If you haven’t heard by now, the next Jaguar XJ will embrace battery-electric technology. However, due to the global pandemic that’s stricken the automotive industry, the British brand is reportedly slowing down the development of its upcoming flagship sedan.
We expected to see the new XJ as soon as early 2021, but it turns out that may no longer be the case. According to Autocar, the reveal of the big EV Jag won’t happen until the end of next 2021. Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is reportedly cutting back on nonessential spending.
What that really means is—thanks to COVID-19 and its effects on vehicle production and development—JLR needs to focus on building and delivering cars that can make money right now before it can finish developing the EV XJ.
When we reached out for comment, a JLR spokesperson told us that although “engineers continue to work on the next generation all-electric Jaguar XJ… [the] unprecedented situation will inevitably have an impact on our immediate plans.” While that isn’t the “yes” or “no” answer we’d hoped for, it’s probably as close to a confirmation as we are likely to get.
That makes a whole lot of sense, given the factory that builds Jaguar’s sedans (the XF, XE, and where the next XJ will be built) has yet to reopen. Production, however, is set to resume next month—with the appropriate social distancing measures in place, of course.
Jaguar plans on building the new XJ on the company’s Modular Longitudinal Architecture. It is a rear-drive platform that can accommodate a whole host of powertrain configurations, including battery-electric and internal combustion engine technologies. That means the next XJ may welcome a gas engine under its hood. Jaguar’s priority—for now, at least— is to get ahead of the EV curve with its forthcoming flagship model.
