Jaguar Previews I-Pace SUV in Launch of Battery-Powered Line-Up

(Bloomberg) -- Jaguar offered an online preview of its fully electric I-Pace sport utility vehicle as the U.K. luxury-car maker pushes forward with plans to challenge Tesla Inc. and offer a battery-powered line-up by the end of the decade.

The SUV is being displayed in a live-streaming event after “thousands of potential customers” showed interest by clicking an “I want one” button on the company's website, the unit of Tata Motors Ltd.'s Jaguar Land Rover division said in an emailed statement.

While mass-market automakers are electrifying their fleets in response to regulators' pressure to reduce emissions, JLR is one of the few established high-end producers to make a strong commitment. Ralf Speth, the division's chief, outlined plans last year to offer fully electric, plug-in hybrid and so-called mild-hybrid variants of its entire range of cars and SUVs.

Electric vehicles are set to be center stage at next week's Geneva car show. As well as challenging EV incumbent Tesla, Jaguar's I-Pace will be jostling for attention with new models from other traditional carmakers looking to close the gap, including Audi's Q6.

When it hits showrooms in the second half of the year, the I-Pace will offer drivers a range of more than 310 miles on one charge, while pulling to 60 miles per hour from a standstill in about 4 seconds, the company said on its website.

To contact the reporter on this story: Tom Lavell in Frankfurt at tlavell@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Andrew Noël, Christopher Jasper

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