If you were waiting for Jaguar to release an estate body style for its smallest sedan, the XE, you might be disappointed to learn that the British company has no such plans.
Ian Callum, the brand’s design director, made the announcement, Autocar reports, admitting that the segment is “vicious”, when referring to the station wagon versions of the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class, and Audi A4.
“The Sportbrake market is fairly static. From a business point of view, an XE Sportbrake is not an easy car to make happen. And it would be very challenging pricing for an XE [model]”, Callum said. Still, it’s worth remembering that he had previously denied rumors about a Sportbrake version of the current XF, but the car eventually came to life after the arrival of new management.
With the XE Sportbrake dismissed, Jaguar is focusing on the booming SUV categories. They already launched the F-Pace, and its smaller sibling, the E-Pace, but it seems that a third vehicle will eventually join the family. Callum declined to comment on the recent rumors, saying only that if it was real, then it would get its own styling.
Jaguar won’t challenge the likes of the Mercedes-Benz CLA and Audi A3 Sedan just yet, but such a vehicle, which would slot beneath the XE, remains a possibility, in Callum’s own words.
Rendering courtesy of RMCarDesign