Jaguar's 1,000-HP Four-Door Electric GT Looks Right At Home Drifting Through The Snow

It's been just over a year since Jaguar revealed the Type 00 concept, and the company is hard at work getting the production version ready — as it should be, given how Jaguar isn't currently producing any new cars, and its whole future is riding on this new EV. No pressure. We still don't know what the new model will be named (Jaguar just calls it the "four-door GT"), but Jaguar says it's undergoing the most rigorous testing program in the automaker's history, with more than 150 prototypes covering hundreds of thousands of miles in harsh climates and on normal roads. Before any of those test cars were sent out in the real world, Jaguar had already completed its most comprehensive virtual and rig testing program, too.

Jaguar's latest round of cold weather testing is taking place in the Arctic Circle, and the automaker is using that trip to tell us more about the upcoming model, both through its own press release and photos of camouflaged prototypes, and by inviting some journalists to head to Arjeplog, Sweden, to drive it for themselves. (Sadly we weren't among that group, but I'm still excited about this car nonetheless.)

Jaguar says its engineers are "[refining] the distinct characteristics of the four‑door GT's drive modes to ensure it delivers instinctive responses and calming comfort," and that true to the spirit of the brand, "it will drive like no other electric car thanks to a suite of electric propulsion technologies." Yeah, sure. That doesn't really tell us anything. But Jaguar has also confirmed the GT will have a tri-motor setup (one in the front, two in the rear) with advanced torque vectoring capability and more than 986 horsepower, plus a range of over 400 miles. Now we're talking.

The GT will also have air suspension with twin-valve dampers and passive anti-roll bars, rear-wheel steering and 23-inch wheels, all of which are being calibrated out there on the ice. According to those who have gotten behind the wheel of the prototypes, like our friends at Autocar and Top Gear, it sounds like Jaguar is really nailing the ride and handling. It'll also have a new thermal management system called ThermAssist:

The sub‑zero temperatures of the Arctic Circle also give Jaguar engineers the right conditions to validate its advanced ThermAssist_^TM technology. The pioneering onboard thermal management system reduces heating energy consumption by up to 40 per cent, and aims to recover heat to warm the propulsion system or cabin in ambient temperatures as low as minus 10°C (14°F). All while optimising the driving range, even in the coldest temperatures.

While the amount of camouflage on these prototypes is only slightly less than what we saw back in November 2024, there are a few new details to see, further confirming that the production car will stick pretty close to the concept's design. It'll have slim headlights and taillights, like the concept, and truly supervillain-like proportions — at over 204 inches long, it's nearly as long as a Mercedes S-Class, and at under 55 inches tall it's shorter in height than a Porsche Panamera. The Type 00 concept was just a two-door, but the production model has four doors, though the opening of the rear doors is quite small, as is the window in them. There won't be a rear window, instead relying on a camera like in the Polestar 4, but the GT will have a large liftback cargo opening.

From the initial photos people thought the Type 00 was very slab-sided, but that really wasn't the case, and the production model is quite curvy as well. There are prominently flared fenders, a nice taper to the rear end, and a coke-bottle shape akin to the E-Type. Managing director Rawdon Glover says the GT will be "a hugely desirable car that will be as captivating to drive as to look at," and at the very least, we know the design will be just that whether or not you actually like it.

Jaguar

Recent reports said the GT had been slightly delayed; now it's likely to be revealed this summer before reaching dealerships next spring. It should carry a starting price of around $130,000.