The rebirth of Jaguar as a high-price, low-volume all-electric competitor to Bentley is nearing its next phase: the launch of its new flagship sedan.
Spied on the Nurburgring in Germany, the new sedan is clad in disguise tape. There’s also some false body panels underneath hiding the car’s shoulder line, and the design around the C-pillar, the back of the roof, and the area where a rear windscreen area would normally live.
Despite this, though, we can see the sedan is very clearly patterned on the controversial 2024 Type 00 concept. And despite being built on an all-new EV-ony platform, the new Jaguar has a very long, flat bonnet that reduces cabin volume significantly.
With its bluff front and rear ends, and brutalist proportions, it will be interesting to see how aerodynamically efficient the new Jag is.
Other details we can make out include tiny window apertures, similarly small LED lights at both ends, frameless door windows, and flush-fitting pop-out door handles.
Another spy photo agency caught this prototype parked with its tiny rear hatch opened, revealing a very high load lip and a small but deep boot.
Like the Polestar 4, the new Jaguar doesn’t have a rear windscreen, meaning drivers will need to rely on the car’s cameras for rearward vision. If the Type 00 concept is anything to go by, the production car will have a body-colour panel in place of the rear windscreen, while the “grille” will be a washboard-like section stamped into the front bumper.
The new Jaguar sedan will be the first of three cars based on the Jaguar Electrical Architecture (JEA). The other two are expected to be an SUV, and a coupe/convertible pair.
Details about the drivetrain are still under wraps, with the only confirmed details being a range of up to 700km, and the ability to gain 320km of range in just 15 minutes via a DC fast-charger.
Reports indicate the Jaguar sedan will feature a dual-motor all-wheel drive layout with around 735kW.
After decades of trying to be the British BMW and failing, at least on the sales charts, Jaguar Land Rover’s then CEO Thierry Bolore decided in 2021 to move the brand into Bentley territory, powered exclusively by electric drivetrains.
Slowly the brand’s models have gone out of production, leaving behind the F-Pace large SUV in some markets to keep the brand’s sales ticking over until the new high-end EV models arrive.
It remains to be seen whether Jaguar can carve out a large enough niche at the top-end of the market to make it profitable for both JLR (Jaguar Land Rover) and parent Tata Motors.
Despite the Type 00 concept and Jaguar’s rebranding drawing a lot of criticism, incoming JLR CEO PB Balaji insisted the new models are going ahead, stating in August: “We have put our plans together, the cars are being revealed, they’re getting exciting response from the customers on the ground. Therefore that’s what the strategy is.”