Jaguar I-Pace Starts Production, Hits European Market This Fall

The Jaguar I-Pace is already in production and is expected to go on sale in Europe this fall.

The electric crossover debuted at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show and later enjoyed a European debut in Geneva where it was shown in an eye-popping Photon Red shade. It’s being built at Magna Steyr’s plant in Austria and is expected to be shown in production form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September before hitting European dealers shortly after.

The production I-Pace will be based on an all-new aluminum platform developed by Jaguar solely for use with electric cars. The powertrain consists of two electric motors, one for each axle, and a 90 kWh lithium-ion battery pack. The motors deliver a combined output of 400 horsepower and 516 lb-ft of torque, while the batteries will allow for a maximum a range of about 220 miles.

SEE ALSO: Jaguar I-Pace is Drop Dead Sexy in Photon Red

Enabling the I-Pace’s swift transition from concept to production car was Jaguar’s inclusion of manufacturing partner Magna Steyr in the project’s early stages. Jaguar engineers developed the vehicle, while Magna Steyr employees simultaneously figured out the best way to build it.

This process has paid off hugely for Jaguar, as it will now be the first European luxury automaker to have an electric crossover in production. The production version of Mercedes-Benz’s Generation EQ concept won’t debut until next year and the same is true for Audi’s e-tron Quattro concept. BMW may not have such a product in its stores until as late as 2020.

While the I-Pace will go on sale in Europe later this year, it won’t appear in North American Jaguar dealers until 2018. As such, it will probably be marketed as a 2019 model year vehicle in the U.S. and Canada. Jaguar has yet to hint at what it may cost, but considering it has the Tesla Model X in its crosshairs, an MSRP of around $80,000 USD doesn’t seem implausible.

[Source: Motor Authority]