Following the success of its game changing I-Pace, Jaguar is invested heavily in the future of electromobility. The company recently announced production of the all-electric Jaguar XJ is slated to begin at its Castle Bromwich Production Facility in early 2020.
Investing in the Future of Electromobility
The Birmingham, U.K. based Castle Bromwich site will take over production of future Jaguar electric vehicles. Currently, the Jaguar I-Pace, the company’s sole electric vehicle production release is only produced under contract by Magna Steyr in Graz, Austria.
Following a period of relative uncertainty, this news further solidifies the company’s adoption of electrification across its product line. It also offers relief to the thousands of U.K. based automotive professionals who can now be more certain about the security and long term viability of their jobs.
The all-new electric XJ is being designed by the same team behind the extremely successful Jaguar I-Pace. Jaguar has invested in a new energy storage research and development facility in Hams Hall.
Described as a “giga-scale” battery research center, Hams Hall in North Warwickshire will be ramping up in the coming months. Once fully optimized, Jaguar Land Rover hopes to be able to produce as many as 150,000 batteries a year from the site.
The company is hoping that developing its own proprietary electric vehicle technology will be a key to future success as the brand pushes towards complete electrification.
Anticipating the All-Electric Jaguar XJ
At the 2018 Paris Motor Show, former Jaguar design chief Ian Callum said the new XJ would be “beautiful, sporty, sleek” and “has to be a drivers’ car”.
“The design has to signify the message of a sports car,” Callum said. “It’s not just a three-box sedan. It’s something people want to get into and drive. And that has to be a message of its shape.”
The all-electric XJ is set to be built on a new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) which will allow for ICE, hybrid and fully electric configurations. At this time, it seems that the new XJ is likely to be built based on the I-Pace’s 400hp 90kWh EV setup.
It’s been rumored that the all-electric XJ will feature four independent electric motors attached to its wheels. With each of these capable of producing up to 200 brake horse power, it seems very likely this will be an extremely powerful car reaching supercar levels of performance intrigue.
Source: FAZ