As a child who played with cars as opposed to dolls, and being lucky enough to live in a country full of avid automobile lovers, you can imagine the special interest and excitement over attending the new Jaguar XE Launch at the Four Seasons in Dubai.
From the moment you entered the ballroom (where the XE was well hidden from prying eyes) you could feel the energy.
Big screens were used to display Jaguar’s motto for this car, “Rule the Roads,” with a DJ playing her beats in the background amidst all the voices muttering in anticipation. People from all walks of life couldn’t wait for the show to start just to get a glimpse of this new car and, if they were patient enough, a chance to sit in the driver’s seat.
And when the show did begin, Jaguar made it memorable. Following speeches from the CEO of Al Tayer Motors and other representatives from Jaguar, the unveiling of the car hit all the right notes with a Cirque de Soleil-style performance.
Going up against three of the largest automobile manufacturers (BMW, Audi and Mercedes) in the sports salon category, Jaguar appears to have taken all the necessary steps to ensure its XE would be built to compete with and possibly exceed the best.
In the 80th of year of its history, Jaguar wants to reach global sales in excess of 200,000 units, globally per annum. Tata, the group behind the $2.3 billion purchase of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has overseen this revitalization of the automobile industry in Great Britain.
JLR has since put up in excess of $3 billion into development of the new platform on which new models in the product lineup will be based. With Ian Callum on board taking care of design (Aston Martin), JLR’s BMW expertise in the form of CEO Ralf Speth and the three Wolfgang’s (Epple – R&D, Ziebart – Engineering, Stadler – Manufacturing), all appears to bode well moving forward.
Significant investments to production include the new state-of-the-art 100,000 square meter factory in Wolverhampton, England and upgrades to Sollihul.
The XE is a completely new design from the ground up. The chassis, aluminum material construction and powertrain options are all controlled by Jaguar in-house. The top spec of the XE carries the same engine as the F-Type. Naturally, plenty of engine, color and trim options are available.
One of the most intriguing aspects of the production version, which many of us are waiting to test, is the effect of aluminum (almost 75%) used in the construction of the frame to reduce weight and increase torsional rigidity – a feature not offered by any other manufacturer.
To enhance and reflect characteristics synonymous with the driving experience of a sports sedan, while the design is striking, it seems that what you don’t see is where Jaguar has invested most.
When you’re going up against the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4 and the Mercedes C Class, there’s a lot at stake, seeing that all three of those cars built the reputation and represent the largest volume of cars sold for those manufacturers.
The architecture used to build this car is completely different. Everything seems to revolve around the philosophy of driving dynamics (or the way the car handles), which is meant to give you that sports-car feeling in a practical, family sedan.
The Jaguar XE is an important milestone; attempting to beat the Bavarians at their own game and specifically in this class of car is bold.
To put into perspective the seriousness of Jaguar’s intentions, remember the 3 series of the 90s or the Audi A4 when it launched? Well, this could be a platform to build the Jaguar brand into a powerhouse.
Consider it a premium, entry-level sedan. Jaguar has made it so that not always, but just sometimes in life, you get to have your cake and eat it, too! No more guilt of having a two-door car that performs versus a boring, family sedan that everyone has. Ladies and gentlemen, there is a new four-door game in town and we know which one you want to play with.
With the highest specification being the XE-S (or “SEX” in reverse), they chose their letters perfectly. As of right now, it is one of the sexiest cars in the lineup and class, right down to the spare tire!
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