Jaguar XE Could Be Range-Extended EV

Jaguar has secured hundreds of millions in grants from the European Union and the British government to produce "green" vehicles. That has led to speculation and rumors about a range-extended model of the next-generation Jaguar XJ. That seems pretty certain for production. There has also been rumors of an XE Roadster.

Well, speculation is rampant that Jaguar could be readying a range-extended powertrain for an XE roadster as well. Things are getting interesting.

Could Jaguar really be significantly worried about competition from Tesla and Fisker (particularly Fisker in terms of product). It certainly seems like it.  It's an impressive feat to be sure for those two to be considered as real competition for the established automakers. Now with Daimler's investment Tesla has a very good shot at getting the Model S to production. Look for more and continued Daimler involvement in the company.

As I've noted before, Tata Group and Jaguar/Land Rover owner is pushing hard for the XE Roadster, and that counts for a lot. His made comments earlier in they year to Autocar about a proposed Jaguar roadster. He said "We need to emerge with something shiny and new, which is why we are reprioritizing the roadster right now." We could see an XE arrive as soon as 2011, with the R-EV version coming around a year later.