Jaguar’s electric rebirth is running behind schedule, but new details are starting to emerge about their four-door GT. It’s slated to debut later this year and the company has promised it will be “fearlessly unique and emotionally engaging.”

While that remains to be seen, Evo recently took a spin in a prototype and shared an assortment of specifications. They’re reporting the model will measure around 204.7 inches (5,200 mm) long, which would slot it between the short- and long-wheelbase XJ. The latter variant measured 206.9 inches (5,255 mm) long, while the shorter version came in at 202 inches (5,130 mm).

More: Jaguar’s New Electric GT Is Learning To Slide Before It Can Strut

The luxury sedan will ride on the 850-volt Jaguar Electrical Architecture and feature a tri-motor powertrain with two motors mounted at the rear, enabling torque vectoring. Combined output is said to exceed 1,000 hp (746 kW / 1,014 PS) with around 1,000 lb-ft (1,354 Nm) of torque. That should make the flagship blisteringly quick, with 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) reportedly arriving in the low three-second range.

Power is provided by a 120 kWh battery pack, which is said to provide a WLTP range of 435 miles (700 km). When the battery is low, a 350 kW fast charger can reportedly provide 200 miles (322 km) of range in less than 15 minutes.

While the beefy battery ensures a healthy range, it also means the car weighs around 5,952 lbs (2,700 kg). That’s around 2,039 lbs (925 kg) more than the old XJ LWB 3.0 Supercharged. It’s also worth noting the model will weigh about as much as the BMW i7 xDrive60, which tips the scales at 5,986 lbs (2,715 kg).

The publication goes on to say the car has a twin-chamber air suspension with Bilstein adaptive dampers as well as three drive modes known as Comfort, Dynamic, and Rain/Snow/Ice. They added most of the hard work is already done, but the software tuning is only 75-80% complete. That likely explains why the car missed its originally scheduled debut of late last year.

The Jaguar I-Pace was praised upon its release in 2018, even being named both the World Car of the Year and European Car of the Year in 2019. But that early momentum hasn’t aged well. Over the years, the I-Pace’s reputation has unraveled under the weight of battery-related problems, repeated recalls, and even a US buyback program.

Read: This Car Loses 73% Of Its Value After Just Five Years

Now, the I-Pace is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. Jaguar has issued yet another recall in the United States due to a serious battery defect, something that doesn’t bode well for its EV aspirations.

More Battery Trouble

This time, the culprit is thermal overload linked to a folded anode tab, which could cause a short circuit. Battery supplier LG has acknowledged there may be additional problems, though investigations are still ongoing.

Also: Jaguar I-Pace Owners Told To Park Outside After 3 Fires Involving Previously Recalled EVs

This latest recall impacts 2,278 I-Paces. Of these, 1,824 are 2020 models built from April 8, 2019, to January 8, 2020, while 454 are 2021 models assembled from March 9, 2020, to June 10, 2021.

According to Jaguar, none of the vehicles involved in this latest recall were taken off the road under prior recall campaigns, nor have their battery packs been replaced, as other I-Paces have.

What Owners Are Being Told

Jaguar is so concerned about the battery issue that it is urging owners to take immediate precautions. Vehicles should be parked outdoors and kept away from buildings. Additionally, owners are being told to charge their vehicles to no more than 90 percent and only when outside.

More: Jaguar I-Pace EV’s Tragic End, From World Car Of The Year To Scrapyard Junk

The issue appears to be persistent. Jaguar has revealed that several 2019 I-Pace models recalled in the past for fire risk were subjected to another recall in 2024. These cases prompted a deeper examination of the battery system, leading directly to the current action.

Impacted models will will receive updated software that limits the maximum state of charge to 90 percent while Jaguar continues work on a permanent fix. Dealers will be notified of the recall starting February 19, and owners should expect official communication from Jaguar no later than April 3.

Jaguar’s dramatic electric rebirth is not just about pastel concept cars and moody teaser shots. Prototypes of the upcoming four door GT are out on frozen lakes in Sweden, being hurled sideways in temperatures that would make most EVs want to stay plugged in.

The GT, or whatever Jaguar decides to call it when it debuts later this year, is the production follow up to the Type 00 concept, and Jaguar says it will be the most powerful road car it has ever built.

Related: Jaguar Thinks Its $180K EV Gamble Could Finally Ditch Its BMW Complex

With more than 986 hp (1,000 PS) on tap, it has far more power than you could used on a frozen lake, but the Arctic Circle is the perfect place to test out the limit-behaviour of the all-wheel drive chassis.

Jaguar released some high quality images of the four-door sedan testing, but not much in the way of meaningful technical info to advance the story, beyond mentioning that its clever thermal management system can reduce heating energy consumption by up to 40 percent.

We already knew about the total power output and torque vectoring capability, and the confirmation of twin-valve active dampers and air suspension isn’t much of a surprise.

Tri-motor Setup

But a report by Autocar, which got to hang out with the test team in Sweden, fills in some of the blanks, including breaking down the tri-motor setup. Up front is a roughly 350 hp (355 PS / 261 kW) unit, mainly used for efficiency at cruising speeds. At the rear sit two much angrier motors that together deliver around 950 hp (963 PS / 708 kW).

Combined output is at least 986 hp (1,000 PS / 735 kW), along with a walloping 959 lb ft (1,300 Nm) of torque. And that rumored hybrid conversion JLR is working on? Not true and not happening, the company claims.

Instead of one giant skateboard pack, the 5,200 mm (205 inches) Jag uses multiple battery stacks, including a smaller pack near the front and several larger ones further back.

That setup allows the cabin floor and seats to sit lower, giving the car a sports car like driving position, an impressively low centre of gravity, and keeps the roof height to 1,400 mm (55 inches).

Up to 400 Miles Between Fills

Range is expected to be around 400 miles (644 km) on the US EPA cycle, or about 430 miles (692 km) WLTP, from a battery of roughly 120 kWh. That should make it a genuine long legged GT, the kind of thing Jaguar has historically been good at building, even if this car – at a starting price of £120,000 (about $160,000) – will be twice as expensive as many recent Jaguars.

Production Reveal Coming This Summer

In terms of timing, Jag says we will see the finished production car revealed later this summer. Order books are expected to open in the autumn, with first customer deliveries planned for spring next year.

That’s still a long way off and some dealers are already feeling unsure about the whole EV direction, but the GT and the SUV that comes later, could be worth the wait.

Jaguar

Jaguar hit the reset button hard in preparation for an all-electric luxury future, but a fresh report claims JLR is backtracking before it’s even launched the first of its new-generation cars. Sources close to the company allege engineers are trying to figure out how to sneak a petrol engine back into the picture to offer a hybrid model alongside the EV. Jaguar officials, for their part, deny any change in direction.

The Brit luxury brand is exploring range-extender electric tech that use a small combustion engine purely as a generator, according to UK newspaper The Times. In a range-extender hybrid the car’s wheels are still driven by electric motors, but a small combustion units acts as a backup power source for long trips when charging stops feel like a chore.

Related: Not Even Jaguar’s Dealers Are Buying Its $130K EV Plan

The potential payoff is big. Insiders who spoke to The Times suggest total range could jump from around 435 miles (700 km) in pure EV form to as much as 684 miles (1,100 km). That would go a long way toward calming buyers who like the idea of electric but still get nervous about road trips that involve more than one coffee stop.

Engineering Headache

Adapting JLR’s new JEA EV platform wouldn’t be easy because of the battery placement, Auto News reports. But companies like Renault-Geely collab Horse Powertrain have already spotted a niche for providing combustion engines to convert EVs into hybrids, and Porsche is ICE-converting its electric 718 sports cars mid-development, so we don’t doubt it could be done if Jag throws enough time and money at the problem.

This possible pivot comes after Jaguar’s dramatic rebrand and EV-only relaunch plan raised more than a few eyebrows. The new marketing campaign ditched traditional logos, embraced abstract visuals and promised a boutique lineup of high end electric models starting with $130k four-door production version of the Type 00 concept due to be revealed this year. Two more EVs, including at least one SUV come later.

Luxury EV sales slump

At the same time, real world demand for expensive Western EVs has cooled, especially in the United States and China. Porsche, for example, has already admitted it is leaning back toward hybrids and combustion models after EV sales failed to meet expectations. Jaguar’s global sales ambitions suddenly look much harder in that context and some dealers say they’re skeptical about the whole EV strategy.

Range extenders are already gaining traction in China, where buyers appreciate the electric drive feel but still want the safety net of petrol backup. In Europe, though, they’re less common, and under current rules, they don’t count as zero emissions cars, so could only be legally sold until 2035.

“Not happening”

Jaguar officially says nothing has changed and that its future remains electric only, but we don’t believe for a minute that Jag isn’t both concerned by current EV trends, and at least investigating how to answer to them.

Read: Jaguar Thinks Its $180K EV Gamble Could Finally Ditch Its BMW Complex

“Plans to reinvent Jaguar as an electric-only luxury automotive brand are unchanged,” a Jaguar spokesperson told The Times. “We are looking forward to unveiling the first new electric Jaguar later this year.”

Separately, a senior source told Autocar that the report was “rubbish,” and that Jaguar’s EV-only relaunch would proceed exactly as planned.

Jaguar

When Jaguar announced nearly five years ago that it would completely reinvent itself as an EV-only ultra-luxury brand, setting its sights on Bentley rather than the familiar and more attainable German premium rivals like BMW and Audi it had competed with for decades, the plan sounded ambitious, perhaps too ambitious. It still does today.

Read: Jaguar’s New EV Growls Like A V8 And It’s Messing With Your Brain

Now, some of Jaguar’s retail partners are raising uneasy questions. With EV sales cooling or inching forward at a snail’s pace in key markets, skepticism around the brand’s pivot is mounting. Industry analysts are voicing similar concerns, suggesting Jaguar may be targeting a shrinking share of an already narrow segment.

Trouble in the Transition

Dealer sources say Jaguar is aiming to sell around 10,000 cars a year, aligning with Bentley’s current output. But the target, while tidy on paper, is drawing doubt. That kind of volume is tough to achieve in the luxury EV segment, where few models have made real headway.

“I doubt that Jaguar’s strategy will work,” S&P Global analyst Martin Benecke told Auto News. “Jaguar wants to go where other luxury manufacturers are withdrawing due to a lack of demand. Which customers does Jaguar want to reach with its electric luxury cars? I don’t know whether you can survive with this strategy.”

Does The Type 00 Have A Business Case?

The first of Jaguar’s next-generation EVs is a luxurious four-door model previewed by the Type 00 concept. It’s expected to carry a starting price of around $130,000 in the US, making it more expensive than the Mercedes-Benz EQS. If sales fall short, reworking the platform for hybrids or combustion engines could prove, if not impossible, certainly both difficult and expensive.

Dealer Uncertainty Meets Cautious Optimism

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“At the moment, there is no clear business case for Jaguar,” one dealer told Autonews. “We have committed in principle, but whether we fully invest will depend on the final strategy.”

Still, not everyone is pessimistic. Some people are onboard, including the chairman of the German Jaguar and Land Rover Dealers Association, Andreas Everschneider. According to him, “the restart is an opportunity,” but he has warned that Jaguar must avoid falling into the trap of overproduction.

“If Jaguar repeats the mistakes made by other premium brands and floods the market, prices will collapse,” he said. “In that case, the luxury strategy will fail.”