Upcoming Jaguar E-Pace Expected to Lead Company Sales

The anticipated sales success won't be the only thing the E-Pace will share with the Range Rover Evoque, either. The E-Pace will share its steel platform—called LR-MS—with the Evoque and the Land Rover Discovery Sport, and will also be built alongside these two cars at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood production facility. 

Motivating the E-Pace will be a handful of powertrain options—all of which, for now, are 2.0-liter four-cylinder diesels, according to Autocar. The entry level unit is will make 161 horsepower, the mid-range option will produce 178 hp, and the range-topping unit is a twin-turbocharged unit that will create 237 hp. A hybrid powertrain that will combine a 1.5-liter three-cylinder diesel engine with a hybrid turbocharger—a turbocharger that's driven, at low revs, by an electrical system to prevent lag—is also on the horizon. There's no word on whether JLR's in-house performance arm, SVO, will get its hands on the E-Pace, but given the public interest in performance SUVs, it seems likely. 

Mated to the 2.0-liter engines will be either a six-speed manual (can you believe it?) and the notorious ZF eight-speed automatic that's found in the majority of JLR's offerings. Front-wheel drive will apparently be standard, and all-wheel drive will be optional.

Looks-wise, the E-Pace is expected to share similar dimensions to the Audi Q3 and BMW X1, and borrow its design language from the F-Pace—that includes its distinctive rear taillights, grill, and roofline. The E-Pace's price is expected to be significantly less than its big brother, which starts at $41,990.

Watch a video of what appears to be an E-Pace prototype testing below.