on March 4 2014 |
in Industry news, Latest news |
by Alastair Sloane |
with Comments Off
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Jaguar XS
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Jaguar XS profile
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Jaguar XS rear
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Jaguar XS
This is the car that Jaguar chief Ralf Speth last year said will be the “most efficient, advanced and refined premium sports saloon ever seen in the C/D segment”. It’s the new ‘baby’ of the Jaguar family, codenamed the X760 but almost certainly going to be called the XS when it goes into production next year. Spy pictures of camouflaged mules wearing an XF body have been around for some time, but these are the first showing what is expected to be the final XS production body. The family styling cues are obvious. There’s a low bonnet and a long wheelbase. There are XF-inspired lights and a stretched oval grille, like that found on prototypes of Jaguar’s upcoming SUV, the
C-X17. Jaguar design chief Ian Callum told reporters at the recent launch of the F-Type Coupe that the XS was not just a ‘shrunken’ XF. “It’s more than that,” he said. “You’ll see some similarities, we’ll be getting the face of the brand out there, but we haven’t taken the opportunity to radicalise the car in any way, so you’ll see the family resemblance.” The XS is based on the same aluminium platform that will underpin the C-X17, due in 2016. The lightweight platform will eventually be used as a base for most Jaguars. Under the bonnet of the XS will be the choice of 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol and diesel engines. Jaguar’s global brand chief Adrian Hallmark has already confirmed that they will include a mix of fuel-thrifty and go-faster units. A hybrid powertrain is also likely. Meanwhile, Jaguar is looking at developing a Targa variant of the F-Type coupe. Designer chief Callum says sketches of a Targa, with a retractable hard-top roof, had been drawn up. The obvious target would be the Porsche Targa. “We’re considering it, but
it’s not definite,” he said. He added: “The issue with the Targa is volume. If you think of Porsche, 10 per cent of its cars are Targa, 10 per cent of ours is less than theirs. You have to work out the business case but we have considered it, it’s not decided yet.”
Alastair Sloane has been a newspaper journalist for more than 40 years. He was the motoring editor of the New Zealand Herald for 16 years from 1996 until 2012. He owns a 1968 VW Beetle. Best days at the wheel include doing part of the Land Rover Camel Trophy route in Papua New Guinea, driving a Nissan Patrol over earthquake-hit roads in Guatemala, and a Ferrari Italia on Enzo’s old hill-climb road in Italy.
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