Jaguar launched the E-Pace, their smallest SUV last week. Meanwhile back on home soil we were left twiddling our thumbs as to when the E-Pace will make it to the Indian sub-continent. Usually we wouldn’t have been surprised at all, even though technically Jaguar is owned by Tata, but it being a compact SUV, something that was literally born for South east Asia we expected the E-Pace to be more contextually relevant to this side of the pond. As the week turned however, Jaguar announced that although the E-Pace will first be sold in western markets before they make it to India. Jaguar will be bringing the E-Pace to India for the 2018 Auto Expo. Interestingly there will be no Make in India for the E-Pace which will be manufactured in China, for reasons that are yet to be fathomed. Again Jaguar have failed to tell us when exactly the E-Pace will make it to India, but as we mentioned earlier, Jaguar are already late to the compact SUV party with competition like the Audi Q3, BMW X1 and Mercedes-Benz GLA already well established in the market. The best possible move for them would be to bring the E-Pace to India as soon as possible, which I am sure they are working on.
For those of you, who are wondering what the E-Pace is. Jaguar are calling it their cub and it’s essentially a mix of the F-pace SUV and the F-type jaguar. While most of the styling cues and interiors are based on the F-type, the body shape and structure is reminisce of a smaller version of the F-Pace. The E-Pace will also get Jaguar’s signature J-blade DRLs on the headlamps.
The E-Pace will derive its power from the turbocharged four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines from Jaguar Ingenium line. Topping the list would be the 300 hp, 2.0 litre 4-pot which will be available with a nine-speed automatic transmission. The front-wheel only models of the E-Pace will get a 150hp, 2.0 litre diesel paired to a six-speed manual.
Also Read: Jaguar E Pace does a 270 degree mid-air roll and makes a perfect landing on its wheels
Perhaps the most important aspect of the E-Pace will be how, Jaguar price it once it’s landed in India. It’s going to be a big gamble considering the recently launched (made in India) GLA at a brutal starting price of around 31 lakh. We know the E-Pace will be manufactured in China, but if it comes to India in a CKD format we could expect a competitive price tag.
