Upcoming Jaguar E-Pace Expected to Lead Company Sales

Slotting in below the company's fastest-selling car, the F-Pace, Jaguar will launch a mini SUV called the E-Pace to compete with BMW's X1 and Audi's Q3, Autocar reports. Expected to go on sale in 2019, it's likely that Jaguar is counting on the E-Pace to bring the English premium automaker the same kind of sales success that the Range Rover Evoque brought to Land Rover. 

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.