Photo: Jaguar
The I-Pace, as you’re well aware, is Jaguar’s first-ever electric vehicle. The platform has been developed to deliver independent torque to each axle, coming courtesy of the dual-motor setup. Given this information, does it come as a surprise the I-Pace could get an SVR performance-oriented variant at some point in the future?
It doesn’t, but what is surprising is what engineering manager Dave Shaw told Motoring.com.au regarding Jaguar’s future plans. “Once people accept that actually there’s more benefits that come with an EV rather than negatives, why would that not work in a hypercar? Look around. Rimac is doing an EV hypercar, McLaren is doing an EV hypercar,” he told the Australian motoring publication.
The last time the British automaker sold a supercar was in the 1990s with the XJ220, a V6-powered midship that held the title of fastest production car (341.7 km/h; 212.3 mph) from 1992 to 1993. Then the C-X75 came to be in 2010 as the spiritual successor of the XJ220. The project didn’t go past the concept and a handful of prototypes, and that’s a bit of a shame if you look at the bigger picture.
As Jaguar prepares to electrify the XJ full-size sedan and next generation of the F-Type, there’s no denying there’s room for an electric hypercar in the lineup as the halo model of the Leaping Cat from Coventry. “EV is a very elegant solution for an automobile, and that’s transferable from something that’s a city car all the way up to a hypercar," said Shaw, adding that “it’s an exciting time [for electric vehicles].”
On a related note, the Special Vehicle Operations looks forward to the next Project after the F-Type-based 7 and XE-based 8. Confirmed by former SVO chief exec John Edwards, the Project 9 is surrounded in mystery for the time being. Not even Jaguar knows what it wants from the newcomer, let alone the engineers at SVO.
The thing is, Jaguar is too new to the EV genre to pour money into the development of an electric hypercar right now. But given time, there’s no denying the Leaping Cat will go after the best names in the business with an electrified brawler of its own.
The last time the British automaker sold a supercar was in the 1990s with the XJ220, a V6-powered midship that held the title of fastest production car (341.7 km/h; 212.3 mph) from 1992 to 1993. Then the C-X75 came to be in 2010 as the spiritual successor of the XJ220. The project didn’t go past the concept and a handful of prototypes, and that’s a bit of a shame if you look at the bigger picture.
As Jaguar prepares to electrify the XJ full-size sedan and next generation of the F-Type, there’s no denying there’s room for an electric hypercar in the lineup as the halo model of the Leaping Cat from Coventry. “EV is a very elegant solution for an automobile, and that’s transferable from something that’s a city car all the way up to a hypercar," said Shaw, adding that “it’s an exciting time [for electric vehicles].”
On a related note, the Special Vehicle Operations looks forward to the next Project after the F-Type-based 7 and XE-based 8. Confirmed by former SVO chief exec John Edwards, the Project 9 is surrounded in mystery for the time being. Not even Jaguar knows what it wants from the newcomer, let alone the engineers at SVO.
The thing is, Jaguar is too new to the EV genre to pour money into the development of an electric hypercar right now. But given time, there’s no denying the Leaping Cat will go after the best names in the business with an electrified brawler of its own.
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