Ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show in Germany, British luxury automobile manufacturer Jaguar has unveiled the F-Pace, a crossover that is the company's first-ever SUV offering.
Long known for sleek sedans and race cars, Jaguar's launch of the F-Pace SUV will now have the company join the passenger car segment that has recently seen the fastest growth.
It is surprising, however, to see Jaguar unveil an SUV, given that sister brand Land Rover exclusively releases SUVs. Both were acquired by India-based Tata Motors back in 2008, but the two companies have had opposite fortunes. While the sales of Land Rover have been growing in the United States, the sales of Jaguar have been languishing.
With Jaguar's F-Pace, almost all the luxury car manufacturers now have SUV offerings. Even ultra-luxury car companies such as Lamborghini, Rolls Royce and Bentley have revealed plans to release SUVs, with Bentley also unveiling its Bentayga SUV at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
The mid-size F-Pace, which will carry a price tag of about $48,000, is a part of Jaguar's strategy to broaden its lineup, which started with the release of the mid-range XE sedan that is now the company's cheapest offering and described as a competitor to the 3-Series of BMW.
According to HIS Automotive, an automobile market forecaster, if the consumer demand for SUVs would continue, the F-Pace could turn out to become the best-selling model of Jaguar, with expected peak sales of 44,914 units in 2017. While this is a fraction of the expected sales of the Audi Q5 of 267,784 units, the expected sales would be very significant for struggling Jaguar.
"One of the things Jaguar has struggled with recently is appealing to a younger audience," said IHS analyst Ian Fletcher, adding that due to Jaguar's focus on sedans and sports cars, family buyers have ruled out the brand in their vehicle purchase decisions.
The F-Pace, in comparison to Land Rover SUVs, will be more like cars, with certain design components being borrowed from the F-type sports car of Jaguar. The F-Pace's suspensions and steering were tuned to provide drivers with on-road driving control and feel, but the SUV is also capable of off-road driving.
Jaguar's SUV also features several new technologies such as automatic emergency braking and a recognition system for traffic signs.
Jaguar will launch the F-Pace into the United States market with the choice of a 380hp or 340hp supercharged V6 engine, or a 180hp 4-cylinder diesel engine. All the SUVs models will feature an eight-speed automatic transmission and a full-time all-wheel drive system.
