No rush for hybrid Jaguar XE

The boss of Jaguar's all-important XE program has declared the mid-size prestige sedan's 3.8L/100km turbo-diesel variant green enough, saying the British car-maker is in no rush to introduce a hybrid.

Speaking at technical briefings that accompanied the overnight debut of the all-new BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class fighter in London, XE Vehicle Program Director Nick Miller told motoring.com.au Jaguar was in no hurry to add a hybrid to the XE line-up.

“We haven't put a timeline on it,” Miller said.

“The ingenium engine range has been designed to link in with all the different combinations of hybrid technology.

“We demonstrated a couple [of hybrid installations] with the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport, so we as JLR [Jaguar Land Rover] have got the technology and we're deploying it now. [But] In terms of when we deploy that to the XE segment… Honestly we don't know,” he stated.

Miller contends the manual six-speed 2.0D ‘eco' version of the XE ticks Jaguar's ‘green' boxes in the mid-sized segment.

“We'll choose to apply it [hybrid tech] when we want but at this point in time delivering 99g/km with a diesel engine… We think that in this class of car, that is a really good place to be,” Miller opined.

“We don't need to put the hybrid technology in at this point. In terms of fuel economy and in terms of saving [road] tax, especially in Europe, that delivers alright.

“Why put [add] the weight or the expense of a hybrid system?” he asked rhetorically.

In stark contrast, performance fans will be please to note Miller confirmed to motoring.com.au Jaguar can fit both all-wheel drive and a V8 engine into the new XE.