Jaguar Hopes to Spark Interest With 2019 I-Pace EV Reveal

CARS.COM —  Jaguar will unveil the production version of its 2019 I-Pace battery electric SUV on March 1 at an event ahead of its March 6 debut at the 2018 Geneva International Motor Show.

Related: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace: First Impressions

Jaguar also released photos of the I-Pace undergoing cold-weather testing in Arjeplog, Sweden. The test vehicles have a light camo wrap (with oddly tropical aqua waves), but it’s easy to see that the final version is very close to the gray-colored I-Pace concept we saw at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show and the red one at Geneva last spring, and which now is shown on Jaguar’s U.S. consumer site. The most obvious differences from the concepts are the switch from show-car big wheels and tiny side mirrors.

Ordering for Europe also will begin on March 1, so we’ll have an idea of pricing then, too. The SUV will go on sale in the U.S. late this year. The U.S. debut, along with U.S. pricing, will be in late March at the 2018 New York International Auto Show. The I-Pace is expected to compete for electrified luxury buyers with the Tesla Model X, Tesla Model S and upper levels of the new Model 3.

The I-Pace is billed as an all-wheel-drive electric SUV that boasts sports-car-like performance with real-world practicality, even in Sweden’s arctic conditions at 40-below temperatures. Jaguar has said it will have a 90-kilowatt-hour battery pack (in a class with the 100-kwh Tesla Model X 100D SUV) and electric motors driving both axles with a combined 400 horsepower and 516 pounds-feet of torque. It says that should be good for zero-to-60 mph in about 4 seconds.

Jaguar said the I-Pace will be able to take DC fast charging to reach an 80 percent charge in about 45 minutes, assuming a 100-kilowatt charger is available. It has estimated that the range will come in at about 220 miles in EPA testing, a figure currently exceeded only by the Model S, Model X and Model 3, as well as the Chevrolet Bolt EV (compare them here).

The five-seat SUV is about 11 inches longer than Jaguar’s new E-Pace SUV but not as wide by about 3 inches. Jaguar also said that I-Pace users will be able to set up charging times and preconditioning of the cabin from inside the vehicle or on their smartphone when the I-Pace is plugged in.

The unveiling will be broadcast live on March 1 at 1 p.m. on the East Coast, 10 a.m. in L.A. You can see the Jaguar putting the I-Pace through its paces in the Arctic in the gallery above and the video below (which includes some winter-use questions from a potential buyer in Sweden).

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