Jaguar is quite close on giving the green signal to the light weight and compact rear drives models which are aimed to enhance the sales for the brand.
Although the new product will not be standing against the premium cars such as Audi A4 or BMW 3-Series, rather it will be an attempt to outrun the German opposition by relying on its light-weight construction and cutting edge new four cylinder engine.
The global market for the compact premium car is increasing by a rate of 2 million units per year and Jaguar has decided to chase some of the big chunk of this growing market segment. The British auto maker with the sale of just 60,000 units globally is still a minnow in automotive sector. It now needs to double its output in order to secure its future with its sister company Land Rover.
The new down the line models will be based on the new set of components that will be scalable enough to be used with the next generation of the XF and XJ models. This will allow company to manufacture about 90 percent of the components from the set of common component.
Building up of thee model ranges on the highly scalable PLA or Premium Lightweight Architecture that made its debut with the Mk4 Land Rover. It will allow Jaguar to attain maximum profitability while running its Castle Bromwich plant on full capacity.
Although creating the rival against the 3 series would be most expected route but company is not going to make any obvious move, according to Hallmark. He further said that the 3 series is easy way to go but not the only way. He further added that all cars in the segment are good and features unique blend of performance and efficiency with sophisticated equipment. It took about 20 years for Audi to come to a place where it now stands. For Jaguar it looks impossible to lead the segment but company is finding ways to profitably expand the business.
He further pointed that the competitiveness in the premium segment has made things difficult but company is trying to look for the gap to exploit the segment. He further hinted that the new product may come with full line-up of body styles.
Even though the SUV market has grown in the recent years, Saloon market is still twice of its size. He also said that rolling out a crossover would have created much hype for the company but company is currently not rushing towards revealing another SUV in the lineup.
He further also added that the PLA can be tweaked into a front wheel drive model, although Jaguar has not yet planned any front wheel vehicle but who have seen the future.
Jaguar’s Chief Designer, Ian Callum said that the when it comes to efficiency mass is something that have big lead rather than size. He further said that Jaguar has to come up with something different. But the main challenge will be to try it with a whole new range of vehicles. Some of the rivals offers great cars like 4 door coupes and Mercedes CLA could be used as template for the Jaguar but that is not something that Jaguar is known for.
Callum further said that he Jaguar need to work like a Jaguar with the set of right components that could match their own mold. Jaguar possesses extreme set of values and has always been styled differently at the same time being conventional enough to be useful. After rise of the Land Rover it’s now Jaguar’s chance to grow. He further hoped that if everything goes by plan Jaguar can grow and could became one of the key players in the market.
