Jaguar XE goes on display in Paris in critical day for JLR

JAGUAR gives its full European debut to the new mid-size XE today in what is expected to be a momentous day for the company.

A positive response to the new model, which is unveiled at the Paris Motor Show, will be critical following Jaguar’s massive £2bn investment in the new car, which is being manufactured at a new purpose-built bodyshop in Solihull and features engines produced at a new factory on the i54 site near Wolverhampton.

The rear-drive XE, produced to rival BMW’s market-leading 3 Series, is the only vehicle in its class to use an all-aluminium body. The extremely robust yet lightweight structure is set to provide excellent driving dynamics and due to its weight, deliver a very efficient fuel performance.

Jaguar has wasted no time in identifying its target market and last night hosted a reception at the British Embassy in Paris for 120 European fleet managers. If the company can convince them to switch their allegiance to the Jaguar then the product will be off to a flying start.

The aluminium construction techniques, borrowed from Land Rover, have enabled the firm to produce a car with good fuel consumption and emissions figures. The new Ingenium diesel engines are capable of achieving 75mpg with an emissions figure of 99g/km CO2; this will prove significant to the fleet market because of the lower taxes.

However, the company has not abandoned its sporting heritage and the top of the range S model will be powered by the same supercharged 3.0-litre V6 petrol engine from the acclaimed Jaguar F-Type sports car.

 “The XE’s driving behaviour fully matches the promise of its seductive looks, and the emotional appeal is supported by state of-the-art approaches to efficiency, from aerodynamics to the advanced Ingenium engine family,” said
Kevin Stride, Vehicle Line Director, Jaguar XE.

The XE, which now completes the Jaguar saloon car range, sits below the XF and XJ model lines. It will come in five trim levels: SE, Prestige, Portfolio, R-Sport and the high performance S.

Prices start at £29,775 OTR to £44,870 OTR for the 3.0 litre S.

The new Discovery SportJLR is also using the show to give its European debut to the new Land Rover Discovery Sport, which was unveiled in the UK last month.

The new Discovery Sport, which fits between the Land Rover and Range Rover brands, will be built at JLR’s Halewood plant on Merseyside, where the company has created 250 new jobs to enable the production programme to go ahead.

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