Although Jaguar’s line-up is rapidly expanding – with the addition of the F-Pace and the “entry level” XE, the British firm has absolutely no plans to create a more compact sedan or hatchback for the time being.
But that was to be expected, and we think Jaguar purists are actually happy about this turnout. Apparently, there were some rumors about the a so called XD model, especially as Jag toyed around with the idea of a C-segment car in concept form, 13 years ago (with the R-D6 model).
Nevertheless, in an interview with The Motor Report, Jaguar Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner confirmed that there are no plans to introduce a compact car. Well, not before 2020, at least:
“Definitely not in this product cycle. If you look forward and say ‘where are the next holes in the range’, there’s certainly potential there: look at Audi with A3, Mercedes with A-Class and BMW with 1 Series. That trend toward small cars in premium brands is very strong and premium brands are doing well in that space.
“[Regarding smaller cars] there are some ideas that we’d like to see, and by no means what we see over this current product cycle to the end of this decade means we won’t explore those ideas. “There are a number of things that we’d love to see in the next cycle that will fill a few of those gaps.”
It would be hard to imagine the idea of a C-segment Jaguar, especially as the car would definitely have to conform to the car maker’s standards. Besides, even if the s iQ[Al] platform could be scaled down (theoretically) to accommodate such a body, the end result could have an interior-packaging problem. Of course, there’s always the possibility of adopting a transverse-engine platform for another manufacturer, but is that what Jaguar is really about?
“Can a FWD platform live up to that ethos? I don’t know; is it right for Jaguar? That’s a very good question and that’s a decision for the guys in the UK to make”, Wiesner concluded.
Thanks to Theophiluschin for the Jaguar XD render
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