Jaguar XE caught testing in a production body

The Jaguar XE has been spotted testing in a production body for the first time. Spied undergoing cold weather testing on a frozen lake in northern Sweden, the car will be an entry level sports sedan. Jaguar gave us a glimpse of the car at the Geneva Motor Show, last week, where it had released the first image of the car and sales are expected to commence from mid-2015.

The Jaguar XE will be based on a new platform, which was first showcased in the C-X17 SUV Concept, and will be the first car in the segment to use an aluminium monocoque. The XE will follow design language found throughout Jaguar’s new product lineup with short front and rear overhangs. The image released by Jaguar shows the front fascia sporting headlamps with daytime LED in a ‘J’ arrangement. The spy pictures show a similarity in the overall design with the XJ and XF, but the XE will have its own defining characteristics.

Codenamed X760, the car will be available in rear-wheel-drive as well as four-wheel-drive configurations, powered by a new family of diesel and petrol engines called Ingenium. The engines will range from an eco-friendly hybrid unit to a high performance turbocharged one, which will be able to propel the car to speeds of upto 300kmph.

A spiritual successor to the Jaguar X-Type, the XE will go up against other entry-level luxury sedans like the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series and the Audi A4. With backing from Tata, both Jaguar and Land Rover have been adopting an aggressive strategy with their new products. With the XE, Jaguar is venturing into the lucrative entry-level luxury segment, but with the risk of losing out to the well established Germans. The car is expected to make its debut at the 2014 Frankfurt Motor Show and till then, we will have to wait and watch how this step turns out for Jaguar. 

Source: Drive