Report suggest Jaguar may move on from the XE and XF sedans in favor of a hatchback
The move would be aimed at appealing to younger buyers
The new compact hatchback is one of many options on the table
Things aren’t great at Jaguar right now and the British automaker us mulling its next move. One option on the table is replacing the aging Jaguar XE and XF compact and mid-size luxury sedans by a smaller hatchback.
The news come from Autocar who spoke with Jaguar design boss Julian Thompson.
“I’d love to do some smaller cars,” Thomson told the website, “and it feels as though the time is right. Jaguar needs a global product that could appeal to younger buyers, and more females as well”.
2020 Jaguar XE | Photo: Jaguar
Jaguar has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, and recent models like the electric Jaguar I-Pace haven’t had the success Jaguar has hoped they would. The XE came on the market in 2016 and hasn’t really succeeded in cementing Jaguar’s spot in the compact luxury segment. The Jaguar XF has been around for longer and had some success in the beginning, but it is part of a segment with fewer and fewer buyers.
The Jaguar lineup also includes the F-Type performance coupe and Jaguar F-Pace SUV, the only two models that are really doing well over in Solihull.
The other option on the table, still according to Autocar, would be a new electrified compact sedan that would be roughly the same size as the XE and aimed at the Tesla Model 3. Jaguar has shown that it can certainly develop advanced electric technologies with the I-Pace.
Jaguar XF 20d | Photo: Jaguar
As for the hatchback, it would measure just 4.5 metres which would put it in the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, BMW 2 Series, and Audi A3 segment.
This are just rumors at this point, but there’s no question Jaguar needs a radical new model if it hopes to truly compete with the big German three.
