Jaguar hints at I-Pace SVR with 1.8-sec 0-60

JLR promises its high-performance EV will focus on handling, not just impressive acceleration.

Jaguar has promised a high-performance I-Pace variant will not be solely focused on incredible acceleration, instead balancing power with handling prowess.

"We have asked ourselves how you would ‘SVR' an electric car," Jaguar Land Rover product planner Hanno Kirner recently told Autocar. "Yes, we can make it do 0-60mph in 1.8sec. It's a good headline, but once you've done it once or twice, and lost your eyes in the back of their sockets, you might not want to do it again."

The executive cautioned that the power delivery characteristics of an upgraded electric powertrain could simply be "too much" for untrained drivers.

"It may be that we have to impose some kind of restriction, so that the performance is limited until they have gone on a driving course or something," he added.

Aside from the as-yet-unconfirmed SVR variant, Jaguar is also mulling special off-road and luxury editions to complement the basic launch package.