Jaguar Type 01 Interior Runs a Brass Spine Straight Through the Middle

Jaguar has finally opened the cabin of its Type 01 electric grand tourer to public view. Photos released this week show a four-seat layout built around one continuous structure that stretches the full length of the car, turning the interior into four separate spaces rather than the usual shared rows.

Slouching low in the driver’s seat, the view straight ahead is obscured by a super narrow dash that coincides with the horizontal stripes on the bonnet outside. Those lines go all the way inside the cabin, blurring the barrier between outside and within. It’s a calculated look that works from front to back, without question. The centerpiece is a large chunk of brass that runs along the center. It begins near the base of the windshield and extends all the way back, separating the left and right sides of the cabin. The same brass treatment appears on the tops of the doors, where large horizontal panels repeatedly display the famous Jaguar leaper image. Jaguar refers to these door components as “signature art,” and they do, indeed, span the entire length of the passenger area.

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The materials on display are all quiet and understated, such as travertine stone, and instead of flashy polished wood or hefty chrome, you get supple textiles with lots of texture. Each of the four seats now stands alone as a separate sculpture, rather than as part of a continuous bench. Because it is an homage to the previous Type 00 concept, the front and back are treated similarly, although it has been polished for manufacture.

From where you sit, you feel somewhat low in comparison to other modern sedans. Sitting so close to the floor gives the cabin a tight, wrapped-around effect, as if the vehicle has drawn in around you. Jaguar believes that’s a reassuring, GT-style driving stance that keeps you focused on the road, and as for technology, it’s all there, but it doesn’t demand attention until you need it. So you have a large digital display right in front of you that shows speed, navigation, and all of the important car information, as well as a smaller vertical screen that pops out from the center beam for HVAC and media controls, but no large screen for the passengers to use. Instead of a traditional rearview mirror, they’ve attached a handy digital display to the base of the windshield, around the same height as the outside mirrors, so your eyes don’t have to work too hard to take it all in.

There are few physical switches, however the window controls are on the door panels. The two-spoke steering wheel has some nice tactile surfaces on the wide spokes, and there are some hidden storage spaces built into that big central beam that you only see when you open it up. There’s also a big glass roof that spans the entire cabin, with no rear window behind the second row of seats.

Thomas Holden, Jaguar’s lead interior designer, says he intended to take the car’s outward look and transform it into an interior architecture that highlights the large center beam rather than employing the standard horizontal structure. Using good, realistic materials, electronics that only appears when needed, and keeping surfaces simple are all intended to create a genuine sense of drama and theater, which is a new form of luxury. Then there’s Rawdon Glover, Jaguar’s managing director, who believes that every journey should feel like a special occasion, and that’s what they’ve gone for: a low driving position, some restrained electronics, and some bold lines, all working together to create that sense of style.
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