Jaguar will release a plug-in hybrid version of the XE
Will that be enough to start a turning point in the positioning of the brand ?
Owned by the Tata Group and a Land Rover brand, Jaguar has not yet made the transition to electrification, which is becoming more and more inevitable for all manufacturers. The brand Land Rover, via its high-end, adapts slowly and will soon release a hybrid version of the Evoque, but the Jaguar are still behind on this topic.
The I-Pace model, an SUV, is the first feline powered by an electric motor, and the automaker claims its turn towards the electric by engaging in Formula E. Recently, prototypes of the upcoming XE sedan have been sighted with a plug for recharging, which leaves no doubt about the design of the brand, which will also turn to hybridization.
The hybrid technology that will equip the new Jaguar XE will be a 1.5-liter, turbocharged, 3-cylinder gasoline engine powered by an electric motor. The choice of downsizing with a small gasoline block is increasingly adopted by premium brands and allows in particular to compensate for the weight of the electric motor. Thanks to this model and its 100% electric SUV, Jaguar wants to start a real transition to the future and alternative energies.
But the equation is a bit more complicated than that: the Jaguar Land Rover group has been forced to remove 1,000 positions recently, in its factory where its particular manufactured Land Rover models, and the positioning of the entire group needs to be revisited because the diesel is still very much in vogue. The wide range of SUVs that the manufacturer is preparing will not help to reverse the trend and one wonders if Jaguar did not shoot himself in the foot announcing several new SUVs that will not be immediately available in hybrid version .
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Comments (3)
Excellent article, thank you! Been concerned for some time now that they've stuck with diesel for too much of their range and are on the back foot racing too catch up. Could be wrong. Comments welcomed!
Thank you, Barbara, and I also wish to have comments
I just don't get the diesel paranoia being pushed by the media. Governments may hand out warnings about heavier taxes on diesels but most are likely to be a little cautious implementing such an action. Until the whole motor industry has more alternatives ready for market there will only be posturing... then again politicians are usually not the brightest sheep on the planet!