- Jaguar reportedly studying range-extender hybrids with new EVs.
- Small petrol generator could boost EV range to over 600 miles.
- Brand insists EV-only plan stands, with first model due in 2026.
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.
