Photo: Theophilus Chin
A recent interview with one of Jaguar's bosses for the Australian market has revealed that the company won't launch a luxury car that slots below the XE, at least not this decade.
The XE is a rival for the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class. There are ways in which the British company could go one or two classes smaller, but that won't happen anytime soon.
Speaking to The Motor Report, Jaguar Australia director Matthew Wiesner admitted that the "trend toward small cars in premium brands is very strong and premium brands are doing well in that space."
However, a rival for the Audi A3 or Mercedes A-Class is not on the agenda. If the company were to use the iQ aluminum platform shared by all its new models, we'd end up with an RWD model. But that would have all the problems of the current BMW 1 Series, which is cramped and expensive.
Speaking of the Bavarians, they like to pride themselves on making enjoyable cars, something they have in common with Jaguar. However, BMW "diluted itself" with things like the FWD models, performance diesels, and the M SUV twins.
Jaguar isn't ready to bite that bullet, or at least that's what Wiesner says. Speaking about the way a Jaguar is supposed to drive, he said the following: "Can a front-wheel platform live up to that ethos? I don’t know... that’s a decision for the guys in the United Kingdom to make."
Audi is famous for digital dashboards, TDI engines and quattro; BMW makes things enjoyable, while the A/B/CLA/GLA have amazing interiors that wouldn't look out of place on an E-Class. Also, the RS3 and A45 draw attention to the vanilla models like turbocharged magnets.
That's why it's better to play things safe and cement the idea that Ingenium engines are good or that the all-new XE is better to drive than its competitors.
There are, however, shortcuts. Infiniti, a company that just passed 200,000 cars sold per year, could not afford to develop a compact. So instead, Mercedes engineers were tasked with transforming the A-Class into the Q30.
Jaguar could also find a strategic partner. Might we suggest Volvo? Having been owned by the same company a few years ago, these two European manufacturers could easily find common grounds.
Speaking to The Motor Report, Jaguar Australia director Matthew Wiesner admitted that the "trend toward small cars in premium brands is very strong and premium brands are doing well in that space."
However, a rival for the Audi A3 or Mercedes A-Class is not on the agenda. If the company were to use the iQ aluminum platform shared by all its new models, we'd end up with an RWD model. But that would have all the problems of the current BMW 1 Series, which is cramped and expensive.
Speaking of the Bavarians, they like to pride themselves on making enjoyable cars, something they have in common with Jaguar. However, BMW "diluted itself" with things like the FWD models, performance diesels, and the M SUV twins.
Jaguar isn't ready to bite that bullet, or at least that's what Wiesner says. Speaking about the way a Jaguar is supposed to drive, he said the following: "Can a front-wheel platform live up to that ethos? I don’t know... that’s a decision for the guys in the United Kingdom to make."
What do we think?
Well, Jaguar is right not to go after the A-Class. There are Golf models that are really expensive, but to call yourself a premium hatchback, you need something extra-special.Audi is famous for digital dashboards, TDI engines and quattro; BMW makes things enjoyable, while the A/B/CLA/GLA have amazing interiors that wouldn't look out of place on an E-Class. Also, the RS3 and A45 draw attention to the vanilla models like turbocharged magnets.
That's why it's better to play things safe and cement the idea that Ingenium engines are good or that the all-new XE is better to drive than its competitors.
But can Jaguar make an FWD car?
Yes, but it's better to make an entire range of compacts that share major components. That costs a lot of money.There are, however, shortcuts. Infiniti, a company that just passed 200,000 cars sold per year, could not afford to develop a compact. So instead, Mercedes engineers were tasked with transforming the A-Class into the Q30.
Jaguar could also find a strategic partner. Might we suggest Volvo? Having been owned by the same company a few years ago, these two European manufacturers could easily find common grounds.
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