Jaguar I-Pace to be priced under $150K

A PRODUCTION version of the Jaguar I-Pace Concept will arrive locally late next year with a circa-four-second 0-100km/h claim and sub-$150,000 pricing, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner has confirmed.

Unveiled in concept form at the Los Angeles motor show in November last year and tipped to be revealed in production form at next month’s Frankfurt motor show, the Tesla X-rivalling full electric vehicle (EV) is already drawing expressions of interest on Jaguar's Australian website.

The 4680mm-long five-seater is significantly shorter than the 5037mm-plus Model X six-to-seven-seater. Using a 90kWh battery pack, however, the I-Pace Concept claims to provide a 400km to 500km driving range between recharges and, with 294kW and 700Nm, a claimed 0-100km/h in “around” four seconds.

When the production I-Pace arrives locally late next year it should undercut the equivalent $180,142 plus on-road costs Model X P100 (with 565km range and 4.9-second 0-100km/h) by $30,000 or more, according to Mr Wiesner.

Mr Wiesner said “I would agree” to GoAuto’s suggestion that the I-Pace would need to start at below $150,000. He then officially confirmed that staying under that figure would be the target for JLR Australia.

“Zero to 100km/h in about four seconds and good range of thereabouts 400km to 500km, depending on how you drive it of course, means it’s a really good option to have in a pure EV context,” Mr Wiesner said at the national media reveal of the Range Rover Velar in Sydney last week.

“And who else is there? Quite frankly, it’s Tesla. I mean it (I-Pace) is a sports SUV product. It looks good, it looks like a Jaguar, having a couple of motors in it (with a) good low centre of gravity. In terms of layout it’s fantastic because it has got plenty of room. It effectively becomes another option in that SUV space for those who are first adopters.”

While refusing to divulge sales volume targets, Mr Wiesner suggested that “we don’t want to be selling 20 of these per year.”“But keep in mind also it’s important from a product and brand perspective what I-Pace is for Jaguar,” he added.

“This is a car that then puts Jaguar in a leadership role from a technology perspective, which again broadens its appeal in another way that, quite frankly, we’ll be the first one in the group.

“And arguably it makes more sense for Jaguar (than Land Rover) because that’s the brand that really will be driven by this change, and this positioning, and this whole discussion around technology, and electrification.”

Although JLR Australia would look to undercut the equivalent-Model X pricing with the I-Pace, however, Mr Wiesner admitted that the lack of EV charging infrastructure to match Tesla fast-charging sites was “absolutely” a challenge.

But he said the brand is currently working with dealerships, and on a wider recharging rollout scheme with other partners, for the I-Pace.

“(With) I-Pace, we are surveying all (dealership) sites at the moment,” he said.

“Obviously anything that’s new or in build or planning now, all of the EV requirements from an engineering perspective are going into those plans today.

We’re surveying the existing sites now for what the requirements are from a charging point of view … both in workshops as well as the parking required.

“So the AC charging, that’s easy, DC requires obviously a higher power output and we need to make sure from a service point of view we cover that as well. We need to make sure we are ready across the network by the time we launch I-Pace.

It’s not just about I-Pace, it’s about being ready for where are all going (and) we are locked in for a future of electric cars.

“So from an infrastructure point of view, as discussions will be with the dealers it’s not about I-Pace, it’s about where we’re headed. This is what we need to do, if you wish to be involved in what Jaguar Land Rover does in the future, we are all about electrification, get on board. And they understand that.”

Mr Wiesner said that by the end of 2018 the Jaguar brand would be in a far more relevant position in the marketplace compared with today, with both the E-Pace and I-Pace squeezing below and above the F-Pace respectively.