Jaguar locks in 3 Series rival for 2015
British brand promises belated X-Type successor will be the most advanced, efficient and refined sports sedan in its classJaguar has announced it will launch an all-new compact sports luxury sedan in 2015. The Indian-owned British maker’s tilt at the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and Lexus IS will be the first product to emerge on the company’s iQ[AI] lightweight modular architecture.
The new platform, the product of a £1.5 billion R&D spend, heralds an ambitious relaunch into a market segment it’s pitched into before without much success via the Ford Mondeo-based X-Type.
This time, under the stewardship of Indian industrial giant Tata, Jaguar is serious, JLR chief Dr Ralf Speth said in statement about the iQ[AI] on the eve of the Frankfurt motor show, where Jaguar will stage the world debut of its C-X17 crossover concept, which is based on the same platform and is expected to launch after the sedan in 2016
“Today’s announcement signals Jaguar Land Rover’s ambitions to push the boundaries and redefine premium car ownership,” he said.
“At Jaguar Land Rover we place the customer at the heart of everything we do and the introduction of a world-class all-new aluminium vehicle architecture means we will be more competitive, flexible and efficient delivering exciting new products for our customers around the world.”
The new car will also mark the arrival of the company’s all-new ‘Hotfire’ petrol and diesel engines. Wrapped in mainly aluminium bodywork, the high-tech engine line-up gives the platform “an unparalleled breadth of performance and efficiency”, according to Jaguar Global Brand Director Adrian Hallmark.
By this, Autocar suggests he means it will cover terrain from diesel variants delivering sub-100g/km CO2 emissions to high-end petrol versions good for nigh on 300km/h.
Mr Hallmark said the car will be priced “just below the existing XF”, which currently starts from $68,545 in Australia, suggesting a starting price of less than $60,000 – like its German rivals.
Like its chief competitors, the all-new mid-size Jaguar sedan is expected to spawn coupe and wagon model derivatives in the latter part of this decade.
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