Jaguar Axed Plans For A Supercar To Build A Tesla-Fighting EV

The prospect of a large Jaguar coupe meant for grand touring was exciting to us, so exciting in fact that we got our rendering artist to draw one up based off of the XF sedan. Some may decry it as a useless car given that the lovable F-Type coupe is already in existence, but we hold steady, and so did Jaguar's lead designer Ian Callum for that matter because until recently, he argued in favor of building a successor to the XK. Then there is the C-X75 that for some time has captivated the minds of gearheads as an aesthetic testament to Jaguar's design capabilities.

Nobody expected that car to see the light of day, but the drop of the axe has now been confirmed for both the supercar and the luxury coupe. Instead, the British automaker will now refocus its engineers to the task of building two electric cars, one SUV and one luxury sedan. The SUV was originally planned as a Range Rover but will now bear jungle cat emblems. Just as the luxury SUV market is exploding, Jaguar and its competitors believe the premium EV market is a ticking time bomb. To ride the sales wave, it's putting the proposed J-Pace SUV on hold. To make the electric SUV more palatable, it will come with three battery packs, one for performance, one tuned for range, and the last geared for fast charge times to appease buyers who reside in suburbia.

Two drivetrains will be offered, a RWD and an AWD for those living in the Snow Belt. On the other hand, the sedan will launch a direct assault on the Tesla Model S. While design director Callum wanted a coupe, Jaguar boss Ralf Speth yearned for a sedan. The compromise comes in the form of a four-door coupe styled luxury sedan with a rear hatch that will feature 2+2 seating and compete with the BMW 7 Series, Mercedes S-Class, upcoming Porsche Mission E, and of course, the Tesla Model S. Bearing the codename X590, the luxury barge will be based on a platform developed by ex BMW engineer Wolfgang Ziebart and like a Model S, will come standard with hardware that allows for autonomous driving capabilities.