Jaguar leads the pack
Aston Martin chiefs branded ungentlemanly after mocking Rolls-Royce as old-fashioned
Google executives in a Phantom. You can see them in this.’
Separately, Aston Martin chief executive Dr Andy Palmer said that the Lagonda, which is expected to enter production in 2021, would offer ‘guilt-free luxury’ to attract younger wealthy motorists. He added: ‘If RollsRoyce is a Boeing 777, then Lagonda will be Concorde. It doesn’t need a big grille.’
The remarks provoked a furious response from Rolls-Royce’s chief executive, who suggested Aston Martin was not in the same league as his company.
Mr Muller-Otvos said: ‘Why are they behaving like this?
‘There’s enough room for three great British brands – Rolls- Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin. We don’t criticise our rivals.
‘It’s not a very gentlemanly way to behave. Why are they saying such things.
‘Let them do their own thing, we’ll do ours. They talk about guilt-free luxury. What does that mean? They don’t understand luxury. I think they are on a completely different turf.
‘What they’ve done is not good business. It’s a misunderstanding of what luxury is.’
Rolls-Royce, which is owned by BMW, sold 3,362 cars last year. It plans to launch a fully electric car in the next decade.
Mr Muller-Otvos argued that his company ‘rewrote the rule book’ for luxury cars two years ago when it unveiled its electric prototype, which was codenamed 103EX.
In an apparent side- swipe at Aston Martin, the chief executive added: ’Since then it has become clear that other car brands have acknowledged our vision, so much so that they have adopted most aspects, apart from the most visionary and radical.’
Rolls-Royce is based on the Duke of Richmond’s estate in Goodwood in Sussex, while Aston Martin, whose cars have featured in James Bond films since Goldfinger in 1964, has its headquarters at Gaydon in Warwickshire and a new factory under development at St Athan, South Wales.
Aston Martin, which holds a Royal Warrant from the Prince of Wales, recruited furniture designer David Linley, Princess Margaret’s son, to create the interior for its new Lagonda.
Never mind watching future electric cars being unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show this week. I was among the first to drive one — Jaguar’s Tesla challenger, the I-Pace. I took it out on a slippery track a short distance from the show hall — and it’s great fun. It’s stylish, but would fit well in any family driveway. I’m not sure why I was surprised, but it drives like a Jaguar, too, though running entirely on electric power, it lacks the traditional roar. But it still feels taut and fast.
And it accelerates like lightning, hitting 60 mph from rest in just 4.5 seconds.
But I wasn’t just going in straight lines. I was throwing it around in the rain with abandon on an automotive assault course of tight turns and even a stint on a skid pan, as well as doing a fair few manoeuvres of my own.
It’s sure-footed and fun with a top speed of 124 mph. Yet it still promises a range of 298 miles — or just enough battery charge to drive from London to Newcastle — on one overnight charge.
Priced from £58,995 to £76,995, which includes a taxpayer subsidy of £4,500, it’s available to order now in four trim levels: S, Se, HSe and a top of the range First edition launch model.
Deliveries are set for July, when the first models also reach showrooms. But customers can order and ‘configure’ their cars online now at jaguar.co.uk
Two Jaguar- designed electric motors — one at each axle — develop a total of 400 bhp — that’s about four Ford Fiestas.
Providing the power is a hightech 90kWh lithium-ion battery that sits centrally and low between the axles, to give perfect 50:50 weight distribution. Jaguar says owners will be able to achieve an 80 per cent charge in 85 minutes using a 50kW DC charger. A 30-minute charge will give a range of about 80 miles.
A fast charge will power the battery to 80 per cent capacity in just 45 minutes.
Home charging overnight achieves 80 per cent power in just over ten hours, while a full charge will take 12.9 hours.
Jaguar has pipped Audi, and a host of other rivals, to the post.