Jaguar J-Pace SUV to take on Porsche Cayenne

Jaguar is readying a new full-size J-Pace SUV which is slated to make global debut by 2021. A global trademark filing for the J-Pace moniker suggests that the model is edging closer to production, having been scooped by our sister publication Autocar UK last year.

The Range Rover-rivalling SUV will have a brand-new shape conceptualised by Jaguar design director Ian Callum. However, it will draw on the Range Rover for much of its running gear. It will be the brand’s fourth eye-grabbing entry into the gigantic global SUV market in a span of just five years.

Jaguar stands on the edge of a highly profitable and much higher-volume future based on rapidly rising sales of an SUV family that started with the F-Pace just two years ago and will probably account for two-thirds of its total sales in the early 2020s.

The J-Pace will be a sleek and luxurious all-aluminium model for the early 2020s. It’s likely to use a developed version of the Range Rover aluminium architecture, although it will be longer, lower, probably more spacious in the rear and obviously, much more on-road biased. It will employ Range Rover running gear and powertrains, and plug into a rising demand for super-luxury SUVs. Jaguar bosses will expect it to sell especially well in China, where well-heeled owners are chauffeur-driven.

The success of the 2016 F-Pace and the embryo success of the smaller, more affordable E-Pace are the main reasons for current improvements. However, company bosses are well-aware that they need to continue producing upper-end models like the J-Pace to reinforce Jaguar’s image as the home of substantial and luxurious performance cars.