Jaguar is past the point of no return on its pathway to becoming an electric vehicle-only brand, with none of its future models capable of being powered by petrol or diesel engines.
Speaking to Autocar, Jaguar managing director Rawdon Glover said the Jaguar Electric Architecture (JEA) platform set to underpin its upcoming EVs – starting with the production version of the Type 00 concept – won’t support internal combustion engines, including hybrids.
“We made the decision back in 2021 to have an electric architecture dedicated to us,” Mr Glover told the publication.
“There isn’t the opportunity to put a V8 into it or something else. We’re committed to being electric.”
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Jaguar’s Type 00 concept
According to Mr Glover, “EV will be the right platform for us and the powertrain of choice”, adding “there is no flexibility” for anything other than EVs in the marque’s future.
That’s in contrast with other premium brands like Volvo, which have walked back goals of becoming EV-only by 2030, and Porsche, which is reportedly looking to launch a petrol-powered version of its new electric Macan.
Jaguar’s path to becoming an electric-only carmaker is already well-worn, with the brand no longer selling new cars in its UK home market as of late last year, meaning it won’t have anything to offer there for some time given its new flagship EV is due in mid-2026 at the earliest.
The F-Pace SUV will live on in some markets until the first quarter of 2026, but Jaguar has already ended production of the rest of its lineup, which comprises the XE, XF, F-Type, E-Pace and I-Pace.
Jaguar’s as-yet unnamed EV has already encountered a frosty reception before it was even revealed in concept form, thanks to a rebranding campaign which arguably led to Jaguar receiving the most attention in the mainstream media and beyond than ever before in its 89-year history.
Petrol power isn’t a part of Jaguar’s future
The campaign – led by an external agency – included a new mixed-case logo (which reads as JaGUar) as well as the new tagline of ‘Copy Nothing’ – something that garnered attention after the Type 00 concept was revealed, with detractors arguing the company would’ve been better off copying others.
While Mr Glover defended the move as “bold and disruptive”, members of Jaguar’s design department shared a letter to chief creative officer Gerry McGovern criticising the rebranding efforts, according to the document which was reportedly seen by Autocar India.
Despite the internal and external controversy, Jaguar has no choice but to stick to its plan and rely on the production version of the Type 00 to ensure its long-term future.
This will mean a very different feel for the company though, with plans for it to go upmarket and sell its vehicles at a higher price point, becoming a more affordable option to Rolls-Royce and Bentley, rather than a quirky alternative to BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The Type 00 will become a four-door grand-tourer, with more than one variant and power output likely.
Earlier reports suggested it would produce more than 429kW – almost identical to Rolls-Royce’s 430kW Spectre – however Autocar’s latest report says flagship versions will develop 735kW.
That would make the EV Jaguar’s most powerful road car ever by a wide margin, with the supercharged V8-powered XE SV Project 8 currently holding the crown with 442kW.
Mr Glover has driven a prototype of the flagship model at Jaguar’s Gaydon test facility, saying: “It was stunning in terms of its speed, its acceleration, its performance, but also how it delivered the power with a real sense of character”.
“The chassis team are really excited about the possibilities of the vehicle.”
Previous reports have also claimed the production model will have a range of more than 692km, however this is likely to depend on the powertrain of each variant.
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