OK, I think I get it. Jaguar makes an SUV, that’s a mechanical twin to the Range Rover Velar, called the F-Pace. Then it makes two smaller SUVs, but one is electric. One is called the E-Pace, and the other is called the I-Pace. But, which one is which? Uh, I got it!
The electric one must be “E-Pace” because of “E” for electric. And then the small gas one must be I-Pace. Right?
No? I don’t got it? You mean, the electric SUV is called “I-Pace”, and the gas one is called “E-Pace”? What madness is this?
I mean, I guess, that kind of makes sense. F-Pace is a large gas SUV, and E comes before F, so a follow-up to the F-pace should follow that convention.
But why is the electric SUV called “I-Pace”? E-Pace should make more sense, as it should be short for “electronic… pace(?) but it isn’t. Is Jaguar emulating an old 1990s Apple computer, where the “i” part of “iMac” was theorized to mean “internet”? Are we driving the Jaguar Internet Pace? Or is Jag just following BMW’s lead on the “i” names for EVs?
I kid. Sort of. It looks like the I-Pace may have likely been a logical extension of Jaguar’s Formula E team and Jaguar calls its Formula E car, the “I-Type.” I guess that only passes the buck along as to why Jaguar decided to call its formula E-car “I-Type”, (obviously it can’t be E-type), but whatever.
Out of curiosity and an intense desire to make sense of Jaguar’s naming convention, I asked somebody over there how they got the name E-Pace and I-Pace. Jag’s PR rep sent me this:
“The Jaguar PACE Family of SUVs derives its name from Jaguar’s founding design principles of “Grace, Space and Pace”. Our model nomenclature structure uses ascending letters of the alphabet based on the segment of the vehicle: E-PACE is our compact premium SUV, F-PACE is our midsized premium SUV, I-PACE is our premium all-electric SUV.”
I guess I’m not sure what else I was expecting.
The I-Pace and E-Pace I think suffer from the same problems that plague cars like the Buick Envision, or all of Cadillac and Infiniti’s lineups — car names that are both unmemorable and confusing. I can’t tell you what the name of any current Infiniti is, and I suspect that most consumers are the same. That can not be doing those automakers any favors.
Anyway, just switch the damn names, Jaguar.
