Jaguar is working on its own ‘Panthera’ EV platform

Just a year ago, Jaguar caused quite a stir by announcing that it will only sell fully electric cars by 2025. The brand that mainly made a name for itself with luxury and sporty cars with strong engines, has to reinvent itself for that. Although it has had an EV with the I-Pace for several years, electrification with the British is still quite in its infancy. It was therefore not very surprising that the CEO, Thierry Bolloré, said in March that it might want to turn to another manufacturer for an EV platform.

That is not going to happen, Bolloré now explains according to the British Autocar. Jaguar also does not use an existing base of parent company Tata and the MLA and planned EMA platform used by sister brand Land Rover are also not involved. Jaguar is building its own EV base: Panthera. That name is not inspired by an American metal band, but by the family name of felines that also includes the jaguar. Nice find.

The reason that Jaguar is going for its own base, would have to do with the new vision of the brand. Jaguar wants to move into Bentley territory, as Bolloré announced in June. A brand higher in the market with a different model range than we are used to. The XE, XF, E-Pace, F-Pace and possibly also the F-type will probably give up after this generation. A new XJ is more likely. That will therefore also be on the Panthera base, because last year Jaguar shot the new XJ, which was already well under development. It was enthroned on the MLA base on which the new Range Rover also rests. It is precisely that basis that Jaguar is putting aside in favor of the Panthera platform. That platform would make it easier to come up with a more ‘own’ Jaguar than if it were to appeal to an existing base from another manufacturer.

The British are worth following in years to come. After all, if we are to believe Bolloré’s words, we can really expect a whole new Jaguar.

Pictured: The all-electric Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV