Jaguar revolution, the new electric course begins with the Type 00 concept car

Lots of adjectives, catchphrases that leave time to be found in a triumph of marketing, no engineering to speak of, but a design that does not go unnoticed with many novel and highly innovative ideas. Indeed, theJaguar Type 00 'vision concept' is perhaps one of the most interesting show cars of recent times. And while beauty is subjective, it cannot be said that this sculpture on wheels is not beautiful with its, at times excessive, art deco references and materials never before seen on a car. Something new, even in the colour choice (Rhodon Rose. Matt satin pink), in a landscape of stylistically boring electric cars like the latest generation of the iPhone.

Defined by the company as a "physical manifestation" (a cool term that doesn't mean much, but is very glamorous and modern luxury), it represents the controversial and debatable new stylistic (or rather creative, as the top management defines it, as if engineering and technology were bad things to be erased) course of the British brand that has made headlines and criticism. A sudden wave of visibility (although negative is always good for a tarnished brand) has in fact come over Jaguar for the radical, at times shocking, rebranding announced two weeks ago does: new logos, brand new lettering and iconic Leaper jaguar being tucked away in the attic of a pictogram and a brass badge, an interior detail like a black and white photo to keep in the drawer of memories.

A step back: in mid-November Jaguar showed, under strict embargo, to a very few and ultra-selected journalists (Il Sole 24 Ore was present) and members of the media both the new visual and brand image and the concept car at its Gaydon headquarters away from prying eyes. The show car was then unveiled on 2 December at Miami Art Week, a decidedly high-cultural event, very cool but far removed from the automotive liturgy. And it was precisely this declared distance from the world of cars, to ideally push the marketing positioning towards the vacuous planet of luxury and fashion brands (among other things, in deep crisis) that provoked criticism of Jag's role in the car industry.

It is no coincidence that our first question to the CEO Rawdon Glover house was: "Are you aware that you are a car manufacturer and not a maker of luxury items, handbags shoes and belts?" The answer was almost comforting: 'We are now getting the marketing positioning back on track, but, and for us, technology is key, and you can see this in the prototype four-door electric GT that we are testing these days ahead of its launch this year'.

After all, Jaguar's two-stage move, criticised days later, when the company released the images and videos, even by Elon Musk (but do you make cars? He asked the divine "doge" on X) is also open to criticism for its timing. First he unveiled the brand identity (logos and symbols) to the public, then he exhibits the concept car (also in a matte blue called New York Blue that contrasts with the pink renamed Miami Rose in honour of the Florida city). The whole thing, with very few technical details, however, has the flavour of the supremacy of the frame over the picture. The car takes second place to the marketing slogans that give the sense of a radical change, of a new phase, where the old Jaguar is no more and will not return projected into a difficult electric-only future.