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Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy: New EV, new series — Jaguar's going racing

Luxury carmaker Jaguar is teasing the 2018 launch of a five-seat electric sports car based on its I-Pace concept as its first battery-electric vehicle. The Indian-owned automaker released images of the sports car as part of its announcement that it will launch the world's first international production EV race series in 2018. A performance SUV version of the I-Pace, previously reported and presumably based on a concept revealed late last year, is also planned for late 2018. Jaguar has said it plans to electrify all new models after 2020, part of a wave of similar announcements as governments in England, China and elsewhere have announced plans to eventually ban the sale of gasoline or diesel cars. In its announcement, Jaguar said only that the race series would "support the launch" of the I-Pace five-seater. View 7 Photos At the Los Angeles auto show last year, Jaguar said its concept I-Pace crossover SUV would have a 220-mile range from its 90-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, designed and engineered entirely in-house. The Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy series is a support series for the FIA Formula E championship and will exclusively feature up to 20 all-electric Jaguar I-Pace racecars across 10 races in cities including Hong Kong, Paris, Sao Paolo and New York. The racecars will be built at the Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations in Warwickshire, England. "With the launch of the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, we have strengthened our commitment to battery electric vehicles, international motorsport and Formula E," Gerd Mauser, chairman of Jaguar Racing, said in a statement. "As a British team, we are proud to announce today the launch of the world's first production battery electric vehicle championship." He added: "Ultimately this innovative series will enhance the technology in our future electric vehicles and benefit our customers." Jaguar says it will release technical specifications, race calendar and costs for the I-Pace eTrophy in 2018. Related Video: Green Frankfurt Motor Show Jaguar Electric Racing Vehicles Performance Sedan Frankfurt 2017 jaguar i-pace

The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 looks like an XE, but is almost completely new

Jaguar's XE SV Project 8 is a thoroughly astonishing sports sedan. With a 592-horsepower V8, it's the most powerful Jaguar road car ever produced. And it's amazing to think that Jaguar's most powerful car is a version of its entry-level sedan. Or at least it looks that way. In reality, the majority of the body is completely unique to the Project 8. A Jaguar representative told us that only the roof and door skins are shared with the standard XE. The other 70 percent of the exterior is completely unique to the car. These changed body panels include wider fenders of course, and many of the pieces are made from carbon fiber rather than metal, but there are also some more unusual tweaks. For instance, the headlights actually had to be moved to a different position to make space for the Project 8's massive wheels and tires. The tires, for reference, are 265-mm wide at the front, and the rears are 305-mm wide. There were also some changes for style. The air vents at the front that consist of many small holes in the bumper are a tribute to Jaguars of the past. The hexagonal shape of the holes apes that of the vintage Jaguar logo, which featured the word Jaguar in an elongated hexagon. All in all, there's an impressive amount of new engineering that went into creating the Project 8. The results are, in a word, stunning. Related Video:

Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover sales are taking off

Earlier this month, it was reported that Jaguar Land Rover is due for a turnaround plan to cut costs and improve cash flow. The owner of JLR, Tata Motors, is scheduling a 18-month plan called "Project Change," worth $3.2 billion. But it seems a step in the right direction has already been taken with the introduction of Jaguar's electric I-Pace: InsideEVs is reporting that Jaguar sold 1,200 I-Pace models in October, which represents strong growth for the brand and the new model. 8.7 percent of Jaguar's total October sales consisted of the I-Pace, meaning that the total October sales volume of 13,764 units was largely boosted by the new electric crossover. Total sales were up 11.6 percent, and it was overall the best October ever for JLR. Some 2,500 I-Pace crossovers have been sold so far. The October sales figure is a noticeable rise from September's 710 cars, which itself is a strong pickup from just 140 cars sold in August. These are signs of both production and sales perking up, and it wouldn't be surprising to see monthly I-Pace sales hit 2,000 units sometime soon. It helps that the I-Pace is priced competitively with Tesla Models S and X, starting at $70,495 including destination charge, with Jaguar-like performance and looks. Last month, we reported of Jaguar possibly going electric-only in the next decade, with a portfolio consisting of an electric XJ, a full-sized EV crossover and an electric sports car in addition to the I-Pace. Brexit uncertainty and China-market woes mean Jaguar is on unstable ground, but as its owner is about to run an even tighter ship, and it first full-electric model is visibly picking up the pace, the coming decade could turn out to be a positive for Jaguar. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: InsideEVs Green Jaguar Crossover Electric Luxury jaguar i-pace i-pace