Despite it still looking pretty impressive and full of presence, the current Jaguar XJ is starting to get a little bit on in age. In fact, it’s currently one of the oldest designs in its class after the flagship sedan was launched by the British manufacturer as long ago as 2009. A couple of facelifts have kept it reasonably fresh, but Autocar is now reporting an all-new Jaguar XJ is in the pipeline, possibly for later this year. And it appears it could even go as far as being built on a new all-electric platform.
If the reports are to come to fruition, it would place the XJ into an entirely new segment of the market for the luxury brand as it would then be going head-to-head with the likes of the Tesla Model S, and the upcoming Porsche Mission E. Of course, it wouldn’t be Jaguar’s first all-electric model as the I-Pace crossover will have that particular honour when it finally goes on sale later this year.
Even though the current XJ still looks good, it’s being left behind by its main rivals the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, the BMW 7 Series and the Audi A8, all of which have undergone total redesigns since the XJ was last all-new. It’s actually not really the looks that are the problem though, it’s more the fact the Jaguar has been left behind in terms of the latest active safety features, driver-assist technology, and advanced powertrains.
Moving the XJ to an all-electric platform would be a bold move for Jaguar, but the British manufacturer has already stated its intention to move to electrify all new vehicles by as soon as 2020.
It’s thought the new XJ is being developed along with an entirely new model for the brand, the Road Rover, which is supposed to be some sort of high-riding electrified sedan or estate along similar lines to the likes of the Audi Allroad and the Volvo V90 Cross Country.
