Plunged into a long hibernation for the past three years, the Jaguar brand is starting to wake up – and you might not recognize it. The Type 00 concept car presented on Monday, December 2, at Miami Art Week – no question of unveiling it at a run-of-the-mill auto show – marks the return of a manufacturer that has decided to "reimagine" itself by gaining a foothold in the ultra-luxury segment.

Presented in two versions – one pink and one blue – this coupé, which the brand claims will closely inspire a large four-door electric sedan, was designed to "copy nothing." Both its name and its overall lines, with its interminable hood and steeply raked, curiously windowless rear, evoke the proportions of the famous 1961 E-Type. Massive, with horizontal headlights and strictly rectangular front and rear grilles, the Type 00 features geometric shapes, "butterfly" doors and a luxurious yet minimalist interior design.

The result of a spectacular strategic shift, this cold beauty appears to prefigure a model expected at the end of 2025 – to be followed by two others, also all-electric – which intends to make a clean break such as manufacturers have rarely attempted. Claiming to be "exuberant modernism," this manifesto for a new Jaguar marks a complete change in positioning. Gone is the big bourgeois brand for those who want to show off their preppy inclinations and their attachment to British elegance. It's now about taking a deliberately iconoclastic approach to the category of ultra-luxury cars for the super-rich. "Jaguar has no desire to be loved by everybody," said chief designer Gerry McGovern.

Jaguar no longer wants to compare itself to Mercedes, BMW and Audi, but with Bentley, Aston Martin, Porsche and Lamborghini. In practice, the price will double. To sit behind their oval steering wheel, you'll have to pay at least €120,000. The manufacturer accepts this decision and the inevitable contraction in production that it will cause. It recognizes that the segment of cars that Anglo-Saxons refer to as "exotic cars" – those bought by millionaires, growing in number and not only in China and the Middle East – is far more lucrative and dynamic than the "premium" car.

The subsidiary of the Indian group Tata is aware that its weak base (at most 181,000 vehicles produced in 2018) hardly allows a mass-market brand to reach new heights in terms of profitability. It is also aware that, so far, its efforts to adapt have not paid off. Hence the decision to reposition a company often considered more exclusive than it really was. In France, the network will be reduced to 10 sales locations, but the 70 Land Rover dealers will be able to provide servicing.

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