Why Jaguar's classic cars were the inspiration for the brand's new EV
Why Jaguar's classic cars were the inspiration for the brand's new EV
MORGAN KORNFri, April 10, 2026 at 10:06 AM UTC
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Why Jaguar's classic cars were the inspiration for the brand's new EV
Jaguar's Dave Doody had one directive for his engineering team: "Build the best Jaguar ever."
This new electric Jaguar would be about "excitement and drama" and help reimagine the celebrated British marque. Expectations are high; the company ceased production of its most recent models and directed all resources to this project.
The car's design is radical compared to Jaguar's modern conveyances. The latest prototype, seen in March, closely resembles the polarizing Type 00 concept that was unveiled in December 2024. It's large and commanding with four doors and exaggerated proportions -- exactly how the designers intended.
Thomas Samson/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: The Jaguar Type 00 concept car is displayed during its Europe presentation event in Paris, March 21, 2025.
The big reveal of the "Jaguar GT" will happen in late September. It goes on sale in 2027 at a price of $120,000. The range is about 400 miles and the vehicle can be charged at a Tesla Supercharger, according to the company.
Doody said this project, which he has worked on for the last five years, was a truly collaborative effort between his engineers and the designers. The pressure, though, has been constant.
"If we don't deliver on that promise, we failed," he told ABC News.
Doody drove and studied the competition's EVs. He was involved in Jaguar's first EV, the futuristic looking i-Pace. But the engineering inspiration for the GT was ultimately the brand's classic sports cars. He and the team spent hours driving "the best-known vehicles in our past" to perfect the GT, according to Doody.
The driver sits low, like a sports coupe, making the ride smooth, centered and planted. The GT's weight and oversized dimensions are barely perceptible behind the wheel; the GT sprints when demanded, corners when commanded and glides when asked. Matching supercar specs was not the objective. Engineering an EV for comfort and efficiency were the true missions, Doody said.
"You can drive very comfortably at speed, just a couple of fingers on the steering wheel. The car is so stable at high speeds," he said.
ABC News spoke to Doody about the GT's long journey, the engineering challenges he had to overcome and early reaction from loyal Jaguar customers.
The interview below has been edited for clarity.
Q: Why did Jaguar decide to build a four-door GT versus an SUV?
A: The launch of the four-door GT is not just about the product itself. It's about the brand. So when you think about Jaguar, and the products its made in the past, it's very much about two-door sports cars and four-door GTs. So making an SUV is not what Jaguar is about. On top of that, if you look at the design of it, the design language works incredibly well as a four-door GT.
An SUV is something we may choose to do in the future.
Q: There are not many electric, luxury GTs in the market now. Did you test drive a Lucid Air or a Rolls-Royce Spectre and what did you take away from those competitors?
A: We did drive them. We experienced them, we drove the Lucid, the Porsche, many other cars. They weren't influencing what we wanted to create. We wanted to focus on delivering a Jaguar experience and therefore everything we focused on really came from the history of where Jaguar was. And that's what we really wanted to incorporate in the new car.
It's good to understand where potential competitors are, where customers are looking for their cars, but [the competition] didn't really influence the way we designed the car -- they were just for reference and understanding where the marketplace was.
Q: Talk about the importance of having your team drive classic Jaguars and how that influenced the engineering of the GT.
A: We started with a really small team and asked, "How are we going to deliver this new Jaguar?" Some people were quite new to Jaguar. Some people worked on Jaguar for many, many years. But we all needed to get to a similar understanding about what we wanted and what is the essence of Jaguar.
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We drove many cars. Some of the more modern Jaguars didn't really follow what we perceived as what a Jaguar should be. So we went back to the earlier cars and you could see why people bought them. You could understand why Jaguar was different, why it was unique. And they all had a common thread: not just from a design language but from the way they drove. And the elements we really took out were the ride and the comfort and the stability -- these were far more important than sportiness.
Jaguar - PHOTO: Jaguar's engineers said the marque's classic sports cars were inspiration for the GT.
A lot of modern Jaguars are really focused on steering precision and sportiness -- but if you look at the more historic Jaguars, when they were considered luxury cars, they didn't have that. So that's what we felt we needed to change.
Q: All EVs are quiet and have instant torque. How do you engineer an EV to stand out? You're not tuning an engine.
A: So how the power is delivered is how you change the perception. The clever tuning of the suspension and the steering wheel -- that's what our engineers are incredibly skilled at. Electric vehicles are renowned for really impactful, amazing acceleration that almost feels violent in how it's delivered. We didn't want that. We wanted it to feel like there was a real wave of power behind you. You put your foot down, it accelerates, you put your foot down further, it accelerates even harder. Then there's more beyond that. And you never run out of that performance.
That's all in the way you calibrate that. When we created the 120 kWh battery, that battery is not just there for range. It's there to create that power as well. We didn't focus on naught to 60 either. This car accelerates faster than other EVs -- it gives you that impact, it accelerates twice as fast than the Porsche in that 60 to 100 mph range. Because that's when you're using it -- to get past the other traffic quickly. That's when you want that acceleration. We focused on the usability of an electric car.
There are three motors -- two in the rear, one in the front. So the majority of the power goes to the rear. It looks like a big car, but when you drive it, it doesn't feel that large.
Jaguar - PHOTO: The Jaguar GT, which will be formally unveiled in September, is fully electric with about 400 miles of range.
Q: What about horsepower? Does that matter to customers?
A: One thousand horsepower is a lot. Those kind of numbers can make [a vehicle] scary. We wanted [the driver] to not feel overruled by the power. We have four different modes, so if you're not comfortable driving at high power, you can drive it at a lower powered version, like comfort mode. There's also normal mode, dynamic and performance mode. There are no gears but there is still a kickdown mode, which goes into the next performance category. You can tailor what you want from this car.
Q: There's no rear review mirror. Why?
A: We had a lot of debate about it. And there was a lot of reluctance to do away with the rear screen. But you can understand it when you see the car. But it's completely alien to what you'd expect. So we spent a long time understanding what benefit does that rear screen give you. We have a large pano roof which is switchable, mainly for UV and sun and heat. We saw no benefits of putting the rear screen in. In many ways, it's beneficial. You can use the whole height of the rear hatch -- you can load it right up to that.
Jaguar - PHOTO: The four-door GT, seen here in camouflage, will be priced at $120,000 and go on sale later this year.
Q: Will this GT have artificial sounds pumped into the cabin?
A: So legally we have to have a sound. We will have a nice sound that will be distinctive to Jaguar. It won't be a standard sound. We're still tuning that sound. I think it's a great idea to put a V8 or a V12 soundtrack in the car but it's not something we're working on right now.
Q: You mentioned that it was really important to make the designers' vision come to life. Is that true for every new Jaguar?
A: So this was more than ever -- we had to achieve that. We are changing Jaguar, we are changing the perception of Jaguar in the marketplace. It's not just another car. It's a repositioning of the brand. It's a really distinctive and different car. And all of those factors go together. Delivering a complete package was really important. We promised that when we saw the project. If we don't deliver on that promise we failed.
It was a huge challenge to for the engineers. It's not a run-of-the-mill car. They had to be innovative. We filed more patents for this car than any other car we created before. We managed to fit all of the hardware into the car and still make it a five-star performance in crash. The battery is like a fuel tank. We have to protect it. I came up with safety devices and designs and structures that protect that battery, which was incredibly difficult.
Q: This vehicle is coming at a time -- at least in the U.S. -- when EVs are not selling well. Are you a little nervous? The GT won't be available until late 2027.
A: When we talked to potential customers for this car, they wanted a statement car that fits with their aspirations. The fact that it's got an electric motor under the bonnet instead of a V8 or hybrid ... they're not so worried about it. They love they the way it looks, the interior. They love what the car means to them. And what the brand means to them. It makes them feel special.
Q: Was this the most challenging vehicle you worked on?
A: I think so. I've done a lot of cars in the past. I think the challenging element is about creating something brand new. There have been some great cars in Jaguar's history, but they weren't successful in the marketplace. They didn't really make an impact like the way we wanted to.
In order to create something desirable and sustain Jaguar's future success, you need create something different. And that's what we focused on.
Source: “AOL Money”
