► Jaguar E-Pace: an all-electric SUV
► To be built by Magna Steyr in Austria
► Carbonfibre build, high tech
Jaguar’s new F-Pace crossover coming in 2016 is but the start of an onslaught of new SUV products from the big cat – and one of the planned 4x4s is in fact all-electric. Meet the new E-Pace, depicted in our artist’s impression above.
According to several sources, Jaguar’s first battery electric vehicle (BEV) will be the smaller crossover. The principle is sound; like the approach chosen by Audi and Mercedes, Jaguar is hoping to broaden the appeal of its first EV and take a chunk out of Tesla Model X sales in the process.
E-Pace: the most slippery of Jaguars
The crossover with cat’s whiskers breaks new ground in more ways than one. While its hard points were carefully determined to comply with US standards so that it will be certified as an SUV in its biggest target market, the design is anything but boxy and boring, according to CAR’s sources.
Instead, expect a low and flowing silhouette, a steeply raked windscreen and a tapered rear end, active and passive aerodynamic aids, large-diameter but relatively narrow wheels, an evolution of Jaguar’s family face and a selection of BEV-specific cues. With a targeted drag coefficient of 0.28, what will likely be badged E-Pace may well be the world’s most slippery SUV.
Think of it as a sleeker, sportier and slightly smaller Audi Q6, aka the Frankfurt show E-tron concept car (above).
A Jag built in Austria
To be assembled by Magna Steyr in Graz according to JLR’s own lightweight receipe, the zero-emission Jaguar needs to find at least 20,000 takers per year to turn a profit.
Read more on the Jaguar E-Pace in our new CAR+ service – read the full magazine story here.