Jaguar will have its own EV platform under the Reimagine electrification plan of Jaguar Land Rover, according to JLR CEO Thierry Bolloré in an interview published on Tuesday.
Called Panthera, the new platform will be “absolutely bespoke,” said Bolloré. Designers and engineers aim to give Jaguar’s electric vehicles distinct proportions to differentiate them from sister brand Land Rover’s, and that is being built into the platform from the start, he said.
Announced last February, the Reimagine strategy canceled the Jaguar XJ electric sedan but promised six new electric vehicles in the next five years, with a focus on SUVs. The plan is for all new Jaguar models to be electric from 2025, with 100% electric sales by 2030.
The Jaguar J-Pace SUV and the Land Rover “Road Rover” are still expected to be part of that plan, but they have not been confirmed or detailed. Both models were reportedly based on JLR’s Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform, which can also accommodate plug-in hybrid and internal combustion powertrains. The canceled XJ EV was also expected to use the MLA platform.
However, reports emerged mid-year that the brand still didn’t have a locked-in EV platform for these upcoming models. Bolloré said he was looking for one that was “easy to resize as needed.”
The Jaguar I-Pace SUV remains the brand’s only fully electric model. After skipping 2021, the 2022 I-Pace gets faster charging and a more responsive interface. It is contract-manufactured by Magna and assembled on a platform described as a bespoke effort. According to this latest report, it will continue as new electric vehicles arrive.
