New baby Jaguar saloon to be shown this summer

The new small Jaguar saloon out testing in ill-fitting XF camouflage

Jaguar has made huge strides in the last few years and is now on the brink of being recognised, once again, as a major force. But so far Jaguar has been producing great cars in not the biggest-selling sectors, but that’s set to change with the new small Jaguar saloon (perhaps the Jaguar XS) which will be first shown this summer ahead of a 2015 launch.

The new baby Jaguar will be entering a very competitive market place, taking on cars like the BMW 3-Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4, so Jaguar are going to have to work hard to produce not only a credible car, but one that uses its ‘Britishness’ as its USP.

Built on Jaguar’s new rear-drive (and 4WD) iQA platform, the new Jaguar will take styling cues from the C-X17 SUV Concept – which itself takes cues from the new F-Type – with a front end inspired by the new F-Type, muscular haunches and a properly sporty profile.

Speaking to Just Auto at the Delhi Motor Show, Ian Callum said:

We certainly need a smaller saloon in the range to give the Jaguar brand greater visibility on the road and we can’t do that with a three-car range.

The launch in 2015 of the new small saloon from Jaguar will be followed by a number of spin-offs, including a crossover/SUV (previewed by the C-X17 Concept), a coupe and an estate.

Let’s hope Jaguar get their new baby saloon right. It seems highly likely they will; their touch has been very sure in recent years.

By Cars UK