Electric vehicle wins world car title
The all-electric Jaguar I-PACE has completed a historic treble at the 2019 World Car Awards. It won the coveted world car and car design of the year titles – equalling the success of the F-PACE in 2017 – and was also been named world green car.
The I-PACE is the first model ever to win three world car titles in the 15-year history of the awards. Its latest at the New York International Auto Show comes weeks after it claimed the European car on the year.
Steve Kenchington, general manager of Jaguar NZ, says the awards reflect the ground-breaking innovation and thousands of hours’ expertise, which have gone into developing the new EV.
“These awards are the industry’s most sought-after, and recognise the significant investment in human resource and technology that has been made in bringing the I-PACE to market,” he says.
“Jaguar is at the forefront of innovation in the EV space and has leveraged its expertise in Formula E racing – as well as decades of premium design – to produce this multi-award-winning vehicle, which has resonated with hundreds of New Zealand customers.”
Designed and developed in the UK, the I-PACE is attracting new customers to the brand, for many of whom it will also be their first EV. To date, more than 11,000 units have been sold in about 60 countries.
Ian Callum, Jaguar’s director of design, says: “I can honestly say no other project I’ve worked on has been as rewarding as the I-PACE. EVs offer designers unprecedented freedom to rethink proportions, profile and packaging, and it’s an opportunity my team has exploited in full.”
The I-PACE has a 90kWh lithium-ion battery and delivers a range of up to 470km on the WLTP cycle. It’s capable of charging from 0-80 per cent in 40 minutes (100kW DC), or takes about hours to achieve the same state when using a domestic wall-box (7kW AC). Range-optimising technologies include a battery pre-conditioning system – when plugged in, the I-PACE automatically raises or lowers the battery to maximise range ahead of driving away.
The EV has a five-star Euro NCAP rating. Its body structure provides high levels of occupant protection and is complemented by technologies designed to protect other road users and pedestrians, including a deployable bonnet and autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection.
