Not so pretty in pink? Jaguar’s polarizing Type 00 concept has lost ‘all connection’ to brand’s past.
Jaguar’s new EV concept is finally here — and it’s not without controversy.
Unveiled last night at glitzy Art Basel Miami, Jaguar’s new coupe, dubbed the Type 00 (read “zero zero”), features what the brand believes is pure Jaguar: a long hood, sweeping roofline, and a fastback profile in a dramatic, art deco-inspired design.
While that’s how Jaguar sees it – that’s not how most critics and online commentators were calling it. Some linked it as “Barbie Pink” due to one of the car’s “Miami Pink” exterior, or even a pink Batmobile due to its low-slung profile.
“Controversy has always surrounded British creativity when it’s been at its best,” said Jaguar chief creative officer Gerry McGovern at the event on Monday night.
A more generous take is that the car is a spiritual successor to the stunning Jaguar E-Type, the roadster that put Jaguar on the luxury map in the early 60s — and a car that Enzo Ferrari himself said was the most beautiful car ever made. That’s the legacy Jaguar is trying to evolve, and its history is coming into stark contrast with where the brand is going.
Jaguar has seen sales dwindle in the past 10 years. Poor reviews and reliability have hampered the brand, now part of the Jaguar Land Rover group, owned by India’s Tata Motors (TATAMOTORS.NS) conglomerate.
Jaguar is attempting a massive reboot of the brand and its image, dropping its product offerings and focusing on the high-net-worth, younger, luxury consumer. The automaker will make electric vehicles only and aims to sell cars well above the $100K price point.
“The company is clearly trying to go upmarket with a look — and a price — that’s more Rolls-Royce than Jaguar. This would make sense if Jaguar didn’t already have an established and appealing brand image, but it’s in the enviable position of having a well-defined design language along with a loyal fanbase,” iSeeCars executive editor Karl Brauer said to Yahoo Finance.
“These new upright, chunky designs are trying to play to that energy,” he added, noting that “in the process, they’ve lost all connection to the brand’s past.”
A new ad campaign revealed last week ahead of the new Type 00 reveal — dubbed “copy nothing” — included models strutting out in avant-garde outfits and was pilloried by some on social media as out of touch, or even “woke.” The ad didn’t have a car in the video, prompting Tesla CEO Elon Musk to ask, “Do you sell cars?” Jaguar’s managing director, Rawdon Glover, pushed back on the backlash, attributing it to “vile hatred and intolerance” in an interview with the Financial Times.
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