British luxury carmaker Jaguar has launched its latest flagship car, the new XE sedan, which they claim as the company's cheapest car model made to date. The new car, set to hit the roads in the coming Spring season, is Britain's challenger to Audi A4, Lexus IS, Mercedes-Benz C-Class and BMW 3-Series.
On the day of the big reveal, the new 2016 Jaguar XE was carried by a helicopter into the capital before it was finally whisked by a speedboat and was cruised along the Thames. The journey ended at Earl's Court in London where the car is featured in a multi-million dollar musical extravaganza that lasted more than an hour. The musical performances were provided by top singing artists such as the Kaiser Chiefs and Emeli Sandé. Fashion designer Stella McCartney is one of the invited VIP guests.
"The Jaguar XE is a vehicle at the very heart of the UK's manufacturing renaissance. It combines pre-eminent British design with British engineering in a special car for customers around the world," said Ralf Speth, JLR CEO.
The 2016 Jaguar XE is the company's top-end S model that comes with a 340 horsepower, supercharged V-6 engine, automatic transmission of eight speeds and rear wheel drive. Its capacity to run at 60-mph within 4.9 seconds makes it one of the quickest cars in its segment.
Jaguar has invested £2 billion to make the new XE sedan a reality. There were also two new factories built in the UK. The one located at Wolverhampton took care of the engines while the other that is located at Solihull handled the manufacturing of the vehicles. The factories somehow provided 2,300 new jobs.
The new XE car had been designed to attract women drivers who the company describes as a group that plays a major role in choosing cars for families and couples.
"We think the customers are likely to be younger, earlier in their life stage, they are more likely to have children..they are more likely to be female," said Nick Miller, chief program engineer of the XE series.
The new compact XE sports saloon is set to hit the U.S. market later within the year while the European market is targeted in the early part of 2015. Eventually, the car will be landing in India and other emerging markets.
"The XE comes with a very exciting driving experience and is intended for the global market. We hope to deliver in China, India and other emerging after its U.S. launch later next year," said Speth.
Pricing details are yet to be announced. If the new Jaguar XE car targets the compact luxury sport sedan market, the retail price could fall somewhere between $35,000 and $55,000.
