Jaguar Land Rover is set to launch its much-anticipated Jaguar XE on Monday, a compact car that will help the Tata Motors’ premium division take on the likes of the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series and Mercedez Benz C Class
Jaguar Land Rover has gradually been releasing details of the car — due to be unveiled in a high-profile ceremony in London on Monday evening — which have suggested the company is aiming for a vehicle at a higher price point than most of its competitors.
Earlier this year, Jaguar revealed that the car would be built on a light-weight aluminum body (accounting for around three quarters of its chassis) and would be the first car to have the brand’s new four-cylinder turbocharged “Ingenium” engine. It will also include features such as a touch-screen infotainment system, compatible with mobile apps, and a Wi-Fi hotspot in the car to connect gadgets to.
While the new car should help Jaguar boost its sales (IHS Global Insight forecasts that JLR will sell 60,000 XEs a year at its peak following the launch year) it will have further significance for the carmaker, providing the basis for new crossover vehicles that have proved particularly successful for the group in emerging markets.
The car could also help Jaguar reach out to new categories of customers. “It helps expand the breadth of the brand. There are a lot of family-orientated customers to whom an XJ or XF may not appeal at the moment, but for whom an XE could be an entry point to the brand,” says Ian Fletcher, principal auto analyst at IHS Global Insight.