2013 Jaguar XE Concept

Discussion in the Australian Jaguar forums.

Jaguar XE (2013): the big cat that’s aimed at Porsche

By Tim Pollard (artist’s impression by Motor Forecast/R.Varicak)

Jaguar is working up a new coupé and roadster pair tentatively badged XE – to tackle the Porsche Cayman/Boxster duopoly in the premium sports car market. The new Jag XE is revealed in full in the latest September 2009 issue of CAR Magazine, but we’ve held one artist’s impression back to show online.

The two-seater is part of an ambitious strategy to turn Jaguar into the British Porsche (minus the VW family political spats that seem increasingly to distract from Stuttgart’s mostly sensational road cars). The XE is part of an outline product plan that stretches to 2015, and CAR magazine lays bare the key cars in the new issue. If successful, Jaguar could soon be making more than 100,000 cars a year as a profitable independent under Tata Motors’ wing.

Jaguar XE: here in 2013, you say?

That’s the plan. This is a progressive sports car, designed to slot beneath the XK coupé and convertible pair starting at £60k. Think a starting price pitched around £40-50,000 in today’s money, and you won’t be too wide of the mark, slotting in neatly between the Boxster/Cayman and 911.

The XE is made possible by sharing a new lightweight alloy architecture that would – in the long term – form the basis for the replacement XK, XF and XJ models. It’ll be a common aluminium matrix, housing the engine up front and driving the rear wheels. Incidentally, that spells the end of front-drive, Ford-derived Jaguars, ushered in through the back door in the shape of the X-type.

What’s under the bonnet of the Jag XE?

Jaguar’s current plan is to use exclusively V6 power, turning out 275bhp in naturally aspirated form and around 350bhp with a supercharger fitted to crank up the fun factor.

First up is the Jag XE roadster, perhaps as early as 2013 if the scheme passes the bean counter test. Coupé (pictured) and R versions would follow within two years. CAR understands that the design direction is very progressive, in line with the latest 2010 XJ and XF, sporting crisp, modern surfacing and a long nose for styling panache and a mid-front mounted layout.