JAGUAR has finally put a name to its planned rival for the BMW 3-Series and the Mercedes C-Class, the Jaguar XE.
The new car won’t go on sale until next year, but the company has already been hinting at some of the technical highlights.
Customers will expect a great deal from a mid-size Jaguar – it must be practical but premium
One big innovation is the XE’s all-aluminium body – a first in this bracket. That should help to save weight, providing a useful boost to performance and economy.
The other important piece of news is that the Jaguar XE will be the first car in Jaguar Land Rover’s line-up to use the group’s new Ingenium family of four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines, which will be built at a new plant in the West Midlands.
Jaguar currently relies on engines from its former parent Ford.
Although full technical details will only be available later in the year, Jaguar is already saying that some variants of the XE should be able to squeeze below 100g/km in terms of CO2 emissions, while high-performance models are expected to be able to crack the 300km/h (186mph) barrier in terms of top speed.
The CX-17 concept car shown at Frankfurt last year provided the first clues to the XE’s design, and Jaguar has released further pictures that hint at the new car’s look.