cars news 10: Jaguar SVR Badge Isn’t Exclusive to V-8 Engines, Could be Used on EVs

With strict emissions regulations looming ever closer, Jaguar’s performance brand, Special Vehicle Operations (SVO), is looking to smaller engines and other powertrain options to expand the SVR lineup.

Jaguar’s PR director Richard Agnew spoke with CarAdvice, saying, “We can’t possibly say that SVO has to be V-8, with the way the world is changing and also the way engine technology is changing as well. Who would’ve thought that 400 horsepower out of a four-cylinder was possible? So it doesn’t have to be a V-8. What it needs to be, though, is have enough over the derivative below it so it does have the credentials to wear the SVR badge.”

While BMW and other automakers have dropped their V-8 engines in favor of turbocharged six-cylinders in many models, the V-8 is still a performance staple for now. Jaguar currently offers a six-year-old 5.0-liter V-8, which the automaker claims still has life in it. And because it’s relatively under-stressed, according to Jaguar’s chief engineer Mike Cross, it may have more power potential.

Agnew went on to say that there are two factors that go into the decision to keep V-8 engines in the lineup, including demand and global emissions regulations. However, Jaguar and SVO are looking to other types of powertrains to wear the SVR badge. It’s no secret the automaker is planning at least one electric car, and SVR is open to creating an electric performance model. Agnew continued, “In the future, when we have electric cars, what will an SVR version of it be? It will be bloody quick, but it’s too early to say.”

Source: CarAdvice