Jaguar Oz sharpens XE claws

Jaguar's all-new XE will become available in Australia on September 1 carrying an expected price tag of around $60,000 and comprising four engines and four trim levels, motoring.com.au can reveal.

Having invested around $4 billion into the project, there's a lot riding on Britain's first mid-size prestige sedan since the unloved X-Type.

As we discovered during our first drive at the international launch in Spain yesterday, however, Aussie customers will have access to a number of advanced technologies, including the ability to toggle the door locks and even start the engine remotely from their smart phone.

Jaguar confirmed that four variants will be offered in Australia, with Europe's entry-level model — dubbed the Pure — culled from the list and that pricing will be competitive with key rivals including the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, BMW 3 Series and Audi A4.

Australians will likely pay around $60,000 for the entry-level Prestige variant, with mid-grade Portfolio and R-Sport models expected to be pegged at around $70,000, and the range-topping XE S supercharged V6 likely to cost around $90,000.

"We're currently working on pricing and spec," said Jaguar Australia communications manager Tim Krieger. "We've got a clear idea of where we want to get to, however, we're not yet ready to share that as yet.

"Suffice to say it will be an extremely competitive offering; we're well aware of the competitive offering in the marketplace.

"Mercedes, BMW and Audi have strong offerings in the market place and we're well aware of what we need to do," he said, adding that pricing details will surface closer to the local launch in August.

Despite the lack of clarity on pricing and specification, local Jaguar dealers have already taken cash pre-orders for the car, such is the demand for the new C-Class competitor.

"We've got a substantial amount of customers expressing interest and we've got around 100 pre-orders," said Krieger.

Australian sales of cars like the 3 Series and in particular the C-Class have helped push the premium mid-size segment to new highs in recent months, thanks in part to their unprecedented value, but Kreiger said the XE will bring unique selling points.

"The heartening thing for us is we're bringing a model to the marketplace in a growing segment, a segment that certainly has some competitive offerings, but we think we bring something slightly different to the marketplace -- a British vehicle, a true driver's car, a sports saloon."

"We feel this will be a very attractive proposition for customers."

Kreiger said the XE will be Jaguar Australia's top-selling model by this time next year, which is not surprising since the British brand sold less than 250 cars in the first quarter of this year, with the larger XF sedan topping the list at 186 sales.

The new XF will join the XE early next year, with the all-new F-PACE – Jaguar's first 'crossover' SUV – to follow by mid-2016.

"By the end of quarter one 2016, XE will be our best-seller," he said. "It adds a completely new dimension to the Jaguar product offering. It's incredibly exciting for us to bring a car to market."

Krieger noted that the brand's most affordable model will bring new customers into the fold, but he admitted that a small proportion of sales will go to customers who might otherwise have bought another Jaguar.

"It's a totally new vehicle and we're talking to a range of consumers that we haven't spoken to for a long time," he said.

"It'll be 90 per cent conquest sales for us. It's massive. We're providing an alternative in this segment — it's something the Germans don't offer."

Four engine types will be offered, including a brand-new Ingenium turbo-diesel 2.0-litre unit pumping out 132kW/430Nm. It uses just 4.2L/100km, making it one of the most efficient cars in its class.

Two Ford-sourced turbo-petrol 2.0-litre engines will be offered, worth 147kW/280Nm and 177kW/340Nm respectively, with the latter expected to be the top-seller.

The top shelf XE S variant will get the hard-charging 3.0-litre blown V6 from the F-TYPE, pumping out 250kW/450Nm and making it capable of hitting 100km/h from rest in 5.1 seconds.

"We want to hit the ground running with all engines and we feel the 177kW petrol engine will have the strongest appeal," observed Krieger, who added that Jaguar Australia is expanding not only its product portfolio, but its national retail coverage too.

"Our segment share with XF has been one of the highest around the globe. We're appointing new dealers, we've got XE in September then F-PACE early next year. It's an exciting time ahead for Jaguar."

Read first drive review of new Jaguar XE