LONDON: There's been so much said and written about the Jaguar I-Pace over the last few months you could be forgiven for thinking it had been on sale for some time.
It hasn't been, of course, but at least it's now been officially unveiled in its final production form ahead of its public debut at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show.
Completely new models from major manufacturers deservedly get a lot of attention, but the I-Pace is more than just another new Jaguar as it's the British luxury manufacturer's first venture into the world of all-electric vehicles.
It might look quite familiar as this production model is very close to the original 2016 concept, and plenty of images have been published of the I-Pace undergoing testing at the Nurburgring and elsewhere. However, this is a new model where what's underneath the body is going to be talked about a lot more than the exterior styling.
At the heart of the Jaguar's powertrain is a state-of-the-art 90 kWh lithium-ion battery powering two electric motors, and the system puts equal focus on practicality and performance.
The 394hp and 696Nm powertrain gets the SUV from 0 to 100kph in as little as 4.8 seconds, but it's also capable of delivering a driving range of 480km on a single full charge. And if a 100kWh DC fast charger is available, the I-Pace can be recharged to 80 percent in just 40 minutes.
Ian Hoban, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar I-Pace, explains: "We set out with a clean sheet approach to harness new battery electric technology with an architecture engineered from the outset to optimise performance, aerodynamics and interior space. The result is the I-Pace; a true Jaguar and truly driver-focused EV. For I-Pace customers, fuel stations are a thing of the past, after overnight charging they'll wake up every morning with a 'full tank of fuel'!"
Jaguar isn't leaving things to chance when it comes to that all-important range either, as the navigation system is specially designed to offer routes that ensure the maximum possible range.
The Jaguar I-Pace is available to order now, with prices starting from £63,495 (RM345,000) in Britain before any government incentives are applied.
