The New Jaguar Resembles Cruella de Vil's Car

Jaguar is currently in the process of being completely revolutionized, it is no longer focused on the competition with BMW but rather on becoming a luxury automobile manufacturer like Bentley. This reinvention gets under way with a rather spectacular new model, which was first revealed as a concept, the Type 00, last December, and was also shown at Paris Fashion Week early this month. Although the Type 00 itself will not be put into production, its platform will be used for Jaguar’s upcoming all-electric grand tourer.

Watching the original 101 Dalmatans with my daughter not so long ago, I could not help but see a resemblance between the new EV from Jaguar and Cruella de Vil’s car. The long, aggressive bonnet may be befitting of a traditional luxury car, but there is no combustion engine to hide – Jaguar has gone all-electric. With the production of almost all of its ICE models being completed (the F-Pace being the only exception), the brand has announced that it will only be selling EVs from 2026 onwards.

A new spy video by CarSpyMedia shows the prototype having a hard time hiding its radical shape from the camouflage wraps. Some of the heft may be overdone, but it is obvious that Jaguar’s new creation is going to be a massively protruding car on the roads when it is launched officially in 2026. The public is likely to see the final product later this year when the production model is unveiled.

Jaguar admits that its daring new design will not be to everyone’s taste. Indeed, the company thinks that as many as 85 per cent of its current customers will not be interested in the new EV. Jaguar is aiming to expand its customer base to include a completely new set of clients – clients who are willing to spend six figures for a very rare, very high-end electric vehicle.

Jaguar needs it as it has become one of the few companies that has seen its sales decrease in recent years. In 2024, the company sold only 33,000 vehicles, which is 82% less than the 180,833 units it sold in 2018 before the pandemic. Nevertheless, Jaguar is steadfast in its decision to only make EVs, with no intention of bringing gasoline-powered models back.

Whether it is the prototype of the grand tourer or not, the vehicle seems to have four doors which are different from the two-door Type 00 concept. The rear doors look to be rather tiny in comparison to the length of the car, but the dedicated EV platform should provide more room for the interior thanks to the absence of the center tunnel typical for an ICE layout. The concept also boasted a rather shocking 126-inch ‘brass’ spine running through the cabin which, combined with the lack of a B-Pillar, gave the impression of plenty of interior space.

This is just the beginning. It is reported that Jaguar is expected to launch an electric SUV and a large sedan – although the latter will not be the long-awaited electric XJ that was cancelled. Whether or not this strategy proves successful is unknown, but Jaguar is certainly betting big on exclusivity and cutting edge design. Love it or hate it, this is no ordinary SUV – this is a statement of intent.