Jaguar shows off new additions to the 2018 lineup

NOVI, Michigan — Jaguar has been having a bang-up year. In fact, as of the end of August, Jaguar sales are up 52 percent globally and 13 percent in the United States.

A lot of that growth is due to the 2016 addition of the F-Pace, Jaguar’s first SUV.

Thus it should come as no surprise that Jaguar’s utility vehicle lineup is growing.

This week at the New Generation of Jaguar press conference, the automaker did the North American reveal of the compact Jaguar E-Pace SUV as well as the XF Sportbrake wagon and the XJR575 sedan.

2018 Jaguar E-Pace

According to Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum, this new SUV is more than just a little F-Pace. Sure you’ll see some of the bigger SUV’s bones in the design architecture, but you’ll also see a lot of the sporty two-seat F-Type – especially if you look at the headlamps.

The E-Pace will come standard with all-wheel drive and will have two available powertrains: a P250 that will deliver 246 horsepower and a P300 that will deliver 296 horsepower. Both engines are a 2.0-liter, inline 4-cylinder and will be mated to a 9-speed automatic transmission.

The P250 will be priced from $38,600, and the P3500 will start at $47,250.

2018 Jaguar XF Sportbrake

Yes, Sportbrake is just a fancy word for “wagon.” This addition to the XF lineup marks the first station wagon Jaguar has brought to the U.S.

When Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, introduced the Sportbrake to the media, he said it had “sedanlike luxury and performance with a little something extra in the cargo department.”

Callum went so far as to say it’s more elegant than a sedan.

But all this might be a hard sell for the U.S. market, which is more into trucks and SUVs these days. But the Sportbrake specs might make it a contender.

It’ll be equipped with a supercharged V-6 engine that delivers 380 horsepower plus it will have up to 69.7 cubic feet of cargo volume.

It’s slated to be in dealers late this year with a price tag of $70,450.

2018 Jaguar XJR575

Jaguar’s flagship sedan was last redesigned in 2009, which is a really long lifecycle for a vehicle. But as Callum pointed out during the press conference, when they set about designing the XJ, he wanted the team to design something that would pass the test of time.

So, rather than a redesign or facelift for this model year, Jaguar introduced a new trim at the top of the tier. This model is more powerful than any previous XJ, and – as the name suggests – it delivers 575 horsepower via a 5.0-liter supercharged V-8. You’ll also have a 0-to-60-mph time of 4.2 seconds.

While the XJ starts at around $70K, the XJR575 will be priced at $122,400 when it goes on sale this fall.

What’s next?

In a word: Electrification. Jaguar Land Rover is yet another brand that has jumped on the electrified bandwagon, and Eberhardt clearly stated that by 2020 all new vehicles will be offered with an electric or electrified power option. Think mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric.

We got our first taste of this last year at the LA Auto Show when Jaguar introduced the I-Pace Concept, a fully electric SUV with fast charge times.

While we haven’t seen the production version yet, Callum said it will be “close” to the concept. The I-Pace is slated to come out in 2018 as a 2019 model, and it will mark the third SUV in the Jaguar lineup and the first fully electric vehicle from the brand.

The E-Pace, Sportbrake and XJR575 will be on display this weekend at the Jaguar Art of Performance Tour in the Detroit metro area, where attendees can also drive current vehicles in Jaguar’s lineup. The tour is at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi, Michigan, and runs through Sept. 24.

Editor’s Note: This first-hand account of the New Generation of Jaguar press conference are from an invitation-only event that allowed special access to the vehicle and executives. Jaguar covered our transportation costs.