“The Jaguar I-Pace is the first salvo across the bows of Tesla”

and so it begins. The Jaguar I-Pace, revealed last night through an online presentation heavy on celebrity and heavier still on self-congratulation, is the first salvo across the bows of Tesla from an established, ‘premium’ manufacturer. The British brand is desperately happy to have brought a pure-electric car of this type to market before Audi or Mercedes. but it’s the hype surrounding Tesla that it really wants to tap into. 
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The specs look promising – nearly 400bhp and a 0-60mph time of 4.5 seconds. one of the segments during the launch was a video showing the I-Pace taking on – and beating – the Tesla model X in a race. range of about 300 miles under the tougher and supposedly much more reasonable WLTP test cycle ought to do the trick too – for now, at least. 
• new 2018 Jaguar I-Pace revealed
The I-Pace’s styling is arguably one of the best bits of work yet from the company’s design director Ian Callum and his team – a mix of curves that have a whiff of C-X75 about them, with a cab-forward design that really takes advantage of the car’s longer wheelbase. We had a sneak preview of the I-Pace a few weeks ago and I’m pleased to report it’s as striking in the metal as it is in pictures. 
The fascinating unknown, of course, is whether Jaguar – and, one should assume, Audi and Mercedes to follow – can break down the fact that they’re not ‘left-field’ choices like Tesla. Elon Musk’s creation has been the only game in town for a while, true, but it has also proven popular at least partially because it is an ‘outsider’ – practically a tech firm much more than an automotive brand. 
Is there significance, then, in the fact that the ‘registrations of interest’ in the I-Pace number tens of thousands at best – nowhere near the city-population levels delighted in by the model 3? Perhaps. but assuming production proceeds as planned at the Magna Steyr facility in Graz, Austria – and Tesla’s manufacturing struggles with the model 3 continue – then it won’t be long before the I-Pace has sheer weight of numbers on its side. That’s why everyone at Jaguar is so thrilled about it.

Watch the new Jaguar I-Pace race the Tesla model X best here…