XJ

Make
Jaguar
Segment
Sedan

This year will mark a new era for Jaguar's flagship luxury sedan. After being in production for over 50 years, the combustion-powered Jaguar XJ was retired to make way for its fully electric replacement that's due to arrive later this year. Not only will the next-generation XJ have a radically different powertrain, but it will also mark the start of a bold new design era for Jaguar.

"It's a stunning car, it really is, and we're all very, very pleased with it," Jaguar's new design boss Julian Thomson said during a recent interview with Motor Trend. "It's a very significant product. XJ was really, really significant when it was launched in the '70s, and that car really rewrote the book on luxury executive cars, as they were then, and I think this one really does question the values of what F-segment luxury sedans are about. It's a very different product, but a very refreshing product, in that way. It's not a traditional business sedan."

The new XJ will also introduce new design cues that will carry over to future models. Sadly, Thomson didn't go into further details, but spy shots of the new XJ have already shown the electric sedan will have a larger grille than the current XL, slimmer LED headlights, and horizontal taillights in contrast to the current model's vertical ones.

We'll have to wait for the camo to drop to get a clearer look at the new design language. Looking ahead, Thomson wants future models in Jaguar's product lineup to have a more consistent design language.

"I think we have a face for Jaguar now, which people are starting to recognize, but it could be stronger going forward, so we want to work on that a bit more," Thomson said. "We want to have a few design cues in the cars which are more consistent across the brand."

Reports suggest the electric Jaguar XJ will be powered by four electric motors producing 800 horsepower combined. This would be a significant increase over the current range-topping Jaguar XJR, which has a supercharged 5.0-liter V8 delivering 575 hp and 517 lb-ft of torque. As for the range, the electric Jaguar XJ is expected to last up to 292 miles on a single charge thanks to a 90.2 kWh battery.