Jaguar keen on a marque first premium hatch

Its line-up consisting largely out of sedans and coupes, Jaguar is reportedly considering replacing both the XE and XF with an upmarket hatch..

Having suffered substantial losses due to the Coronavirus, Britain’s Autocar reports that the hatch is being mulled along with a solitary sedan powered by either a mild-hybrid or plug-in hybrid drivetrain that will replace the mentioned sedans currently serving as the brand’s ‘entry-level’ models.

In an interview with the publication though, Design boss Julian Thomson hinted that the former could take preference as a means of taking on offerings from Germany. Accordingly, it will have an overall length of around 4.5 mm and feature an elegant look with inspiration from the diesel-powered RD-6 Concept that bowed in Frankfurt 17 years ago.

“I’d love to do some smaller cars and it feels as though the time is right. Jaguar needs a global product that could appeal to younger buyers, and more females as well. Our values are ideal for owners who want more efficient cars but still like design quality, luxury and cars that are nice to drive. But it’s a tough sector. You need big numbers, which means big factories and a big organisation to sell them. But that’s definitely where I would like us to be,” Thomson said.

The publication however states that while the hatch would lead to Jaguar obtaining a fair chunk of the reported 800 000 hatches sold yearly in Europe, a suitable platform rates as the biggest stumbling block as the marque’s own MLA is unlikely to be adapted for smaller less expensive models.

Given its partnership with BMW, and in accordance with reports last year, Munich’s FAAR used by the 1 Series could present Coventry with the ideal solution, which will reduce costs going forward. As it stands, no further details were revealed, but don’t be surprised if more emerges in the coming months.

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