Motor City UK, Motor City Austria and the Jaguar i-Pace

The car is bright red – and silent.  It is, perhaps, the best electric car in the world.

I recently had the privilege to attend the launch of the new Jaguar i-Pace in Graz, a couple of hours south of Vienna.

Graz is one of my favourite Austrian cities, with a huge student population, a lively cultural scene and a giant automotive cluster. Companies such as AVL List, Magna Steyr and Nextsense are at the forefront of global automotive technology.

So it is no surprise that numerous Austrian companies based in Graz and the wider region of Styria are working intensively with British car components suppliers, design services and manufacturers.

The British car industry has been going from strength to strength in recent years. It employs more than 800,000 workers and in 2017 exported 1.67m cars – almost 80% of all vehicles manufactured in the UK. Jaguar production increased 20% in 2017 as part of an expansion for the Jaguar Land Rover group as a whole to a record 621,000 vehicles.  As part of that global expansion, Jaguar has created 3,000 new jobs in Graz as production of the new all-electric i-Pace ramps up.

You can see a video of the launch ceremony in Graz, which I attended, here; and take a look at the i-Pace itself, which amongst other things has a range of 298 miles and does 0-60 in 4.5 seconds, here. The model at the launch was brilliant red and a real head-turner – as well as having the characteristic silence of electric vehicles.  Yes, I was tempted.

The Jaguar i-Pace is a striking example of the close links between the motor cities of Birmingham and Graz.  I look forward to seeing deliveries begin later this year as the electric vehicle revolution gains ground.