Panthera battery-electric architecture will underpin next generation of EVs from Jaguar.
- Jaguar will develop and build its own battery-electric platform instead of sourcing it from another automaker or supplier, Jaguar CEO tells Autocar.
- The platform, dubbed Panthera, will underpin the next generation of Jaguar electric vehicles.
- The automaker plans for all of its new vehicles to be battery-electric after 2025, but not all current models will receive next-gen EV versions.
Jaguar Land Rover CEO Thierry Bolloré revealed this week that the automaker plans to create its own EV platform in-house, Autocar reports, instead of acquiring one from a supplier or another automaker as had been planned earlier. Dubbed Panthera, the EV platform will underpin several electric Jaguar models, with the automaker seeking to avoid sharing major components or vehicle shapes with other automakers.
“Concerning the new Jaguar, we’re making unique proportion a priority. That’s the reason why at the moment we do it by ourselves,” Bolloré told Autocar.
Jaguar rolled out its electrification strategy, dubbed Reimagine, last February, aiming to introduce only new battery-electric models starting in 2025, ahead of corporate sibling Land Rover. At the time Jaguar indicated that one of its future EV platforms would be the Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) architecture, and which would underpin a number of midsize electric SUVs, as well as Land Rover models.
“Land Rover will use the forthcoming flex Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA),” the automaker noted last February in introducing its Reimagine strategy. “It will deliver electrified internal combustion engines (ICE) and full electric variants as the company evolves its product line-up in the future. In addition, Land Rover will also use pure electric biased Electric Modular Architecture (EMA) which will also support advanced electrified ICE.”
Not all current Jaguar models are expected to survive the transition to an all-EV lineup, as Jaguar hinted earlier. The XE and XF sedans are expected to merge into one sedan offering, which could be a midsize sedan. Meanwhile, longer-term plans for a range-topping sedan remain murky, as Jaguar had canceled a Tesla Model S competitor whose design and engineering were basically completed, making the decision to shelve it at the last minute.
The E-Pace and F-Pace models, meanwhile, are currently expected to receive battery-electric successors once their production cycles reach their end points. A sports car is expected to remain in the lineup, with the F-Type receiving coupe and cabrio versions with BEV underpinnings. The I-Pace, on the other hand, may end up being redundant and not receive a direct replacement, despite being Jaguar’s first battery-electric model.
Speaking of the I-Pace, this model has not been a sales leader for Jaguar in recent years, to put it mildly, despite enjoying a relatively early debut among EV models from European automakers. Given the fact that the model is built by Magna Steyr and its platform is not currently shared with other JLR models, it’s possible it won’t receive a direct replacement.
“By the middle of the decade, Jaguar will have undergone a renaissance to emerge as a pure electric luxury brand with a dramatically beautiful new portfolio of emotionally engaging designs and pioneering next-generation technologies,” the automaker said during the introduction of its Reimagine strategy last winter. “Jaguar will exist to make life extraordinary by creating dramatically beautiful automotive experiences that leave its customers feeling unique and rewarded.”
Keyword: Jaguar Will Build Its Own EV Platform, Report Says