Jaguar recently revealed its new EV direction, much to the chagrin of its consumer base. It launched a new logo with a simplified font to carry with an insistence to “move away from traditional automotive stereotypes” — managing director’s words — whatever that means. It seems the company is lost without direction, ever since Ian Callum stepped down as Director of Design after twenty years back in 2019.
Jaguar
The current Jaguar doesn’t hold a candle to its past self
Years ago, it ran an epic ad campaign that depicted Jags as baddies’ cars, washing the nation in pre-Brexit glory that celebrated what buying a Jaguar meant. Now it doesn’t have any cars to sell, a bold move that’s in effect even in the UK. After some mysterious spy photos depicted a vehicle Cruella would drive, the Type 00 — double zero to you Bondophiles — made its debut to the public. Much like the Athleisure-like campaign that hyped it, the reception was less than positive.
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I won’t deny it’s noticeable, at least in concept form. But the appeal of a Jaguar often lies with its function. It will carry passengers in sumptuous comfort while having the mechanical verve to rival Porsche. The XJ used to stretch as long as a BMW 750i and still be a featherweight boxer. It’s the supermodel that lifts weights on weekends.
None of which the Type 00 will be able to pull off. Not because it features haunches wider than an elephant’s second truck nor because the front end features a grille mimicking some Audis. Keep in mind that given that it resembles the spy shots to a decent degree, it’s likely that these details will make it into production. This leaves room for the biggest tragedy: that it might have no rear window.
Ford
This is unfortunately not an original design idea
I don’t even know the proper term. What do you call it? Windowless back? Backless arse? Whatever. This is the most moronic design element of the Jaguar Type 00. Worst still, useless rear windows are not an original issue in the car industry.
Ford’s backlog is full of bad decisions: from owning Jaguar, to installing pickup truck steering wheels on Aston Martins, to building a car entirely out of hemp. But in 1971, it decided to give the Mustang a refresh. This would include a Fastback model so the body grew in length, giving it more road presence. That in itself was enough to earn the Mach 1 a starring role in Gone In 60 Seconds, one of the greatest car films. That is what the true Eleanor is; fight me on this and I’ll hit back.
As a result of the fastback style, the rear window was a tragedy, almost horizontally flat like a joke from a bad comedian. Then karma swiftly induced an oil crisis, cutting the fastback Mustang’s existence short.
Cadillac
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Cadillac also jumped on the “no rear window” bandwagon
Not too long ago, Cadillac built a CTS coupe that not only featured door handles from a Corvette to outline its sporty potential, but also wore a near-flat window similar to the ’71 Mustang. As one would expect, outward visibility was morbidly hopeless.
Cadillac sold a wagon variant of the CTS simultaneously, yet the coupe outsold the more practical sibling handily. This didn’t matter though as neither were renewed for another generation. GM applied a similar tradecraft to my 2012 Buick LaCrosse, which led to me backing into one of my coworkers because that blind spot is awful. Thankfully, that was a one-time incident because it came equipped with tilt-down mirrors.
Jaguar
I know of a way to fix this whole ordeal
But I’m not going to leave it here without a solution. My Buick has a rear window shade that effectively blocks out cars from behind, even on sunny days. So if Jaguar wants to commit to the no-rear-window schtick, I propose a fix: frosted glass.
Executives and business people used to ferry around in the backseat relying on curtains and the courtesy of their driver whose job was to keep their eyes forward. Now, technology has become so incredible that you don’t need to rely on curtains. You can have opaque glass in the rear window when privacy is desired, and a clear view when you yourself are the driver. The fact that frosted glass tech hasn’t transpired into more uses is beyond my comprehension.
This isn’t even a tint. At the touch of a button, it dims the glass just enough to block out the most direct light, such as the panoramic sunroof in the Lexus RZ. Few luxury cars have come and gone offering this feature. Perhaps it’s time to bring it to the mainstream.
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Jaguar
Final thoughts
And we know Jaguar could’ve done the electric car thing earlier. It could’ve milked the EV powertrain in the I-Pace to build a line of beautiful cars penned by Callum. Since he left, Callum started his own company to build 25 exquisite units of the Vanquish as an apology for the dimwitted gearbox.
Jaguar isn’t afraid to take chances. But to succeed, it just needs to produce damn good cars, not put some faces on a brochure.
Democracy is a word that carries weight, much like the precarious nations that try to exercise it. It’s collaborative efforts like Jaguar’s Type 00 that may make or break the company.
Freedom sounds like the stronger word. It’s designers like Callum who had the freedom to make their most beautiful creations come to life.
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