Jaguar’s New GT Flagship Gets Tri-Motor Powertrain With 1,000 HP
The first car in Jaguar’s extremely controversial rebrand is getting closer and closer to being ready for production. The production version of the Type 00 Concept, known unofficially as the GT, is at a point now where Jaguar is letting some media outlets loose in the car. Or at least taking people for a 20-minute demonstration ride on the company’s network of test tracks.
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JLR’s test track system is designed to show off any issues with a new car as quickly as possible. That doesn’t make it unique, since it’s what all automakers want, it’s just a little context. Jaguar wasn’t giving rides on a perfect bit of pavement just to get some oohs and aahs, is what we’re getting at.
Before the ride, more details. Autocar reported extensively on the car, especially its suspension that needs to be up to the task for a Jag that’s expected to be its most expensive since the XJ220 supercar, never mind one that could weigh three tons.
This is a three-motor electric vehicle, with two in the front and one in back. Torque split can vary, but the default is around a 30/70 front/rear split. Those three motors will make around 1,000 horsepower, which is plenty of oomph to justify the car’s looks.
A three-chamber air suspension at every corner promises an exceptional ride. The air ride is a computer-controlled adaptive system that also has modes for comfort and performance.
Autocar said the ride “easily eclipse[s] JLR’s best SUV.” That’s no small feat against the latest Range Rover. Motor Trend called it “like a proper grand touring Jaguar, syrupy-quick on winding roads yet rock steady through sweeping freeway curves.” So it should ride alright, though we’ll need to drive it on real roads first.
The proportions of the car are as extreme as the images suggest. It’s as long as a Chevrolet Tahoe (around 212 inches) but just 55 inches high. Somehow its 23-inch wheels manage to look almost small inside the arches, and the distance between the firewall and the front axle is immense.
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Is this the Type 00 in the metal?
We wouldn’t be surprised if Jaguar added some sort of front luggage space between the axle and the dash. That’s how long the space is. The long wheelbase required Jag to give the car four-wheel steering, otherwise its turning circle would be more like a cargo ship maneuvering into port. And not modern ships with bow thrusters, either.
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This new cat will be built at a new factory on a new platform. A rigid skateboard chassis that uses the long wheelbase to make an extremely long battery. The point is to make it thin, so that it doesn’t feel like you’re sitting on a massive battery like you do in many other EVs.
Jaguar must be desperate to get to the end of this year. 2025 has been a mess for the company, with no models to sell, delays to this vehicle, and a cyberattack that shut down production at the LR side of the company for months.
Its rebrand attempt has gone over like a lead balloon, but if this car hits well for the company, it could turn the frown upside down. Not in terms of volume, because this is a big car, but in terms of profit and saving Jaguar’s future.
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Jaguar Managing Director Rawdon Glover insists that the company’s future will be electric.
Will Jaguar be able to find success with a high-dollar electric grand tourer? We’ll have a better guess this summer when it is revealed, and know for sure when it goes on sale in 2027.
Sources: Autocar, Motor Trend
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