It will be built in-house and underpin a range of upmarket electric cars from the automaker.
Last year, Jaguar announced its plans to become an all-electric carmaker by 2025, as part of the company's “Reimagine” strategy. At first JLR's CEO, Thierry Bollore said Jaguar would search for an appropriate external EV platform to underpin a range of upmarket electric vehicles but now, as Autocar reports, the carmaker will develop and build an in-house platform.
Bollore says that all JLR vehicles require a platform that melds unique design proportions and capabilities currently not offered by rivals. Speaking to investors, the CEO said, “Concerning the new Jaguar, we're making unique proportion a priority. That's the reason why at the moment we do it by ourselves.” The upcoming platform, named Panthera, takes its name from the scientific name for the genus of big cats including lions, leopards, and, of course, jaguars.
The group's decision to develop its own platform might have something to do with JLR's design guru Gerry McGovern's requirement that the upcoming offerings should look unique. Future upmarket Jaguars will edge closer toward Bentley in terms of pricing.
The CEO noted on the investment call that the group is looking to commonize various elements across future platforms as the brand moves toward a higher value, lower volume business model. This is an important move for Jaguar. Between the traditional luxury carmakers, the brand may have been first to market with a battery-powered luxury SUV, the I-Pace, but it seems to have lost ground to rivals.
The all-electric Jaguar accounted for just 3% of company sales in the last financial quarter. Despite this, the I-Pace will survive, albeit separately from the upcoming batch of EVs.
Getting the design right is crucial to success; Jaguar wants to create distinctive vehicles that stand out from rival's EVs. Bollore revealed that upcoming EVs will be true modern luxury cars with top-notch technology and refinement.
An all-electric version of the XJ luxury sedan pictured below was in the pipeline but got axed one month after Bollore took over. The XJ is a truly iconic Jaguar and electrifying it would've allowed the nameplate to live on. However, the CEO saw no place for it in the brand's future.
“It was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made, especially since it was in my first month, but XJ was a completely different kind of car from the ones we were proposing – different in technology, battery chemistry, electronics, size, performance, and market position. It would never have suited our plans.” As the company prepares to switch over to electric-only in 2025, we'll sure miss the signature growl of Jaguar's gorgeous V8-engined cars.
Keyword: Jaguar's New Panthera EV Platform Will Spawn Some Beautiful Cars