March 1st was the big launch event for Jaguar’s entry into the EV space. Broadcast live from the factory in Gratz, Austria, where Magna Steyr is building the cars for Jaguar, the event was a little light on details, although it managed to include a lot of video clips of the new car being tested and a 0-60-0 race with a couple of Tesla Model X cars, making it very clear who they are gunning for with this new EV.
Thoughts
As designer Ian Callum says during the event, they really have made the concept car. Watching Mercedes and Audi dilute their excellent concept vehicles as they march towards production has been saddening for me. The I-Pace though appears to have remained very faithful to the concept. The design might not have the immediate appeal of Porsche’s Macan to me, but it has grown on me over the past few months, and right now I think it is the EV I would choose today (if only it were available in the US, which it is not, yet). I am not a big fan of SUV/crossover vehicles at all, preferring smaller & convertible cars, so the fact that this, and the Macan, appeal to me at all is surprising. Porsche’s Mission E might knock the Jag off the top spot if it can remain faithful to its concept.
The higher speed charging, announced a week or so back, is interesting, though few DC chargers here in the US will support more than 50 kW today. The range sounds great, the performance is fantastic.
The only negative is the price. US pricing is not available yet, but the UK prices, starting around £63k, are significantly above the F-Pace (which starts at around £35k). In fact, the I-Pace is their most expensive vehicle based on starting price – the top of the range, AWD S model F-Pace is an eye watering £10k cheaper than the entry level I-Pace (before adding options).
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