Jaguar’s design director has revealed new details about several upcoming models including the facelifted XE and XF as well as the redesigned XJ.
Speaking to Road and Track, Ian Callum said the next-generation XJ has to be “beautiful, sporty, [and] sleek.” He went on to say car won’t be a traditional three-box sedan and “It’s something people wanna get into and drive.“
While XJ sales have trickled off as the current model has gotten older, Callum noted the most successful XJ was the XJ40 which was introduced in 1986. He said a lot of its success was due to the fact that the car was smaller than its competitors and this made the model appeal to female buyers in the United States. While the smaller size might have been an asset back then, it’s unlikely that the next-generation XJ will shrink significantly.
Besides the all-new XJ, Jaguar is working on updated versions of the XE and XF. Spy photographers have already snapped heavily camouflaged prototypes of the XE, but the images haven’t revealed any major changes. There’s likely a good reason for this as Callum suggested the biggest updates are happening in the cabin. As he explained, “We really sorted the interior out” and the new one is “really good.” Callum went on to say that he believes the current interior was one of the biggest weaknesses of the XE.
While there have been a lot of rumors about the next-generation F-Type, including some suggesting the car will become a mid-engine hybrid to battle the Audi R8 and McLaren 570S, Callum shot them down. As he explained, “This is not necessarily the plan. There’s not a plan, to be honest with you.”
While he acknowledged there has been a lot of debate about the next-generation F-Type, he personally wants it be a “mid-engine-style electric car.” However, the designer said Jaguar hasn’t committed to the idea.
That being said, the company is apparently working on multiple different proposals for the F-Type. Callum didn’t go into detail, but said the F-Type successor, as well as other future models, will have a fantastic interior which is “quite a bit different” than the ones we’re used to today.
