The current Jaguar XJ will turn 10 years old in July and that’s an eternity in a highly competitive segment which is increasingly focused on giving consumers the latest and greatest technology.
Unsurprisingly, this has negatively impacted sales as the company only managed to move 1,579 units in the United States last year. The situation was even worse in Europe where consumers only snapped up 1,099 XJs.
To help reverse the trend, Jaguar will reportedly launch an electric XJ which uses technology from the I-Pace. According to Car Magazine, the new model will shift its attention away from the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series and Mercedes S-Class and instead become a competitor for the Audi e-tron GT, Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S.
The publication goes on to say the next XJ should ride on the new MLA platform. Jaguar Land Rover teased the Modular Longitudinal Architecture last summer and it has been designed to accommodate an assortment of different powertrains including internal combustion engines, mild / plug-in hybrid systems as well as electric powertrains.
Specifications should be taken with a grain of salt, but Car suggests the next XJ could have a 90 kWh or 100 kWh battery pack and four electric motors that each produce up to 200 hp (149 kW / 203 PS). This would give the all-wheel drive model an impressive output of up to 800 hp (597 kW / 811 PS).
Little else is known about the car, but Jaguar design director Ian Callum has previously said the next XJ won’t be a traditional three-box sedan. He has also suggested the car could be smaller than its predecessor and it will be something “people wanna get into and drive.”
