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Jaguar Unveils Type 01 EV in New York, Drawing Mixed Reviews
ReJaguar Unveils Type 01 EV in New York, Drawing Mixed Reviews
Jaguar has officially presented the 2028 Type 01, its first electric vehicle, in New York. The production model, a massive four-door sedan with a brutalist design, has sparked a shift in online sentiment from widespread ridicule to cautious praise, though skeptics question its practicality and heritage.
Jaguar has officially unveiled the 2028 Type 01, its first electric vehicle, at an event in New York. The production model arrives two years after the British brand's pastel concepts triggered a storm of online ridicule and brand obituaries. This time, the actual machine has prompted a notable shift in sentiment, with some of the harshest criticism giving way to cautious praise.
The Type 01 is a massive four-door sedan, not a coupe as originally presented. It measures 17.3 feet long and sits on 23-inch wheels, with a design that has been described as brutalist and monolithic. Its tiny windows, lack of a rear window, and a hood so long it looks like it could fit the Titanic have made it a polarizing figure in the automotive world. Inside, four seats are separated by a central spine, emphasizing a design-first approach over conventional cabin utility.
Online reaction has been surprisingly mixed. On car blog The Autopian, the most popular comment reads: «I actually love the production version. Why do cars have to be boring? Go wild I say. And also, whatever else anyone thinks about this, we can all agree: at least it’s not another f****ing SUV.» On Reddit’s r/cars, a forum that was overwhelmingly negative in 2024, some users have been won over. One wrote: «I like how ridiculous it looks. If I was in the market for a full sized sedan, I might consider it.» Another added: «If you’re going to make a boring powertrain (EV), why not go absolutely crazy on the design?»
Even those who dislike the design often concede that a radical change was necessary. A common refrain is that while the Type 01 may be «dumb,» sticking to Jaguar’s previous path would have been «dumber.» This sentiment reflects a broader acknowledgment that the brand needed to break from its past to survive in the electric era.
The positive critical consensus has also grown. Daniel Golson of Jalopnik argues that «there’s a lot of straight, hard lines, but the Type 01 is plenty curvy, too, and has plenty of details and elements that remind me of past Jaguars.» Nico DeMattia at The Drive notes the «intense» proportions: «low roofline, short front overhang, XXL hood, extended rear overhang, shutters/louvers for days, and at each corner, massive 23-inch wheels.» MotorTrend’s Angus MacKenzie says the car «very much hews to traditional Jaguar values,» while Alistair Weaver of Edmunds calls the simplicity «a welcome antidote to the complexity of many modern cars.»
Not everyone is convinced. Detractors argue that the design sacrifices passenger ergonomics, heritage, and cabin utility. Top Gear’s Ollie Kew labels the Type 01 «a space inefficient, selfish car.» Thomas Hundal of The Autopian calls it «a brutalist monument» that «turns its cheeks to the voluptuous forms of Jaguar’s past.» Andrew Krok of Car and Driver warns that the roofline and massive rear pillar create bad blind spots and cramped rear-seat quarters.
The Type 01 is priced at $131,000, which Jaguar notes is competitive with its peers. The vehicle represents a high-stakes bet for the brand, which has struggled to find its footing in the luxury market. By going big and bold rather than risking a quiet fade, Jaguar hopes to attract enough buyers to justify the radical redesign. Early indications suggest that while the car may not win over purists, it has at least sparked a conversation—and perhaps a second look from those who once wrote the brand off.
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