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Jaguar's 3-Series Rival Will Be Lightweight and Cutting-Edge

Jaguar has done such a good job with the XF saloon (and estate), that it has genuinely made its medium sedan a real alternative to the German norm. The XF is also different enough to tempt buyers who are not really into the whole 'Germanic theme' that is overly used by the big three from the country beginning with G.
Jaguar X-Type 1 photo
Photo: Jaguar
Now, as they are establishing themselves as a serious competitor to the already familiar brands, Jaguar wants to increase its model lineup, and its most important model will be a sedan to rival the 3-Series BMW, which is still the class benchmark, despite being criticised by some for having lost some of the BMW character and becoming just a bit too dull and disconnected.

Jaguar wants to avoid that, through the use of aluminium in the cars' construction as much as possible, as well as having cutting-edge design and super-frugal four-pot engines. This new smaller sedan will be underpinned by the same PLA (Premium Lightweight Architecture) aluminium platform, which has made its debut on the all-new Range Rover, according to autocar.co.uk.

It will also share many of its internal bits with its larger siblings, the XF and XJ, and this will not only mean all cars get a consistent feel, but will also result in reduced costs of manufacturing and possibly even cheaper servicing.

The car has yet to get the go-ahead, but they would be foolish not to challenge the 3-Series & company.

According to Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's Global Brand Director, “The 3-series is an easy simile for where we could go, but it’s not the only gig in town [ . . . ] All the cars are good in that segment. All have the blend of performance and efficiency, as well as very sophisticated equipment [ . . . ] It took Audi 20 years to build up to where it is. For us to come in and go to the top of the league is impossible, so we have to find ways of expanding our business profitably and we’re well developed in that process. We are undergoing creative analysis of competitors and consumers.

Hallmark also said that there is a possibility of this new model morphing into an entire range of body styles (coupe, cabriolet, estate and, why not, a raised crossover-like variant as well). “Even though the SUV market is growing, the saloon market is still twice the size, especially in the US [ . . . ] A crossover would make more noise for us than a saloon, but we already have SUVs in the company and we’re not in a rush to add to that. You might not make as much profit on a saloon as an SUV, but you don’t expect the likes of Audi to stop making the A4,” said Hallmark.
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