Jaguar is thinking to be only an electric vehicle maker

ABU DHABI: The writing is on the wall. Jaguar Land Rover which a few months ago had declared that all their forthcoming vehicles will have hybridisation from 2020 is mulling seriously on the thought. JLR is apparently very keen on turning a pure electric vehicle maker. So, no V8s or sportscar that makes orgasmic exhaust noises. Sigh! All the sportscars or even top spec SUVs as well as high performance sedans will, in five-seven years, be replaced by EVs or electric vehicles. To this effect, Jaguar is said to be preparing an electric-only model of its flagship, the XJ. The car will be ready by 2020 and is likely to be the first model that will be rolled out as an electric vehicle. Competition for the XJ will not be from its traditional enemies like Mercedes-Benz S-Class, Audi A8 or the BMW 7 Series. Instead it will be the Tesla Model S and the upcoming Porsche Taycan.

The luxury quotient of this Jaguar XJ electric too will be at an all-time high. Buyers usually preferred a Merc or Bimmer for their features. This new Jag will also have a lot of luxury options. It is also said to be a Bentley competitor. Since there are penalty zones in Europe and in some places like China where a car entering these zones is fined, the electric XJ will be exempt from all this. In terms of building efficiency too, the Jag XJ electric too will be profitable, say reports on the internet.

Since Jaguar is already ready with the i-Pace, the know-how will trickle into the next-gen SUVs too. Most of the sedans in the portfolio are likely to be replaced by SUVs. The next-gen XE and XF will probably be SUVs and take on the Audi e-tron. There will also be the next-gen F-Pace that will also be all-electric in 2025. An electric sportscar will replace the F-Type. One can expect a prototype to be showcased at a motor show next year. Through the introduction of electrics, the average corporate fuel efficiency will go down thereby rendering the Jaguars to be more affordable.

What this means for the UAE market will be that we got to ramp up our infrastructure to support charging stations for these vehicles. Currently, the infrastructure is at a nascent stage and will warrant heavy investment too. Let’s see how the shape of things come up!