Photo: Jaguar
After spending most of its life in the shadow of its German rivals, Jaguar is now spotting a very good opportunity to get ahead, and it seems to be grabbing it with both hands (or is that all four paws?).
While Mercedes-Benz and Audi are still roughly one year away from launching their first real battery-powered vehicles (we say 'real' because Mercedes-Benz has already had the battery-powered B-Class, but that was just a compliance vehicle), Jaguar is putting the finishing touches on the I-PACE and getting it ready for its debut in March at the Geneva Motor Show.
A lot has been said about Jaguar's electric crossover, and that's because, like Tesla, the company hasn't been too secretive about the vehicle even during its prototype stage. We know it's going to have a 90 kWh battery pack that should give it a maximum range of 500 km (over 300 miles), though that number should correspond to the more lenient NEDC assessment.
We also know it'll have two electric motors, one on each axle, for all-wheel-drive capabilities and that they should have a combined output of 400 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). Considering it'll be smaller than a Tesla Model X, these specs should prove enough to give it decent performance, even though it won't smoke the American SUV off the line.
To make it competitive, Jaguar would have to cut the price of a Tesla Model X with similar performance, and it looks like it will. Despite having a larger battery pack (the base Model X comes with a 75 kWh), AutoBild.de says the I-PACE should have a 25 percent lower starting price than the Model X 75D, which has a top range of 381 km by EPA standards. That should be close to the I-PACE's 500 km NEDC.
Since it's a premium vehicle, we doubt anyone would buy the base I-PACE, which means the final price will be closer to the X's €100,000. That means luxury EV buyers will finally get a decent alternative that has its pros (design, build quality - we can only assume) and cons (less room), just like an alternative should.
A lot has been said about Jaguar's electric crossover, and that's because, like Tesla, the company hasn't been too secretive about the vehicle even during its prototype stage. We know it's going to have a 90 kWh battery pack that should give it a maximum range of 500 km (over 300 miles), though that number should correspond to the more lenient NEDC assessment.
We also know it'll have two electric motors, one on each axle, for all-wheel-drive capabilities and that they should have a combined output of 400 hp and 700 Nm (516 lb-ft). Considering it'll be smaller than a Tesla Model X, these specs should prove enough to give it decent performance, even though it won't smoke the American SUV off the line.
To make it competitive, Jaguar would have to cut the price of a Tesla Model X with similar performance, and it looks like it will. Despite having a larger battery pack (the base Model X comes with a 75 kWh), AutoBild.de says the I-PACE should have a 25 percent lower starting price than the Model X 75D, which has a top range of 381 km by EPA standards. That should be close to the I-PACE's 500 km NEDC.
Since it's a premium vehicle, we doubt anyone would buy the base I-PACE, which means the final price will be closer to the X's €100,000. That means luxury EV buyers will finally get a decent alternative that has its pros (design, build quality - we can only assume) and cons (less room), just like an alternative should.
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