'It looks like a hearse': Jaguar's new 'woke' £120,000 electric car sparks backlash from fans

Jaguar has launched its new £120,000 electric vehicle – only to prompt a backlash from critics including claims the supposedly 'woke' car resembles a funeral hearse.British actress Florence Pugh, new Jaguar brand ambassador, featured at the unveiling of the British manufacturer's new production-ready Type 01 model at a star-studded event in New York on Tuesday night.It comes two years after the company came up with a controversial rebrand.And the latest product has also split opinion between reviewers variously offering praise, more cautious approval or else criticism.Concerns raised include the vehicle's bulk and 5.2-metre length – ruling out fitting into an average British car parking space – as well as the absence of a rear window.The four-wheel drive is just 4ft 7in high while hitting 62mph from a standing start in 3.2 seconds.Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover has been open about their aims to target a younger and wealthier market in opposition to what he called a 'shrinking and ageing' customer base of 'men in their 50s'.Craig Kinnersley, chief executive of private car collection consultancy IN, was among those unimpressed by the latest offering. British actress Florence Pugh helped launch Jaguar's new Type 01 at an event in New YorkHe said: 'The Type 01 Jaguar is an unmitigated catastrophe for JLR.'Rather aptly, the car looks like a hearse. Which, at this point, feels entirely appropriate for the brand.'The Type 01 is the sort of ugly even a loving mother would struggle to defend.'Designed, engineered and built in the UK, the new vehicle has a four-seater layout with a singular 'spine' running through the centre of the cabin and a 118kWh battery which can deliver an expected range of up to 400 miles, the company said.It comes after Jaguar sparked controversy when it revealed a series of dramatic changes in November 2024, ahead of becoming a fully electric brand.This included a new bespoke logo, written as JaGUar, a new prancing 'leaper' cat design and marketing slogans such as 'delete ordinary', 'live vivid' and 'copy nothing'.A video posted by the company on X at the time featured people wearing brightly coloured clothes but no vehicles and prompted backlash among some 120,000 comments.US business leader Elon Musk, who is the largest individual shareholder in electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, asked 'Do you sell cars?' to which Jaguar replied 'Yes', with an invitation to an event in Miami in the US. The British brand has unveiled its new Type 01 four-door GT car that will arrive with customers from next year The electric saloon is expected to start from £120,000 with higher spec models exceeding £150,000 Executives say their aim is to 'reposition' Jaguar in the market in a bid to secure the future of the 90-year-old British manufacturer by selling fewer cars at a higher price pointJaguar Type 01 specs at a glance Price: From between £120k-£140kFirst UK deliveries: Mid-2027DIMENSIONSLength: 17ftWidth: 6ft 7inHeight: 4ft 7inWeight: 2,700kg (est)Wheels: 23in (21 in optional)Boot space: 16 cubic feetPERFORMANCE Electric architecture: 850V Battery: 120kWh battery (118kWh usable)Electric motors: 3 (2 rear, 1 front) Transmission: Single-speed autoDrive: Four-wheel driveMax power: 1,015hp Torque: 1,035Nm Acceleration (0-62mph): 3.2 secondsAcceleration (62-112mph): 4 seconds Top speed: 155mphTurning circle: 37ft 9inRANGE & CHARGING Official range: 450 milesReal-world range: 400 miles Charging capacity: up to 350kWCharging speed: 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 22 minutes (it can add 200 miles of range in 13 mins) Critical reactions on X following the new Type 01 launch have included: 'I think it looks ok, but ok isn’t good enough. Nobody will buy it, and Jaguar are, as they say these days, "cooked".'People can criticise, but the "woke" direction Jaguar took really has harmed the brand.'Another poster wrote: 'Going woke was one thing. But they also just make VERY UGLY cars. How did Jaguar, who was famous for sexy cars, switch to making ugly cars?'But more positive responses included the comment: 'I like the new Jaguar Type 01, and hope it will sell well in order to protect the jobs in the factory, and wider supply chain.'Production for the new model is due to begin in 2027 at Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) Solihull manufacturing plant in the West Midlands, with electric drive units and battery packs being made in Wolverhampton and body panels in Halewood in Merseyside.Jaguar’s global marketing director Carlee Hardaker told of clinics involving 2,500 people reviewing the new EV, saying: 'We got more nines and 10s than we'd ever had before – and more ones and twos.'That’s fine. We want to evoke an emotion and provoke polarisation of opinion. If you get people saying, "It's okay", you end up creating a car for everybody that no one really wants. We want to drive an emotional connection – and irrational desire.'And Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover has told the Daily Mail he was confident it was going to appeal to younger, urban buyers who 'want to make a strong statement about themselves'. Jaguar's managing director Rawdon Glover is seen at the model's launch in New York Others attending the launch at Stored in New York City included British model David Gandy British actress Florence Pugh has been announced as Jaguar's new brand ambassador Inside, a 24in OLED display stretches from behind the steering wheel to the centre of the dashboard, while minimalist seats and plush fabrics feature throughout This central spine runs through the centre of the car to split the Type 01's cabin into four compartments. Inside are cupholders, cubbies and venting for rear passengersJoin the discussionHas Jaguar betrayed its heritage by chasing luxury buyers with a bold new electric look?What's your view?But he acknowledged that the car's expansive proportions and polarising design will not be to everyone's taste, adding: 'I am worldly enough to know that for some people it's perhaps too bold.' The car will cost around twice as much on average as its previous combustion-engined models but the company previously stated it expects 85 per cent of customers buying its next generation of EVs to be new to the brand as it veers in an entirely different direction in terms of powertrain, styling and price.But Mr Glover says 50,000 people have already expressed an interest in being 'kept informed' about Type 01's availability, with 78 per cent non-Jaguar owners, suggesting a slightly higher retention rate than originally predicted.'Jaguar was absolutely at a crossroads. We realised we needed to make some really big decisions about where we went next with the brand,' he added.'Our client base was shrinking and ageing. That's not a great combination. And if you look at the commercial performance of the Jaguar brand, all those things pointed us in one direction.'We had to do something much bolder and take a very big step forward.'Responses have included trade magazine Auto Express dubbing the new model 'a spectacular piece of design underpinned by impressive engineering'. Phil McNamara, editor in chief at Auto Express, said: 'Whether that’s enough to create the electric luxury four-door GT market is another question entirely.'But the ambition must be applauded, and Britain should get behind it: if this fails, it's hard to see how Tata can revive the once leading car brand.'This radical reinvention of Jaguar may fail. But at least no one will die wondering.'The Top Gear website described the Type 01 as 'massive, ambitious, controversial, and expensive', adding: 'The whole point of this car is to create a "bloody-hell" moment.'CAR magazine suggested it could be 'the most fascinating new car of the decade', adding of the vehicle's interior: 'It’s a little bit like one of those ultra-modern houses that are filled with marble and flat surfacing that makes you scared to put a coffee mug on a countertop – super minimalist and pared back to the base elements.'Not to say it doesn’t feel plush, though; impressive focus has gone into material use with satisfying soft-touch materials, more brass elements and even wool carpeting.'The Daily Mail's motoring editor Rob Hull has written about his experience testing the Type 01, saying: 'The first big surprise is that you sit low within the guts of the chassis, as you would in a traditional sports car. That is unusual among EVs, which typically have a higher driving position.'I can tell from the car's unveiling in New York that the cockpit is wonderfully luxurious.'How did the big cat drive? Well, it didn't disappoint, gliding across the road in near total silence and creating the wafting sensation you'd expect in a £500,000 Rolls-Royce.'With its cocooned cabin, the Type 01 will devour miles in supreme comfort.'He also called the design 'a complete transformation of the brand's identity', adding that JLR 'no longer wants to be a mainstream player. Instead, it's targeting a smaller share of the highly lucrative luxury market.'And with more eyes on Jaguar than ever before, you have to wonder whether there's really any such thing as bad publicity for this new era of electric Jags.'Do I personally like the way it looks? In parts, yes. But certainly not in its entirety.'He concluded in his review: 'Without doubt, Type 01 will devour miles in supreme comfort, as any great GT car should.' JLR chief executive PB Balaji has described the Type 01's launch as marking 'the beginning of an exciting new era for Jaguar.'He added: 'Combining British heritage, bold creativity, advanced technology and groundbreaking engineering, it reflects our ambition to create objects of desire that will help us invite a new generation of clients into Jaguar's loyal and passionate customer base.'Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: 'Jaguar's new EV is a crucial step in JLR's plans to invest over £15billion in the UK, and another big vote of confidence in our world-class automotive industry.'This cutting-edge new model being designed, engineered and built in Britain will support thousands of jobs across the West Midlands and North West, and builds on over £1billion of UK automotive investment secured just last month – marking another step forward in our mission to reindustrialise Britain.'Customers will be able to order Jaguar's Type 01 from early next year.JLR last month confirmed plans to cut 4,000 jobs across its global workforce over the next two years as part of efforts to slash costs by £1.7billion.The cuts are largely expected to affect office roles, with the majority of job losses affecting its UK operations, where around 34,000 staff in total are based.Just under 10,000 are employed by the company overseas.The announcement came as JLR continues its recovery from a major cyber attack that forced it to halt production last year.Sales have since remained under pressure amid intense competition from cheaper Chinese electric vehicles, while the company has also tackled soaring costs and the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs.In September, a record total of 99,199 battery electric cars were sold in the UK, according to figures released last week by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.The organisation said buyers were responding to greater model choice, manufacturer incentives and government grants.