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Frank Stephenson is a man who speaks his mind. Some of his opinions may be controversial, but he has every right to talk about car design. Having been involved in styling everything from the Ferrari F430 to the original BMW X5, the Moroccan automotive designer knows a thing or two about the subject. A few years back, he listed his three favorite Jaguar designs, and surprisingly, the E-Type didn’t make the cut. Now, he’s ready to talk about the Type 00.
The wild electric concept previews Jaguar’s push upmarket into super-luxury territory to take on Bentley. However, Frank Stephenson is not a big fan of its looks. Speaking with Top Gear magazine, the man who penned the McLaren P1 didn’t beat around the bush, calling it “forgettable from nearly every angle.” He even went as far as to invent a new word to describe the outlandish EV, labeling it “unautomotive.”
The 65-year-old designer, who worked on the first Mini of the BMW era, criticized nearly everything, arguing that the “overall design lacks cohesion and seems unfinished.” He did, however, have one positive remark, saying the Type 00 looks promising from afar, though “disappointing up close.”
Jag’s unorthodox grand tourer will morph into a production car priced at around $130,000, according to Brandon Baldassari, the company’s U.S. boss. It will effectively double Jaguar’s average transaction price, which is why the Tata Motors-owned automaker is comfortable selling far fewer cars than before. The production-ready Type 00 “will be rare—when you see one, it’ll be a special occasion.”
Earlier this year, managing director Rawdon Glover admitted Jaguar is prepared to lose 85 percent of its customer base. That’s right—the Coventry-based automaker expects only 15 percent of current buyers to sign on the dotted line for the road-going Type 00. According to Glover, the final version will closely resemble the concept.
We previously described prototypes as looking like Cruella de Vil’s car, thanks to the imposingly long hood. As for why an EV needs such a long bonnet, as the British say, we’ll have to wait for Jaguar to explain whether it’s a purely stylistic choice or dictated by technical reasons. The production model, with a different and hopefully more exciting name, will debut before the end of the year, with sales starting in 2026.
The cards seem stacked against Jaguar as the company takes a huge risk, and not just with the car’s design. Being willing to alienate most of your buyers is a massive gamble, while the “Copy Nothing” ad campaign that kicked off the brand’s reinvention has sparked heavy criticism. I may be in the minority saying Jaguar deserves a chance, but I can fully understand the skepticism surrounding everything that’s happened since the concept’s debut.