Could a lack of 4 or 6 cylinder engine be causing the delay?
 

Seeing as how its been so long since we last saw any mention of the XS, it begs the question if Jaguar may be struggling to find a suitable powertrain for this new entry level model. It's highly unlikely that they would want to put a V8 engine in their smallest model to date, and with no 4 or 6 cylinder engines on their shelf, this could be one of the biggest production hurdles they are facing.

Jaguar can do what Lexus is doing and develop a small output V8 with turbochargers or a supercharger. A small V8 can get the fuel economy of a 6 cylinder but all the V8 torque we need.

I just don't think its necessary to power the XS with a V8 engine, and its ridiculous that they don't offer any more fuel efficient options. With tightening emissions restrictions, they may as well develop a proper 4 or 6 cylinder engine for their upcoming models. Their discontinued Cygnet was powered with a 1.3l 4 cylinder.

They are already developing new inline-6 Ingenium engines for future models. The 2020 facelifted XE is also rumored to be coming with new mild hybrid technology.

Glad to hear that Jaguar is finally transitioning away from primarily using V8's. I just don't think its necessary with the improvements we've seen to 6 cylinder engines, to still be relying on small displacement V8's.

To be honest I don't think many people who go for a Jag are all that concerned with fuel economy. And with the push for electric models, it probably makes more sense from an investment perspective to focus on electric tech over new engines.

Well I think there are probably going to be a lot of enthusiasts who don't really have all that much interest in pure electric vehicles. It's probably for that reason that we'll see premium automakers such as JLR being less eager to make the jump towards battery powered vehicles. The raw power and sound of a gas powered engine, isn't something that can be replicated.

Maybe this will once again spark debate about supercapacitors because its one more efficient way to use power during a time car maker have so many requirements to fill that make designing a product very challenging.

I've already seen this kind of response in relation to Aston Martin's upcoming electric sedan. While I can understand why enthusiasts still prefer the sound and feel of a petrol engine, I'll bet their opinion would change if they had the opportunity to drive a high performance EV.

Jaguar has taken a very cautious and smart approach with the E Type Zero, as it can fairly easily be converted back to an ICE. They haven't made any chances to the factory chassis and mounting points, meaning you could essentially buy it just for a brand new shell.