Jaguar XE unveiled in London

The XE's chassis is made of pressed aluminium sheets and castings joined with rivets and aerospace adhesives. The XE will get the new 'Ingenium' range of 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine touted to be the most advanced engines the company has ever made. It is described as "a new family of premium, lightweight, low-friction, low-emission four-cylinder petrol and diesel units.”

Design boss Ian Callum says, the XE had to look like Jaguar’s other saloons, to help strengthen the visual identity of the brand. ”For me it had to look like a little brother to XF, as part of a family for which we are still building a presence in the world. People need to recognise it as part of this generation of Jaguars, which is not fully known yet, especially outside of the UK,” he said.

   

Despite the resemblance to its larger sibling, the XF, it gets visually different styling elements. The XE features a long bonnet, cabin set backwards and a coupe profile. They have tried to recreate the cabin like the XJ, but doesn’t look as rich. But, Jaguar has hinted at more assortments inside as an option.

The Jaguar XE will find its place under the XF sedan and will rival the German trio of BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and the Audi A4. The entry-level sedan from Jaguar is likely to be priced from £27,000 (Rs 26.3 lakh) onwards.

The XE will be launched in 2015 and we expect it to arrive in India the same year. The XE is touted by many as the make or break product for Jaguar, but by the looks of it, it seems like the British luxury carmaker has covered all the bases.