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• All-electric Jaguar I-PACE
• I-PACE will be in SA by 2019
• Support for tax incentives on electric vehicles
Pretoria – Jaguar Land Rover South Africa says it's committed to an "electrified future", with its first all-electric and hybrid models arriving in South Africa from 2019.
The Jaguar I-Pace will be the company’s first all-electric vehicle. Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Global CEO, confirmed it will be introduced in South Africa in 2019.
According to Jaguar Land Rover: "As the British brand’s first all-electric vehicle, it will retain Jaguar’s sports car DNA while offering consumers a practical five-seater SUV package with a usable range of up to 500km on a single charge."
JLR says its has invested R1.1-billion on updating its retail network and by 2019, all local retailers will "be fully prepared to sell and service electric vehicles".
JLR also intends to cooperate with the Electric Vehicle Industry Association (EVIA), which represents local vehicle manufacturers focusing on electrification. Through this industry body, JLR will engage with government on measures to aid the adoption of EVs, including advising on charging standards and opportunities to develop infrastructure.
Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa, said:"Our rollout plan for I-PACE includes installing electric infrastructure at all our dealers and ensuring our retail network can support these products in every way. At the moment, there are no incentives for EVs, and we are in full support of the motor industry’s push for lower taxes on these vehicles. We will work with EVIA on this, as well as its efforts to have shared charging infrastructure in public areas."
JLR's plans says that every new vehicle line to have some degree of electric/hybrid version, from 2020. These electric models will be considered for the South African market based on customer demand and market conditions. JLR has existing hybrid options in select international markets and hybrid drivetrain options will be introduced in South Africa by 2018.
What do you think of Jaguar's i-Pace? Do you think it will sell in SA? Email us.
Dr Speth said: "Electrification will come faster than we expect. From 2020 onwards, all of our cars will be electrified to a certain degree. A customer can have the propulsion system of their choice."
Jaguar’s shift to electric models started in Formula E motorsport, where it is the first premium manufacturer to join the all-electric racing series. With a Formula E testbed and extraordinary R&D spend of £4.5-billion in 2017, the company is making rapid progress towards a future of electrified models.
