Jaguar stops production of its electric car as it runs out of batteries

Jaguar will pause production for one week from next Monday because of a shortage of lithium-ion batteries, The Times newspaper in the UK reported overnight.

Although Jaguar is a British brand, the I-Pace electric car is made in a factory in Graz, Austria, while the batteries are supplied by South Korean company LG from its factory in Poland.

Figures from Jaguar show the company sold approximately 18,000 I-Pace electric cars globally last year.

In Australia Jaguar sold 155 examples, representing 7.0 per cent of the vehicles it sold in 2019.

The Jaguar I-Pace was deemed “the best car on the planet” after being named the 2019 World Car of the Year – taking out a trifecta of awards for the first time in the event’s history.

The 86 judges from 24 countries including Australia voted the Jaguar I-Pace the best vehicle outright in the 15th annual running of the awards. The Jaguar I-Pace also won best green car and best design.

Head of Jaguar design Ian Callum said: “I’ve run out of words. I’m speechless for once. This is an astonishing hat trick, amazing. In my 40 years in the business this is my Oscar moment.”

“Motoring is about to go through the biggest changes in 100 years in the next 10 years. I think it’s great to be recognised as the innovative company that we really are,” Callum said during the acceptance speech.