The new Jaguar Type 01 has arrived with a narrow brief: reverse a long decline. Nothing under Ford or Tata ownership has restored the brand’s former standing, so Jaguar is attempting a full reset. The Type 01 is the production expression of that bet, and it remains a large one.

Two years ago the project surfaced as the Type 00 concept, finished in a vivid pink and paired with a deliberately confrontational advertising campaign. The combination split opinion sharply and dominated discussion far beyond the usual car-launch cycle. Critics called the look a rejection of Jaguar’s traditional proportions and visual language; defenders argued that continuity had already failed and that only a clean break could work. Either way, the preview made the car famous before it was finished.

The production Type 01 is quieter in colour. The flamboyant concept finish has given way to more restrained paint, and the detailing has been tightened for the road. The underlying architecture is unchanged: a large, low electric grand tourer shaped around a long wheelbase, a cab-rearward stance, and surfaces that favour drama over familiarity. Jaguar is not trying to recreate the E-Type or the XJ. It is trying to establish a new silhouette that can carry the nameplate into an electric era without leaning on past models that no longer sell in useful numbers.

Whether the quieter colour softens the reaction is the open question. The proportions that divided viewers in concept form are still there. So is the commercial pressure. Jaguar’s recent range has not generated the volume or the margin the brand needs, and the Type 01 is being asked to do what successive saloons and SUVs have not. Early reaction will turn on whether buyers see a necessary reinvention or an expensive misreading of what the badge still means. The car is finished. The argument over it is not.

RATE IT now that you've seen the real thing.

Is it just us or does the grill look like the door of a public storage container?