Jaguar XE likely to be launched in India in 2016; High probability of local assembly

Jaguar is likely to launch the XE for the Indian market in 2016 and will almost certainly bring it here via the CKD route. The new mid-level luxury sedan from the British automaker was unveiled earlier this year and went on sale just a short while ago in various European markets. 

The XE represents JLRs entry into   the mid-level luxury sedan segment which has cars like the 3 Series, Audi A4 and the Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Just a little over two years ago, these cars represented the entry- level luxury segment but have now moved up a notch thanks to smaller models being introduced by their parent companies. However, for Jaguar this is the entry-level car and is likely to be so for a while.  

A report from Live Mint suggests that the company is exploring options to locally assemble other models at its facility outside Pune. This means when JLR was formulating plans for the XE, it had included India on the list as a destination for local assembly. 

Generally Jaguar’s products have always had a bit of exclusivity resulting in smaller numbers due to the higher price point. The XE will be a step in a different direction for the Leaping Cat as they will have to price it more competitively and this is something the local assembly will help achieve thanks to its reduced duty structure when compared to the duty on CBUs. It is likely to be priced in the range of Rs 30 lakh to Rs 45 lakh. 

Just to recap, the XE was unveiled in September and is the new entry-level model from Jaguar. It looks like a smaller version of the XF. It is being offered with a new set of  four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines. Dubbed the Ingenium family of engines these mills will be joined by the 3.0-litre V6 (from the F-Type) for the XE-S. 

Jaguar XE upcoming car

Source:LiveMint