In what could be termed as a possibility for the iconic British marquee Jaguar, two of its slow-selling sedans XE and XF might make way for a new hatchback. The company’s is deliberating on the decision to launch a compact hatchback that will take on the likes of Mercedes A-Class, BMW 1 Series, and Audi A3. According to the news doing the rounds, discussions are on within the organization although nothing has been finalized yet.
The discussion related to the possibility of doing a new hatchback by Jaguar is two-pronged. While one aspect is related to the technicalities of conceptualizing such a car, the other is related to the commercial viability of the idea. Jaguar could possibly come up with an all-new platform to spawn the hatchback but that is a costly affair. Given the financial condition the company is currently in, it may not sound a very feasible option that will be pursued by the organization. Rather a more feasible alternative available for carmaker includes using its new MLA platform which is quite flexible and capable of spawning a new hatchback. Jaguar could also source the underpinnings of the new hatch from the UKL architecture of BMW as both organizations are closely cooperating on a number of different projects.
The decision to enter into the hatchback segment is also discussed from the commercial angle. While hatchbacks are quite popular in Europe, they don’t evoke similar excitement in the US. Therefore, achieving sales in one continent on the altar of another might not be a very good idea to go ahead with. If Jaguar decides to conceptualize a small hatchback then for the US market it has to adopt a different strategy such as selling hatchback in the three-box sedan version.
Another possible strategy that Jaguar could go ahead with is to replace the XE and XF sedans with an all-new compact sedan which will be promoted as an eco-friendly car. The new sedan would be sold as a plug-in hybrid version which makes quite a business sense for the US market but then Europeans might not like the idea as much. This is the quandary the British carmaker is finding itself in and only an official announcement in this regard will clear the air about the exact nature of the developmental path the company will take in the future.
Big question is that this car could be, according to us, could be front wheel drive and use the BMW/Mini platform, which hasn’t been discussed yet, but JLR is planning to take engines from BMW already, remember?. We know think this is going in the right direction isn’t it? All over to you Jaguar!
 To Be Built - Could be FWD){kind=link}