Jaguar offered an online preview of its fully electric I-Pace sport utility vehicle as the luxury-car maker pushes forward with plans to challenge Tesla and offer a battery-powered line-up by the end of the decade.
The SUV is being displayed in a live-streaming event after “thousands of potential customers” showed interest by clicking an “I want one” button on the company’s website, the unit of Tata Motors Ltd.’s Jaguar Land Rover division said in an emailed statement.
When it hits showrooms in the second half of the year, the I-Pace will offer drivers a range of more than 500km on one charge, while pulling to 100km/h from a standstill in just under 5 seconds.
A 100kW fast-charger will bring the I-Pace from flat to 80% in around 45 minutes, although the same top-up using a standard 7Kw home wall-box charger would take “just over 10 hours”, according to Jaguar.
The I-Pace will be priced from A$119,000 when it goes on sale in Australia later this year.
While mass-market automakers are electrifying their fleets in response to regulators’ pressure to reduce emissions, JLR is one of the few established high-end producers to make a strong commitment. Ralf Speth, the division’s chief, outlined plans last year to offer fully electric, plug-in hybrid and so-called mild-hybrid variants of its entire range of cars and SUVs.
Electric vehicles are set to be center stage at next week’s Geneva car show. As well as challenging EV incumbent Tesla, Jaguar’s I-Pace will be jostling for attention with new models from other traditional carmakers looking to close the gap, including Audi’s Q6.
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