Jaguar I-Pace: JLR scraps only EV model so far
On its way to becoming an all-electric brand in 2025, JLR wants to get rid of its only electric model so far: the Jaguar I-Pace. It is a change in strategy, as the carmaker was previously looking to keep the EV on offer.
JLR CEO Adrian Mardell confirmed this to Autocar, saying that the EV has been sold in the UK and Europe, so the carmaker complies with emission targets. The I-Pace is no longer needed once there are other EVs in its line-up.
Mardell, who was recently appointed permanent CEO of JLR, is thus changing. The new Jaguar plan is to retire the moderately successful I-Pace in 2025 together with the combustion models and to start completely anew with the new electric vehicle models based on the BEV architecture JEA. Bolloré still wanted the I-Pace to outlast the combustion engine phase-out and possibly even receive a second generation.
According to Mardell’s current statements, the brand’s focus will be on JEA.”Right now, people are telling me it’s going to be in the first half of 2025. That’s just under two years away. I’d be more confident in that response when we’re nine to 12 months away,” the JLR CEO is quoted as saying. “So we’ve got time – we’ve got nine to 12 months – to work through these decisions.”
Earlier this year, JLR confirmed that it would invest 15 billion pounds (or 18.6 dollars) to launch its new electric platform and prepare plants for (component) production. At the time, the manufacturer also announced that it would offer two electric Range Rovers and an electric Jaguar by 2025. One Range Rover is said to hit the road next year.
There are few details about the design of the EVs. Mardell told Autocar that the planned JEA architecture would allow for “exuberant” proportions, meaning a longer wheelbase. The wheelbase on these vehicles and this architecture will be longer. Then you can get the beautiful flows that you need from the vehicle,” he said.
JLR first announced that it wants to become a zero-emission car brand in 2021. At the time, the carmaker said that by the decade’s end, an all-electric variant would be available for all JLR model ranges. So far, the I-Pace is its only EV on offer. The car received some minor updates in design and equipment at the beginning of the year. But earlier plants to make the car “better and better” are off the table.
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