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Cat Scratch Fever: Jaguar's turnaround looks toward the US

It is ironic that a British car company, steeped in the European sports-car tradition and now owned by an Indian industrial conglomerate, will ambitiously be seeking to attract customers in the United States with, of all things, a truck. But there it is: Jaguar's beefy F-Pace crossover, the first SUV in the company's 80-year history, hit the ground last month at the Frankfurt motor show. The F-Pace – along with the new XE sedan designed to take on the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 both in Europe and on these shores – is spearheading the brand's hoped-for turnaround on this side of the Pond. In the States, Jaguar is still a big player for Tata Motors of India, which bought Jaguar Land Rover from Ford for $2.3 billion after months of back-and-forth negotiations in 2008. It seemed like an incredibly brassy move at the time, when the economy worldwide was reeling and Britain's automotive industry was on its heels. And while the Jaguar brand name has a grand historical resonance, in the first nine months of 2015 it moved just over 11,000 cars in the US, down five percent for the same period the previous year. But if Porsche can capitalize on SUV sales, so can Jaguar. The tea leaves are promising come next spring, when both new premium luxury models arrive in the US. The F-Pace will have a starting price of about $43,000; the sedan range starts at a competitive $35,000. View 25 Photos Architecturally, both models are similar, with a modular aluminum chassis, and, for the F-Pace, a range of gasoline and diesel engines for Europe as well as rear- or all-wheel drive. For the American market, the model-year 2017 crossover will launch with a 380-horsepower gasoline V6 mated to an eight-speed transmission and all-wheel drive. Later in 2016, a 180-hp four-cylinder Ingenium diesel is expected to be added to the lineup. Both models are currently built in the UK, although if demand increases, Jaguar is likely to shift some production to Brazil, China, or Eastern Europe. I wanted a Jaguar that was designed as a crossover, not the other way round. For Jaguar design director Ian Callum, who showed up at the SUV's formal debut in Frankfurt, skepticism – did we mention that Jaguar was a sports-car company? – turned to enthusiasm as his team worked to develop some "drama" in the SUV's shape. "I wanted a Jaguar that was designed as a crossover, not the other way round," he said.

US-spec 2017 Jaguar XE sport sedan revealed

The Jaguar XE touched down in certain international markets earlier this year, but now the US gets its first crack at the 2017 model, already updated after just a few months on sale. Our various drives of the entry-level cat have made us purr, and the price/engine combos aren't bad either: $34,900 for the XE 25t and its 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gas engine with 240 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque, $36,400 for the XE 20d and its 2.0-liter diesel four-cylinder with 180 hp and 311 lb-ft, and $41,700 for the XE 35t and its 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with 340 hp and 332 lb-ft. All those prices are before the $995 destination charge. That Ingenium diesel will be the first oil-powered Jaguar on our shores, and will be one of the two models available with the company's torque-on-demand all-wheel drive, along with the 340-hp supercharged V6. Both AWD models are pure rear-wheel drive until power is required up front, at which time it can be shunted forward in 165 milliseconds. All trims get a ZF eight-speed automatic, but the supercharged 35t gets the sturdier 8HP70 transmission, while the rest get the more compact 8HP45 transmission. Cabin options will include an InControl Touch infotainment system with an eight-inch screen or an InControl Touch Pro system with a 10.2-inch screen and Apple Watch connectivity. Standard audio comes from a 380-watt system with 11 speakers, the upgrade runs to 825 watts and adds six more speakers. The sheet of standard and optional driver aids lists All-Surface Progress Control, a low-speed cruise control on top of adaptive cruise control, a laser heads-up display, Traffic Sign Recognition and an adaptive speed limiter that uses traffic sign information. The even newer XE gets here next spring, you can read more about it in the meantime in the press release below. 2017 JAGUAR XE DEBUTS IN LOS ANGELES WITH AWD AND APPLE WATCH CONNECTIVITY - Award-winning Jaguar XE sports sedan to arrive in U.S.

Jaguar hints at what might become of XK after F-Type's arrival

Jaguar may move the company's XK further upmarket following the introduction of its forthcoming F-Type. The newcomer to the range easily shoulders the burden of carrying the Jaguar sportscar mantle, freeing up the XK to evolve in another direction. While speaking with Autocar, Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum said there's an opportunity to grow the grand tourer both in size and luxury.
Whether that means the vehicle will retain its two-plus-two seating configuration or swell to offer buyers even more space remains to be seen. Either way, the future will likely see the XK soften its claws moving forward. And that's no bad thing. Jaguar has a long history of building luxurious grand tourers more content to soak up miles of highway than bounce from apex to apex.
What else is in store for the brand? Callum seems to have kept his cards close to his chest, refusing to acknowledge ongoing rumors of a Jaguar crossover beyond saying the brand "had to take notice" of the popularity of the luxury SUV market.