[Auto] A compact to come to Jaguar?

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Jaguar is currently thinking about developing a compact competing with the Audi A3 Sportback and other Mercedes Class A.

 

Aujourd’hui, lorsque l’on jette un coup d’œil au marché automobile et notamment aux nouveautés, il semblerait que seuls les SUV ont à l’heure actuelle les faveurs du public et des constructeurs. Et pour cause, il est désormais difficile de citer une marque n’en possédant pas un seul, alors que même les firmes ultra haut de gamme telles que Bentley et Lamborghini s’y sont mis. Jaguar ne fait évidemment pas exception, avec sa gamme désormais bien étoffée, composée des I-Pace, E-Pace et F-Pace. Mais le constructeur britannique ne souhaite pas se lancer dans le tout-SUV, et voit dans une autre catégorie de modèles son salut : les compactes. Une silhouette qui manque pourtant cruellement dans le catalogue de la marque, qui ne possède tout simplement pas un seul véhicule situé sous la barre des 4,6 mètres de long. Mais cela pourrait rapidement changer, comme l’affirment nos confrères d’Autocar.

 

The British publication was able to meet with Julian Thomson, the brand's new design director, who made some rather interesting statements about the future of the Jaguar range. The designer has indeed told our colleagues that the manufacturer is currently considering launching a new vehicle that will significantly increase sales. A compact model could then play this role perfectly, especially when we see the success of the Audi A3 and other Mercedes A-Class today. In addition, and contrary to what some might believe while SUVs are flooding the market, this segment is one of the most buoyant today, with more than 800,000 sales recorded in Europe last year. Suffice to say that it would be a shame to deprive yourself of such an opportunity, when finances are not necessarily in good shape due in particular to the Coronavirus crisis.

 

Over 400,000 sales per year
If nothing has been confirmed yet, Julian Thomson for his part seems to be enthusiastic about the idea of designing a compact "I would love to make smaller cars. Our values are ideal for owners who want more efficient cars but who love design quality, luxury and cars that are fun to drive. ” However, he says, "This is a difficult sector. You need large volumes, which means large factories and a large organization to sell them. But this is certainly where I would like us to be. " The British brand could then draw its inspiration from the Jaguar R-D6 concept presented 17 years ago, however brought up to date with a style borrowed from the current range.

The potential future compact could then be based on a common platform with the next generations of Jaguar E-Pace and other Land Rover Discovery Sport and Evoque. The arrival of this new model could record more than 400,000 sales for these four models in just one year. Furthermore, it is rumored that the mysterious compact could rest on the UKL platform of the BMW 1 Series and 2 Series Gran Coupé. So far, no launch date has been announced yet, while management has not yet given the green light.