Jaguar confirms E-Pace production

JAGUAR has confirmed that its SUV range will be expanding to include the E-Pace compact SUV, which will have a global reveal on July 13, and will be offered from under $50,000 before on-roads upon landing in Australia.

Expected to arrive Down Under in 2018, the E-Pace will join the F-Pace, which was launched in Australia in July last year, and the I-Pace all-electric SUV, which will arrive locally in the third quarter of next year, to form Jaguar’s crossover line-up.

The British manufacturer has released images showing the E-Pace in profile as well as its tail-light design, which shows a slender shape similar to the F-Pace’s rear lights only without the semi-circular kink borrowed from the F-Type sportscar.

In profile, the headlight design of the E-Pace looks to adopt the style of the F-Type, moving away from the sleek aesthetic shared by the F-Pace, XE and XF.

Also visible is a lower air intake mirroring the F-Pace, as well as a panoramic sunroof and roof spoiler.

While exact powertrain specification has yet to be confirmed, Jaguar has said that power will come exclusively from a mix of petrol and diesel-powered Ingenium engines.

The most likely powerplants are the ones shared with Land Rover’s Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque, namely 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol units in 177kW and 213kW states of tune, and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel units with 110kW and 132kW of power, as well as a twin-turbo unit developing 177kW/500Nm.

Jaguar director of design Ian Callum said that the E-Pace was designed to stand out among a crowded mid-sized SUV segment.

“The combination of sports car looks with Jaguar performance will ensure that the E-PACE stands out,” he said.

“Every Jaguar is designed to excite the senses, and we think E-PACE will do just that, albeit with its own individual character.”

In the first five months of 2017 Jaguar has sold 1209 overall units, representing a 15.7 per cent increase over the 1045 units it shifted to the same point last year.