The company’s first battery-powered model is expected to feature a streamlined profile with a drag coefficient of just 0.28, in a package slightly smaller than the Audi Q6 E-tron concept, unnamed sources have told Automobile.
Rumors circulating early this year suggested Jaguar Land Rover had decided to build an electric crossover, however the company was allegedly undecided on wether to first develop such an offering under its Jaguar or Land Rover brands.
The company recently revealed an electric drive module (eDM) for future hybrids and EVs. One iteration was based on Range Rover Evoque donor vehicle, pairing a 20-horsepower electric motor with an 89-pony prototype diesel engine to maximize fuel efficiency in city driving. Another plug-in hybrid variant focused on performance, providing nearly 500 horsepower for a Range Rover Sport.
Despite previewing the technology on a Land Rover chassis, the company is believed to have focused on Jaguar as a better starting point, in terms of body shape, to achieve maximum range via an aerodynamic shape and low ride height. Rumors suggest the EV will still be built upon the Land Rover platform, rather than an adaptation of Jaguar’s aluminum architecture that underpins the F-Pace, XE and XF.
The electric crossover is not expected to arrive until closer to the end of the decade. In the meantime, JLR is said to be working on a new 3.0-liter inline six, due in 2017, that takes advantage of direct injection and turbocharging to deliver a range of output numbers from 300-500 horsepower on gasoline or 275-400 ponies when sipping diesel.
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