“Have you ever seen a car like this before?” asked one of the designers of the new Type 01 Jaguar as the covers were pulled off the 1,000-horsepower electric saloon(轿车) in New York on October 6th. The “next chapter in the Jaguar story” is long, low and imposing(气势宏伟的). Despite claims of “a clear lineage to the great Jaguars of the past”, the marque(品牌（尤指汽车）)’s legacy was mostly played down. Its reinvention as an all-electric brand that is further upmarket than in previous incarnations is as much about breaking with the past as harking back to former glories.(它重塑为一个比以往更高端的纯电品牌，这既意味着与过去决裂，也意味着向昔日荣光致敬。) The audacious(大胆的、冒险的) transformation is Jaguar’s last chance at survival. If the new customers it is seeking are not enamoured(倾心的、迷恋的), claims that the vehicle is “01 of a kind” might just turn out to be true.
“你以前见过这样的车吗？”捷豹新款Type 01的设计师之一问道。10月6日，这辆1000马力的电动轿车在纽约揭幕。这个“捷豹故事的新篇章”车身修长、低矮而气势逼人。尽管官方声称它“与昔日伟大的捷豹一脉相承”，但品牌的历史传承基本被淡化。捷豹要重塑为一个比以往更高端的纯电品牌，这既意味着与过去决裂，也意味着向昔日荣光致敬。这场大胆的转型是捷豹求生的最后机会。如果它想争取的新客户不买账，那么“独一无二”的说法或许真会一语成谶。
What to do with Jaguar has furrowed the brows of car executives for years. Jaguar Land Rover, shortened to JLR since 2023, has always been far more reliant on the other side of its business, which includes the high-end Range Rover, whose flagship SUVs now start at well over £100,000 ($132,000).(捷豹路虎（2023年起简称为JLR）始终更依赖其业务的另一侧，即包括高端揽胜在内的板块，后者旗舰SUV如今起售价远超10万英镑。) The Jaguar brand has probably never made a profit for Tata Motors, the carmaking arm of the Indian conglomerate(企业集团) that bought JLR from Ford in 2008 for $2.3bn.
如何处理捷豹，多年来一直让汽车业高管们眉头紧锁。捷豹路虎（2023年起简称为JLR）始终更依赖其业务的另一侧，即包括高端揽胜在内的板块，后者旗舰SUV如今起售价远超10万英镑（13.2万美元）。捷豹品牌可能从未为塔塔汽车带来过利润。塔塔汽车是印度企业集团塔塔集团的汽车制造部门，2008年以23亿美元从福特手中收购了JLR。
Despite its heritage(传统、传承) of sporty models—such as the E-Type, launched in the 1960s—Jaguar’s saloon cars were long the brand’s biggest sellers. Over time, however, they acquired a staid(古板的、保守的) image of pipe-smoking bank managers and golf-club car parks. Tata invested heavily in revamping Jaguar’s range in order to take on(挑战、与……竞争) Germany’s premium carmakers, but the effort misfire(失败、未达预期)d. Although it managed to produce vehicles to a similar design standard and build quality, most drivers stuck with their Teutonic machines.(虽然捷豹在设计标准和制造质量上已能与对手比肩，但多数驾驶者仍坚守他们的德系座驾。) In 2018, at its peak, Jaguar sold around 180,000 cars, compared with well over 2m apiece for BMW and Mercedes-Benz. Sales plummet(暴跌、骤降)ed in the years that followed (see chart).
尽管捷豹以运动车型闻名——比如20世纪60年代推出的E-Type——但长期以来，轿车才是该品牌最畅销的产品。然而随着时间推移，这些车逐渐落得一个古板形象：叼着烟斗的银行经理和高尔夫球场的停车场。塔塔曾大力投资改造捷豹产品线，以挑战德国高端车企，但努力未能奏效。虽然捷豹在设计标准和制造质量上已能与对手比肩，但多数驾驶者仍坚守他们的德系座驾。2018年巅峰时期，捷豹销量约18万辆，而宝马和奔驰各自远超200万辆。此后几年销量一落千丈（见图表）。
