Jaguar I-Pace Priced For America, Porsche & Honda Announce New Electric Car Plans

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It’s a busy week for news about automobiles, thanks to the Geneva auto show going on in Switzerland. CleanTechnica is fortunate to have its own correspondent, Maarten Vinkhuyzen, on the ground there this week and he has already begun filing reports from inside the hall. Here are some highlights that have caught our attention. Maarten will have details for you later in the week.

Jaguar I-Pace Priced For America

Jaguar I-Pace

Jaguar has announced its I-Pace electric all wheel drive sport utility will be priced from $69,500 in the US. As usual, federal, state, and local incentives may lower the total cost to consumers considerably. The base price for the Tesla Model X is $10,000 higher at $79,500. According to Jaguar, the I-Pace can go from 0 to 60 and back to 0 a few tenths of a second quicker than the Model X. Whether that information will influence prospective purchasers remains to be seen.

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To put that price in perspective, the BMW X5 starts at $57,200 while the X6 begins at $62,950. Considering that electric cars tend to have lower costs of ownership than gasmobiles, we could make the argument that the I-Pace is price competitive with similar conventional cars. And here’s good news. The I-Pace lists for $330,000 less than a Lamborghini Aventador, which makes the Jaguar seem quite affordable by comparison.

Honda Urban EV Gets Production OK

Honda Urban EV Concept

In Geneva, a Honda spokesperson confirmed that “a production version” of the Urban EV Concept that broke cover at the Frankfurt auto show last year is coming. He went on to say the car would likely be for European customers only. “Production version” means what we see in showrooms may not bear any resemblance to the concept car, which is as cute and cuddly as the original Volkswagen Rabbit hatchback.

“A production version of this highly acclaimed concept will be introduced to Europe during late 2019, and in response to the positive feedback to this model, we expect to open order banks for the Urban EV during early 2019,” Philip Ross, Honda Europe’s senior vice president told the assembled multitude in Geneva according to a report by Jalopnik.

In conjunction with the Urban EV, Honda is also working on advanced vehicle-to-grid smart charging technology which may or may not be part of the Urban EV package.

Porsche Plans Mission E Cross Turismo Variant

Porsche Cross Turismo concpet

It’s no surprise that Porsche is already planning to build variations of the Mission E. It is pouring a ton of money and resources into developing that car, and it is only natural it wants to spread those development costs over as many units as possible. TechCrunch reports from Geneva that the company has a concept car called the Mission E Cross Turismo on its stand at the auto show.

Much as the Model X is a roomier version of the Model S, the Cross Turismo is designed to appeal to customers who need more room to carry bikes, skis, luggage, and maybe a Golden Retriever or two along when they travel. The dual motor, all wheel drive SUV-type vehicle will feature the same 800 volt technology, 310 mile range, and 3.5 second 0-60 time as the Mission E sedan.

The sedan is expected in showrooms in 2019. The Cross Turismo variant will be along some time after that. No prices have been discussed as of yet, but the photos from the show make it seem like a tasty little crumpet that will tempt many Model X shoppers to wander through their local Porsche showroom before making a decision.

Sharp-eyed readers will notice the Cross Turismo has 4 conventional doors mounted in conventional fashion. No eagle’s wing appendages or rear mounted hinges. Such things may add to a car’s wow factor, but in the real world, ordinary doors work fine for most people most of the time. And if you squint a little, both the Porsche and the Jaguar look somewhat alike. That is probably no coincidence, as both are targeting roughly the same drivers. Outrageously creative designs are all well and good on the show circuit, but normal people like normal looking cars parked in the driveway.


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Steve Hanley

Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." You can follow him on Substack and LinkedIn but not on Fakebook or any social media platforms controlled by narcissistic yahoos.

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