A few years ago, when the Tesla Model S arrived, many likened it to a Jaguar in styling and stance. Now the brand from Coventry could be poised to follow the lead of Silicon Valley with some true volume models?two that, not surprisingly, would almost directly take on the Model S and the Model X.
The Jaguar XK coupe isn’t coming back; instead, Automobile reports, this new model range, code-named X590, will include a large four-door fastback, while a companion electric SUV model also is being developed.
Both vehicles could arrive as soon as 2019. And in a regulatory environment that?s ratcheting up to favor EVs, they can?t arrive soon enough. With the higher fines for federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy rules, as well as a midterm review underway for California?s ZEV rules (and another major step-up in the rules scheduled for 2018), it?s increasingly in the automaker?s interest to have a volume EV or two in the lineup. The completely new electrified platform that underpins these models is being developed by former BMW engineer Wolfgang Ziebart and may have been presaged by the Concept_e research vehicle, with a setup that included an 85-kW motor for the front wheels and a 145-kW motor and two-speed transmission in back?a trait that would give it some flexibility for high-speed (autobahn) driving conditions.
The new fastback is said to compromise the wants of Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth and Jaguar design chief Ian Callum, while the SUV version, originally int...