Reportedly, the UK automaker is working on an all-electric version of the upcoming E-Pace, which would likely rival Audi’s production version Q6 E-tron. Design-wise, the E-Pace should mimic the major cues of the F-Pace in a slightly shrunken package. In addition to an electric powertrain, the E-Pace will reportedly gain active aerodynamics that will lower its drag coefficient to 0.28. It will share its platform with the Land Rover Discovery Sport and be produced in Graz, Austria.
It’s estimated that production costs would require Jaguar to sell at least 20,000 electric E-Paces per year to make a profit, but with crossovers being the most desirable vehicle category of the day, and electric vehicles growing in popularity all the time, that level of sales success isn’t unimaginable.
Besides an electrified compact crossover, Jaguar is planning to replace its present V6 engines with a new range of inline six-cylinder engines starting in 2017. The new powertrains will deliver the same 3.0-liters of displacement as the current V6’s and will be made in gas and diesel variants.
The new engines will not only be more efficient, they will also be more powerful. Three levels of output are planned, with gas engines achieving 300, 400, and 500 horsepower tunes while the diesels will manage 275, 335, and 400 hp flavors.
Slotted within Jaguar’s core models, the new inline-six engines should improve fuel economy a fair amount, but expect Jaguar to cross-pollinate the E-Pace’s powertrain among other models to both lower average emissions across the Jaguar portfolio and also to eek the most out of development dollars. It’s also expected that the new motors will slot into Land Rover vehicles, where the torque from a diesel will be suited for off-road duty.
