps flank a faux rectangular grille panel, and secondary DRLs are placed above the active cooling shutters to add visual width. The hood (or frunk, if you want to call it) is very flat, with only a chamfered leading edge providing any real shape. 

A prototype of the upcoming production Jaguar GT (photos Baldauf).

In profile, it’s the proportions that really catch your gaze. Unlike most EVs, the GT has an axle-to-dash ratio that could accommodate a V12; utterly absurd, but it works. The greenhouse is low and frameless, while the front fender houses the largest charge port door we’ve ever seen. Out back, it takes a leaf from the Polestar 5’s design book with a sudden hard cut to the rear and eschews a traditional rear window.

Retro Opulence

The interior of the Jaguar Type 00 Concept.

Unlike the opposition over at Crewe, Jaguar has given the GT a minimalist, avant-garde cabin awash with 80s geometric lines and curved OLED screens. Visibility is bunker-like, with thick pillars and a camera-based system that gets around the rear’s tiny hatch.

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A three-spoke steering wheel features touch-capacitive button pads and a linear lower inlay that almost looks like a speaker grille. There’s no console-mount drive selector; it’s been moved to the steering column. Recycled luxury materials and splashes of rose gold can be found throughout, while rear seat passengers will have more legroom thanks to its generous 3.2 meter (126-in.) wheelbase.

Punching Above Its Weight

Based on Jaguar’s electric vehicle architecture, the GT weighs a lot at 5,962 lbs (2.7 tons). It sports a cleverly designed 120 kWh battery pack, enabling occupants in the 5,235 mm (206-in.) long, 2,220 mm (87-in.) wide and 1,395 mm (55-in.) tall behemoth to sit lower than in a traditional EV. The battery layout departs from the usual skateboard format, splitting into multiple sections to lower seating positions and improve cabin packaging.

Range is tipped to be around the 430 miles mark (692 km) under the WLTP cycle, while 50:50 weight distribution and clever torque vectoring add sharpness to the big cat’s claws.

Helping it move is a tri-motor all-wheel-drive setup producing over 1,000 horsepower and 959 lb-ft (1,300 Nm) of torque. These figures were recently revised upward from a previously stated +986 hp. Power is delivered by one motor up front and two at the rear, with the latter managing torque distribution far more quickly than a traditional system. The sprint to 62 mph (100 km/h) is expected in 3.3 seconds, while top speed will stand at 155 mph (250 km/h).

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Huge power numbers indeed, but don’t expect it to re-arrange your internals the same way a Plaid does, as Jaguar has paid great attention to ensure acceleration is progressively linear, as opposed to the cannon-shot effect some other EVs have. Those who still find that excessive can expect lower-powered variants to follow.

Jaguat Type 00 Concept

Rivals And Reveal 

Previously, Jaguar had BMW and Mercedes-Benz in its crosshairs, but the GT signals a change into more opulent territory occupied by the Bentley Flying Spur, Rolls-Royce Ghost and Cadillac Celestiq. UK pricing is expected to open above £120,000 ($160,000), with the launch edition starting at £140,000 ($187,000). Stateside numbers should land in similar territory. That’s significantly more than the old XJ it indirectly replaces.

The world will see an official debut later this summer, with deliveries commencing early next year. What do you think of Jaguar’s radical new styling direction? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Illustrations Josh Byrnes / Carscoops