Polarization or perfection? Jaguar chief defends controversial projects

0:53A general view of the presentation of the Jaguar Type 00 concept car is shown on the floating ocean terrace in Monaco Harbor during the 2025 Formula E Monaco ePrix in Monte Carlo, Monaco on May 2, 2025. Dave Bennett/Getty Images for Jaguar TCS Racing, FILE

British luxury car manufacturer Jaguar grabbed the headlines last December when it unveiled the Type 00 concept, an electric two-door grand tourer that was radically different from its famous sports car. brand cars.

“We knew we had to make a bold change, a bold move,” Rowdon Glover, Jaguar’s managing director, told ABC News.

Glover spent almost a year traveling around the world meeting with car enthusiasts and Jaguar fans. Don’t judge the Type 00 until they see it in person, he tells them. He repeats the famous phrase of Sir William Lyons, the founder of the company: “Jaguar should be a copy of nothing.”

Will these new designs boost the brand’s sales in the US? Glover will find out next year when the new model goes on sale.

He recently spoke to ABC News about the challenges of rebranding if Jaguar continues its electrification strategy and what’s available now at Jaguar dealerships.

The interview below has been edited for clarity.

Q: When the Type 00 concept was unveiled last December at Art Basel Miami, it received mixed reviews. Has public perception changed? This is a very provocative design.

A: You can be polarizing. We don’t want everyone to say, “This is good.” I think great design is really polarizing, whether it’s fashion or architecture or whatever. So having the confidence to say that this is what we think a 21st century Jaguar should look like and stick to it is really important.

Seeing a car physically is completely different than seeing it on your phone. People can see it [особисто] and understand the proportions, the drama, the scale of the vehicle.

We went to a whole series of events around the world, starting from Miami – Monaco, Tokyo, London – to show the vehicle. This is the best way to see it.

The Jaguar Type 00 concept car is on display during the Goodwood Festival of Speed ​​at Goodwood Raceway in Chichester, England on July 10, 2025. John Keeble/Getty Images, FILE

Q: Is this car for the Chinese market? for US consumers?

A: We believe that the US will be our biggest market. If I look back at Jaguar in its heyday, when Jaguar was most successful, the US was our biggest market. There is a passion for the Jaguar brand here that is probably as strong as anywhere in the world. Understanding why we made such a bold change… we all believed that [бренд] needs something much more radical. There are people who say, “Type 00 for me?” And there are other people who like it, and they go, “Give it.”

The Type 00 shouldn’t look like anything else on the road. When the E-Type landed in Geneva in the 1960s, it looked like it landed from Mars. There was nothing else like it.

Jaguar E-Type in Geneva in 1961. Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

We need to look a little deeper into the DNA of the brand, what is the essence of Jaguar. We divided the entire creative group into three groups. We said you have three months to create Jaguar’s new design language. And it was competitive. From the beginning, we wanted the process to be disruptive because we wanted the design of the car to be truly distinctive and unexpected.

Q: Are the old customers satisfied with the new look of the brand car?

A: I spend a lot of time with Jaguar enthusiasts. When you have time to explain and explain why the Type 00 looks the way it does, they get it, they see it. I would say the vast majority [клієнтів] are positive. Trying to pass judgment over the phone or on social media, but that’s a bit more delicate.

Q: When was this decision made by Jaguar in such a different direction?

A: 2021. We asked what Jaguar Land Rover should do in the next 20 years? We knew we had to make a bold change, a bold step.

A general view of the unveiling of the Jaguar Type 00 concept car is shown on the floating ocean terrace in Monaco Harbor during the 2025 Formula E Monaco ePrix in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on May 2, 2025. Dave Bennett/Getty Images for Jaguar TCS Racing, FILE

People think about our recent history, where we’ve been in this premium segment. But that’s not really where Jaguar has thrived or where it has existed throughout its 90-year history. This is just the last two decades.

For us, we looked to those periods in our past when we were successful in creating beautiful sedans and sports cars, [виробляли] vehicles in smaller quantities. Vehicles that were really, really special. The cars were critically acclaimed.

We see from our Range Rover business model and the top end of our Defender business model that having products at high prices — if you have a really compelling product — is where we succeed. This is where Jaguar has historically excelled. So we think we’ll return it to its natural habitat.

Q: Will you still be making sports cars?

A: Our first car [під час ребрендингу] there will be a four-door GT. A very sporty car, similar to what you see today. And it will be the most powerful Jaguar ever.

Q: Are you still going all-in electrification?

A: We are [і] did not follow the stereotypical path that many other electric cars did. They tend to have a high ride, multi-cell battery, tiny wheels, because that’s good for range, but that doesn’t make the product attractive to those willing to spend 130 000 dollars. We have to create a car that has drama, scale, proportions … that creates a real gut reaction when people look at it. Since it’s a Jaguar, it should drive really well. And this is what we are also very happy about. There are many electric cars that are really fun to drive.

Q: When will the production of this new GT begin?

A: We’ll introduce it next year and start taking orders. Then deliveries will start relatively soon after that.

A Jaguar F-Pace is displayed during the 20th Shanghai International Automobile Exhibition in Shanghai, April 20, 2023. Hector Retamal/AFP via Getty Images

Q: Can someone still walk into a Jaguar dealer now and buy an F-Pace SUV?

A: For the next 18 months or so, you will still be able to buy a Jaguar. We are gradually discontinuing the production of all serial cars. The F-Pace will be the last. We wanted to do a hard reset.

We’ll mercifully remove the Type 00, hopefully [сміється]in an outstanding art gallery.

Source: abcnews.go.com