Having caught Jaguar engineers driving around a test mule for a premium compact sports sedan, we knew it was only a matter of time before the British brand would make an official announcement in regards to its second effort to compete against the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and a number of other similar proposals from Japanese and American carmakers, after the unfortunate the X-Type (2001–2009).
In its press statement on the Frankfurt Motor Show-bound C-X17 Sports Crossover Concept that debuts the brand’s new lightweight and modular platform architecture named iQ[Al], Jaguar not only revealed that it’s working on a new ‘baby’ sports sedan, but also confirmed the launch dates.
“This advanced lightweight architecture will form the basis for a new range of future Jaguars; the first product will be a mid-size premium C/D segment sedan launching beginning in 2015, and in North America in 2016,” stated Jaguar.
“The first aluminum unibody product in its segment, the new sedan will be produced at an all-new, ultra high-tech production facility in Solihull, creating new jobs and substantial opportunities for the supplier base,” the company added.
While Jaguar wouldn’t say which other cars will be based on the same architecture, a coupe, a cabriolet, an estate and possibly even the crossover concept making its debut in Frankfurt, are strong candidates, depending, of course, on how well or not the sedan is received.
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