The Jaguar J-Pace will sit above the I-Pace in the carmaker’s line-up, and will directly rival the Tesla Model X
Jaguar is working on launching a fully-electric SUV, which will sit above the I-Pace in the automaker’s line-up. Known as J-Pace, the Jaguar electric SUV will act as an eco-friendly alternative to the Porsche Cayenne, and will directly put up against the Tesla Model X. The J-Pace will go on to become the most premium Jaguar car on sale upon its arrival.
According to a report by AutoExpress, Thierry Bolloré, who was recently appointed to the role of Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Land Rover, aims to transform the company into a fully electric brand, and compete with the likes of Tesla and Polestar. It should be noted that Jaguar is yet to confirm any technical details about the J-Pace.
However, we do know that the J-Pace will be based on the same MLA platform that will underpin the next-gen versions of the Jaguar XJ and Range Rover. The platform can support petrol, diesel, plug-in hybrid and fully electric powertrains, but the J-Pace will exclusively be an EV.
According to the same report, production of the J-Pace will take place at Jaguar’s Castle Bromwich facility, which was also a part of Jaguar Land Rover’s £1 billion investment into the development of electric vehicles. This particular facility has been transformed to support production of all pure-electric cars in the British carmaker’s line-up.
The MLA platform is said to be capable of supporting batteries as large as 100 kWh. However, smaller battery options could be offered with the lower variants in order to keep the J-Pace’s price in check. That being said, a four-wheel drive configuration will likely be offered, and the car could have a range of around 482 km on the WLTP cycle.
While the J-Pace will be placed in the upper half of Jaguar Land Rover’s portfolio, the same report also suggests that Jaguar’s design boss Julian Thompson also wants to explore smaller cars. “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,” said Thompson.