Several luxury car makers are heavily pushing for electric mobility. Mercedes-Benz announced a few days ago that they will introduce six new EQ models by the end of 2022. Now, Jaguar too are readying an all-new electric SUV that will sit above the i-Pace in the brand's lineup and will be called the J-Pace. This development comes in the wake of Thierry Bollore taking over the reins at Jaguar who intends to turn Jaguar into a fully electric brand, competing with the likes of the Tesla and Polestar. In fact, the Jaguar J-Pace will be squarely aimed at the Tesla Model X.
This is according to a report by Auto Express, which stated,
Auto Express understands that one of Bollore's first acts as chairman will see the company evolve into a fully electric brand, moving to compete directly with the likes of Tesla and Polestar."
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There are not much technical details available about the Jaguar J-Pace just yet. However, we do know that the J-Pace will be underpinned by the same MLA architecture that will also form the basis of the next-gen Jaguar XJ and the Range Rover. The next-gen Jaguar XJ too will be a fully-electric sedan as was announced by the company earlier this year. Jaguar has however built this platform to be quite dynamic so that it can handle petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid or fully electric powertrains.
The Jaguar J-Pace is expected to have a driving range of about 482 km and that should keep it fairly competitive with the Tesla Model X. The MLA platform is capable of handling huge batteries - batteries as large as up to 100 kWh - and that should give it plenty of range. The company has invested over a billion pounds on their Castle Bromwich facility which is dedicated the the production of electric vehicles. The J-Pace will likely be manufactured at this very plant.
While the J-Pace will sit above the I-Pace in the brand's portfolio, the report also stated that Jaguar's design chief had previously said that he would like to make a smaller Jaguar that would be more efficient. So a smaller Jaguar electric SUV that would sit below the I-Pace could also be on the cards. Julian Thompson, Jaguar's chief designer, said,
"I think reflecting on what's happening around the world, I would love to do cars which are smaller, more efficient and have all the inherent values of a Jaguar, which are a beautiful thing to look at, with a fantastic interior, and are just great to drive."
Stay tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for more Jaguar updates and other four-wheeler news.
[News Source - AutoExpress]
