Jaguar unveils 'dramatic' Type 01 interior
Of course Jaguar's new EV will be at Monterey - its 'automotive interior of the future' goes with it...
Amid all the fuss about its exterior design, it seems we’ve hardly spent any time at all considering what the new Type 01 will look (and feel) like inside when it finally goes on sale. Well, that oversight stops now: Jaguar has revealed the final cabin for the first time, ahead of yet another prototype appearance at Monterey Car Week. Given the importance of the North American market to its ambitions, the model’s presence there is hardly a surprise - and in many ways, nor is the interior.
Much like the outward styling, Jaguar has apparently done its utmost to retain the themes it introduced with the original concept. Mercifully, this decision is likely to prove less controversial when it comes to the new cabin layout - certainly it will not be for everyone, but the carefully curated ambience (think five-star Stockholm hotel lobby meets soft-touch monolithic spaceship) is hardly unfamiliar in the upmarket EV market. Polestar and BMW have been similarly enterprising with “reductive flowing surfaces”, as Jaguar’s Chief Interior Designer, Thomas Holden, calls them.
Admittedly, they have not taken the aesthetic as far as Type 01 does, and while the car is not the first to exemplify the ‘longitudinal nature of the design’ with a central spine running the length of the interior, it is unusual for that partition to be such a defining feature. In the prototypes we’ve sat in (and driven), this aspect of the battery-powered Jaguar was heavily shrouded and therefore easy to overlook - but here, with its brass-inspired finish and ‘the rich textures of artisan textiles’ doubtless making it pleasing to touch, it is clearly fundamental to the car’s all-important sense of occasion.
For Holden, it is “an architectural statement that creates four individual spaces”, emphasising not just the exclusive status of a four-seat Grand Tourer to those in front, but also the importance of anyone sitting in the back. Though Jaguar does not confirm it in the short release accompanying the latest pictures, the rear seats appear to replicate the pleasingly minimalist design of those ahead, and (much like the new Range Range GT), the sense of personal space is obviously meant to be amplified by the panoramic roof cut-outs directly overhead.
Elsewhere, as we learned from the preceding prototypes, the gear selector has migrated to a new column shifter, and Jaguar has amalgamated the infotainment screen and instrument cluster into a large display directly ahead of the driver, one apparently controlled via steering wheel buttons. In the concept, a second screen for the passenger was concealed in the dashboard (the manufacturer makes mention of ‘digital interfaces intelligently applied for control on demand’), but it seems the production Type 01 has adopted a less-is-more policy, which, given the absurd prevalence of screens elsewhere, we’re heartily in favour of.
That being said, the purging of switchgear from the interior has not found Jaguar taking leave of its senses: a smaller, phone-sized display is positioned on the central spine and is clearly intended to provide both driver and front passenger with shortcut access to basic functions - most notably the climate control. This would appear sensible enough; less so perhaps the decision to mount the digital rearview mirror at the base of the windscreen. Only time will tell if that ‘helps with driver focus’ as Jaguar suggests - or proves a real-world distraction.
Either way, we don’t have too long now to find out. Following its appearance at Pebble Beach, the Type 01 will officially be revealed to the world in New York on October 6th. It will be the culmination of what feels like a very lengthy journey - we first saw the concept in December 2024, let’s not forget - one made all the more fraught by some significant bumps in the road. But one benefit of its long gestation is the number of battery-powered (sort of) rivals that have appeared in the meantime, virtually none of them covering themselves in design glory. Would it be fair to say that Jaguar’s first EV looks decidedly less challenging in the wake of the Ferrari Luce? The ‘deeply sensorial experience’ sought inside certainly does it no harm.
“Jaguar Type 01 is the first production car to follow our new creative philosophy,” said Rawdon Glover, Jaguar’s MD. “Unmistakable from every angle, the interior is no different. With Type 01, we wanted every journey to be an occasion, from how it drives to how it looks and how it makes you feel. With a confidence-inspiring GT driving position, clean and sophisticated technology and dramatic styling, Type 01 has an interior like no other.”
Looks like it came out of a Chinese crossover costing £30k.
Clearly under the supervision of Gerry McGovern and it's going to take years to correct this boring featureless aesthetic he loves if they are going to convince people to part with £120k worth of cash or monthlies.
What a missed opportunity to make something luxurious and interesting. It will take 30 seconds in the car to see everything there is about the interior...
oh and I'd have to put a sticker over that ridiculous mix of upper and lower case JaGuar on the steering wheel. Just ludicrous
The half price electric Range Rover if you like this sort of thing
Less is more
Or
less is just less and disappointing
Where's my darn cup holder...is the most likely feedback they will hear..
I strongly suspect says random Brit ( aka old git ) in Oxfordshire
Having not sold one car in the USA...What do I know
knowing your market ...?
JaGuar customers must be cross shopping SUV and not MX5 looks like a hard sell to me
Don't know how big this car is is but a design feature which robs you of space and just makes it unnecessarily claustrophobic in the back maybe - but good luck with it all Jaguar
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