Jaguar Preparing to Take On EC Rivals

British luxury marquee Jaguar confirmed reports it would build an electric car and has revealed a concept vehicle dubbed “I-Pace”.

The new car will make its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show and is aimed directly at Tesla, which is expanding its range of all-electric cars in the next few months with the introduction of Tesla Model 3.

I-Pace will be the first electric vehicle by the Indian-owned company and is likely to be released ahead of other premium rivals like BMW and Mercedez-Benz that are slowly changing their vehicles to electric engines.

The company states that the new car will have a standard range of 500 km (310 miles) and will be able to accelerate 0-100 km/h in just four seconds, so the car is aimed at the sports car lovers.

The all-wheel-drive model will use two electric motors that should produce 400 hp and over 500 lb of torque, according to Auto Express.

Jaguar-Land Rover is also aiming at Tesla’s direct-to-consumer distribution model, by inviting future customers to register their interest at its website.

The model will be available in the market by 2018 and push ahead with JLR’s plans to radically overhaul its offering in the market by promoting new forms of transport.

The company states that a rapid charge option will be included in the car, which will fill up in two hours on a 50-Kw connection and add an extra range of 350 km.

The proposed Jag also has a feather in its hat, in the form of a battery in the chassis floor of the vehicle, giving it a low center of gravity and helping it with balance.