Jaguar Land Rover will launch an electric J-Pace and Road Rover following the XJ electric car?

Jaguar Land Rover plans to unveil a new design for its flagship XJ sedan later this year, and a prototype has already been spotted.

The new XJ will be the first vehicle to receive an advanced modular platform, codenamed Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA), which engineers envision should support plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains. Engineers have developed a hybrid and battery-electric powertrain platform. Indeed, Jaguar plans to launch the XJ with electric-only powertrains, with additional conventional powertrains to follow.

The MLA platform will allow Jaguar Land Rover to launch more electric vehicles relatively quickly. On Monday, Autocar reported that the recently decided Jaguar J-Pace and Land Rover's rumored Road Rover will also arrive by the end of 2021 and will feature an electric powertrain. According to the publication, the electric J-Pace and Road Rover will be built alongside the XJ at Jaguar Land Rover's plant in Castle Bromwich, UK.

The J-Pace will be a mid-size SUV aimed at popular luxury SUVs such as the BMW X5 and Volvo XC90, as well as the Tesla Model X electric cars. It is expected to have a more refined design than the more traditional F-Pace to achieve optimal aerodynamic efficiency, which is important for electric vehicle versions.

Jaguar Land Rover has yet to announce the Road Rover. It was previously reported that it would be a large luxury vehicle with light off-road capabilities; on Monday, Autocar reported that the Road Rover will be offered exclusively on electric power. Jaguar Land Rover predicts that electric vehicles will account for 20% of new car sales by 2025