What are our car electrical specialists obsessed with this week? The word is that Jaguar plans to start deliveries of the first SUV from a luxury European automaker this summer.
Jaguar will break records for being the very first, beating SUV rivals Audi and Mercedes to the punch.
Other Electric Releases Planned
The car company’s first electric SUV debut will be the 395bhp I-Pace, but they don’t plan on stopping there. Jaguar has complete series of electric and hybrid models planned. The XJ luxury saloon, its next electric model, is planned for next year. Hybrids of its other models will start rolling off lots in 2020.
The I-Pace boosts an impressive range as well, at about 310 miles per charge. Charging to 80% capacity will take about an hour and a half, perfect time for a brewery tour across the country if you stop for a burger, brew and charge along the way.
A Jaguar by Any Other Name
Jaguar doesn’t plan to lose its identity as it converts to electric, especially when it comes to beautiful handling due to Jaguar’s exceptional weight distribution. That means you’ll need those Jaguar brakes. This thing handles like a dream with wings.
“We were obsessed with weight distribution,” Jaguar vehicle line director Ian Hoban told Autocar. “It must handle like a Jaguar.”
That kind of handling requires a lot of attention to design detail.
“It has a relatively long wheelbase because of the battery,” Jaguar design director Ian Callum told Autocar. “We brought the front occupant forward and kept the rear occupant where they were for space. It has the interior space of Cayenne but the dimensions of the Macan. I wanted to capture the drama of a mid-engined sports car. ”
Our Jaguar technicians feel like they should pinch themselves. But who would want to wake up?
