Practical. Pragmatic. Designed for families.
These are the somewhat puzzling but deliberate words used by Jaguar before the storied British auto maker tossed off the gloves – or more aptly, the silks – and declared its intentions to fight for new territory in North America's cutthroat luxury automotive sector.
The company's shiny new tools of battle were both unveiled for the first time outside of Europe at the mammoth Los Angeles Auto Show. They are two debut vehicles: the XE, a compact sports sedan, and the F-Pace, a much-anticipated crossover SUV. Both are designed to appeal to sought-after entry-level luxury buyers who span a broad demographic with one trait in common: most of whom have never found Jaguar's high-end offerings accessible.
The new additions swell the company's lineup to five models and signify the beginning of what will ultimately amount to a brand revolution. Jaguar is becoming "a grown-up car family," said director of design Ian Callum. By expanding its offering, Jaguar has launched a pursuit of a new generation of drivers that company executives hope will generate a three-fold increase in its North American business.
"In North America, it's vital that we build up a critical mass and that we build momentum from that," said Finbar McFall, global product marketing director for Jaguar Land Rover. "This idea that we're creating a family – as we offer more cars for more people, the awareness will just naturally start to build."
The goal is to set a solid foundation for growth that will allow the 80-year-old company to roar out of a long period of shakiness that still dogs it. "A lot of people around the world still don't know entirely what a Jaguar is," McCallum said. "The idea of what Jaguar was 10 years ago was something completely different."
Indeed, a decade ago JLR was struggling to survive inside the flagging Ford Motor Corp., which nearly bore out Jaguar's expiration by producing vehicles that were expensive, underwhelming and plagued with quality issues, severely denting Jaguar's cache and casting widespread doubt on its ability to endure. JLR's white knight arrived in 2008 in the form of Indian conglomerate Tata, which has since spent billions to fuel the company's redirection and expansion. Tata has also infused Jaguar with a bit of German auto sales and development wizardry, installing CEO Ralf Speth who, by his own turn, brought in some BMW experts to help map out the auto maker's revival.
The result is an expanded lineup of cars that have clearly been designed to give the German auto makers a run for their money. With somewhere between 50 and 75 new products in development, Jaguar's first attempt at biting into the competition's stranglehold on the entry-level luxury market will be to simply put more cats on the road.
The XE, which arrives in Canadian dealerships this spring in regular and diesel all-wheel-drive versions, is aimed squarely at quintessential BMW 3-series devotees. Available to Canadians in two powertrains – a 340-horsepower supercharged 3.0-litre V-6 and a 180-horsepower 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel – the sedan features the increasingly familiar, toothy Jaguar grille and slanted headlamps with just enough meanness to create intrigue. Its interior is elegant and sporty with subtle references to Jaguar's popular F-Type sports car – and a notable absence of stuffy wood trim. The car is compatible with Android, Apple and Apple Watch products, a laundry list of advanced driver assistance technologies and optional versions of Jaguar's proprietary infotainment system, InControl Touch.
It's the price tag, though, that will turn heads: ultra-competitive pricing is a key pillar of the company's strategy to take on the competition. "We very much have shifted our overall strategy from a pricing perspective … that really stretches our price points further than before," said Rob Filipovic, general manager of product planning for JLR North America.
In Canada, XE pricing will start at $45,000 for the diesel engine and $48,500 for the V-6 gas models.
The same approach to strategic pricing will be deployed to incentivize uptake of the F-Pace, which holds title to the most market research ever done by the company. The five-seat crossover will be available in a 3.0-litre V-6 with either 340- or 380-horsepower; in late 2016 a 180-horsepower, four-cylinder diesel engine will roll out. Pricing for the diesel version will start at $49,900; gas models will start at $53,900 and $66,400 respectively.
Unveiled for the first time globally last fall in Frankfurt, Germany, the crossover bears much similarity to the C-X17 concept that inspired its inception. With distinctive haunches and the trademark Jaguar front end, the F-Pace has room for five passengers and more rear stowage space than BMW's X5. Callum likes to refer to the crossover as "the most practical Jaguar sports car."
"I wanted a Jaguar with the dimensions of an SUV. I didn't want an SUV that looks like a Jaguar," he said.
On the practical side, the F-Pace is stuffed with family-friendly attributes, including eight-port WiFi capability and Jaguar's Activity Key, a waterproof, shock-proof wristband that allows users to lock unlock the F-Pace without a need to carry key fobs. It, like the XE and the rest of the lineup, also qualifies for Elitecare, a new ownership package that offers a five-year limited warranty and complimentary scheduled maintenance, among other features, offered as bait to lure newbies looking for value.
"We're still in a state where consumers need additional confidence in their purchase decisions," Filipovic said. "We really think this puts the brand in a new generation … and gives us an opportunity to grow substantially in the next several years."
The writer was a guest of the auto maker. Content was not subject to approval.
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Jessica Leeder