Jaguar to unveil its new £130k EV which will scare you on the motorway after controversial rebrand

 Jaguar is set to unveil its new £130,000 electric car that the British motoring giant has said will 'scare drivers when it comes up behind them on the way'. 

The Type 01 will boast 23-inch wheels, 1,000 horsepower and 360 patented features. 

In what managing director Rawdon Glover has said will be 'one of the most significant moments in Jaguar's 90-plus year history', the new model will be unveiled in New York

And the motoring boss also took a swipe at the company's critics – including Nigel Farage, Donald Trump and Elon Musk – after the company's controversial rebrand. 

In 2024, Jaguar was accused of attempting to appeal to the 'woke' brigade after a bizarre advert. 

The company ditched the iconic 'growler' logo of a big cat and replaced the imposing, all-caps typeface with one that appears to read 'JaGuar'.

Under the slogan 'Copy Nothing' – an adage from company founder Sir William Lyons – the advert featured diverse models in technicolour outfits walking through an alien landscape.

Ahead of next week's launch, Mr Glover told The Sunday Times: 'We've done many things over the last two years. One thing has clearly got more headlines than the other. But if you take a look at our Instagram, you'll see how the tone of our marketing has evolved over time and it will continue to do so.'

When asked about whether drivers would be scared if they saw the Type 01 on the road, he said: 'Your point of how it should feel when a Jaguar comes up behind you on the motorway; you could be talking to one of our designers. The car itself has to be distinctive, it has a look that is unquestionably a Jaguar.'

Donald Trump previously described the rebrand as a 'total disaster', saying Jaguar was in 'absolute turmoil'. 

Meanwhile Nigel Farage said the company 'will go bust' and Elon Musk questioned whether it sold cars any more as the 2024 advert did not feature any vehicles prominently. 

As the Daily Mail reported at the time, almost two years ago, even Gen Z hated the 'cheap' and 'cringe' relaunch.  

But Mr Glover said he hopes critics of the Type 00 prototype will change their minds after Tuesday's unveiling. 

Responding to some of the backlash, he said 'whether it's the President of the US or our client base' criticising the manufacturer 'we understand Jaguar better than anybody else'. 

He added that 'we care passionately that Jaguar is around for another 90 years' but to ensure this the company needed to 'develop a car that we think is worthy of that'. 

In August, the motoring giant unveiled the interior of the Type 01, giving the public a first look inside the electric flagship that will spearhead the British marque's controversial reinvention as an ultra-premium EV brand to rival Aston Martin and Bentley.

Jaguar revealed images of the Type 01's dramatically minimalist cabin, which bosses said is designed to make 'every journey an occasion'.

The most striking architectural feature is a central spine running the full length of the interior.

This creates four distinct seating areas and emphasises what Jaguar describes as the car's 'longitudinal' design philosophy.

The Daily Mail and This is Money Motoring Editor Rob Hull has already driven a pre-production prototype and been impressed by its effortless performance. 

Jaguar said the cabin has been engineered to feel as though it closes in around the driver. The sensation is enhanced by a notably lower driving position than is typical in most electric cars.

Our test drive earlier this year backed up that claim. 

When we got behind the wheel of the Type 01 in March, the descent into the driver's seat felt more pronounced than normal, creating the impression of sitting deep within the guts of the chassis.

The groundbreaking seating position has been achieved by splitting the 120kWh battery pack beneath the floor, allowing the seats to be mounted lower than would otherwise be possible.

As a result, occupants sit lower than in most EVs, where the cabin is effectively perched on top of a large battery pack.

It is also one reason Jaguar has managed to keep the car's roofline to a relatively low 1.4m.

During our early drive, the entire cockpit was hidden beneath covers, with cloth screens concealing displays and temporary panels masking key design details.

The images released in August finally revealed the technology and features that were concealed – and those that will define Jaguar interiors going forward.

Rather than featuring a conventional central touchscreen, the Type 01 uses a wide high-definition display that serves as the instrument cluster and extends into the middle of the dashboard.

This is paired with a small, palm-sized digital screen integrated into the central spine, which controls cabin temperature, air recirculation and heated seat functions.