The I-Pace was a bold move from Jaguar when it came out, the first-ever Leaping Cat to rely on electricity instead of internal combustion. But after Magna Steyr started production in Austria, it became clear the I-Pace is a trailblazer for the Coventry-based automaker.
Less than a year after the first example of the breed was delivered, the Jaguar has been crowed European Car of the Year 2019. No fewer than 60 jurors voted nameplates from a list that includes the Alpine A110, Ford Focus, Kia Ceed, Peugeot 508, Citroen C5 Aircross, and Mercedes-Benz A-Class.
Of the seven nominees, the I-Pace stood out thanks to a number of traits. Innovation is one of them, but price is also of the essence. Even though it’s premium and all-wheel drive, the Jaguar starts at £64,495 in the United Kingdom. Make that €78,240 in Germany and $69,500 in the United States of America, sums that undercut the XJ full-size sedan.
"For our first electric vehicle to also be the first Jaguar to win European Car of the Year gives us a huge sense of pride," declared Speth, chief executive officer. At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the award was handed to Ian Callum, the design director of all things Jaguar since 1999.
Now here’s the controversial part of the story. Both the I-Pace and A110 tied with 250 points from the jurors mentioned a few paragraphs before. If you were wondering how did the Jaguar win the European Car of the Year 2019, that’s because most voters put it at the top of their list. Maybe Doug DeMuro had something to do with it, who knows?
A premium-oriented crossover that challenges the Audi e-tron quattro and Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4Matic, the I-Pace develops approximately 400 horsepower. Zero to 60 miles per hour comes in 4.5 seconds, and the 90-kW battery sandwiched into the floor provides 234 miles of range as per the Environmental Protection Agency.
Up to January 31st this year, 75 percent of the 8,000-plus examples delivered to customers were sold in Europe. Since the world premiere a year ago, the I-Pace received 55 awards worldwide, including from automotive juggernauts such as Top Gear.
Of the seven nominees, the I-Pace stood out thanks to a number of traits. Innovation is one of them, but price is also of the essence. Even though it’s premium and all-wheel drive, the Jaguar starts at £64,495 in the United Kingdom. Make that €78,240 in Germany and $69,500 in the United States of America, sums that undercut the XJ full-size sedan.
"For our first electric vehicle to also be the first Jaguar to win European Car of the Year gives us a huge sense of pride," declared Speth, chief executive officer. At the 2019 Geneva Motor Show, the award was handed to Ian Callum, the design director of all things Jaguar since 1999.
Now here’s the controversial part of the story. Both the I-Pace and A110 tied with 250 points from the jurors mentioned a few paragraphs before. If you were wondering how did the Jaguar win the European Car of the Year 2019, that’s because most voters put it at the top of their list. Maybe Doug DeMuro had something to do with it, who knows?
A premium-oriented crossover that challenges the Audi e-tron quattro and Mercedes-Benz EQC 400 4Matic, the I-Pace develops approximately 400 horsepower. Zero to 60 miles per hour comes in 4.5 seconds, and the 90-kW battery sandwiched into the floor provides 234 miles of range as per the Environmental Protection Agency.
Up to January 31st this year, 75 percent of the 8,000-plus examples delivered to customers were sold in Europe. Since the world premiere a year ago, the I-Pace received 55 awards worldwide, including from automotive juggernauts such as Top Gear.
Ian Callum director of design of Jaguar receives the #CaroftheYear 2019 award from Frank Janssen president of the Coty Jury pic.twitter.com/vSredyRi63
— Car of the Year (@caroftheyear) March 4, 2019