Jaguar Design Boss Wants Future EVs To Follow I-Pace Recipe

According to Jaguar design manager Ian Callum, his firm ’s entry to the electric vehicle segment with the I-Pace was the ideal opportunity for him to make a special design before EVs started looking too much alike to one another.

“There is definitely an opportunity in the near-future and mid-future because ultimately cars will look very similar since their underpinnings are extremely similar,” said the Jaguar exec.

The British carmaker then has no intention of allowing this advantage slip away and will press on trying to make future models stand out visually.

Callum continued to state that with EVs, “you have to package the electric motor, inverter and the battery but they are joined by wires and not bits of metal so there are opportunities,” which means you can still get creative and design something less conventional.

Also Read: Jaguar Confirms It Is Working On New, Bespoke Electric Vehicles

One example is that using no internal combustion engine means occupants can be moved further towards the front of the vehicle, giving the vehicle a similar look to what you see with some mid-engined supercars. Still, the I-Pace’s styling edge will be short-lived as designs will be dictated by the battery design, Callum conceded.

So as to accommodate batteries, future models will feature longer wheelbases. “We all know that because we are doing more of them [EVs],” he said without getting into specifics, Autonews Europe reports.

The thickness of this battery pack also partly dictated the styling of Jag’s electric crossover. “We picked an SUV because we’ve got 125 mm and 130 mm of battery. ”

Callum went on to state that future models will still have to hold up the firm ’s worth concerning design.

“When you design a Jaguar the function is beauty and then functionality. I see beauty as a function. I don’t buy that electric cars have to look alternative, or funky and strange for its sake. This car [the I-Pace] looks different for the reasons – because of how it is designed. ”

“Innovation should leave 10 percent that we recognize, and we did that with the I-Pace front end. Go 100 percent you’ll lose people too fast,” he reasoned, while also reportedly praising Tesla for recognizing this dilemma while designing the Model S.

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