Rumormill: Jaguar XF Estate headed to Frankfurt

[Ian]

Rumormill: Jaguar XF Estate headed to Frankfurt

by Chris Paukert on Mar 16th, 2009 at 2:28PM



The Jaguar XF has gotten off to a strong sales start, and with a tempting new diesel engine option in Europe and a new "R" performance model, the sport sedan is being asked to carry a lot of water for the British brand. And if new rumors prove to be true, the XF will soon be able to tote a lot more of the wet stuff thanks to a new wagon variant.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Jaguar will unveil a thinly-disguised XF Estate concept car at September's Frankfurt Motor Show, with a 2011 production model following about six months later. AMuS also suggests that there will be an XFR estate model to take on BMW's M5 Touring and Audi's RS6, and like its sedan counterpart, it is expected to be V8-powered with some 510 supercharged horsepower. Naturally, more measured V8 and V6 models will also make the scene, along with a pair of V6 diesel models.

Other XF variants, including a possible coupe and convertible are reportedly on the table. Us? We're looking forward to clapping our eyes on the load-lugging cat, and hope that the XF's rumored quality problems don't dog what is sure to be a stylish family transporter.

SOURCE: Autoblog

[AndrewPorter]

The answer the question:

"What can replace the 75 Tourer?"

Fantastic news.

[MGROVERnut]

Good move by Jag if true. A coupe would also be nice and why not a convertable too? This car has hit gold for Jag and they need to milk it for all it's worth now. Expanding that car into a 4 model range could actually begin to put Jag back on the map.

Personally I think Jag must also look very seriously at a Range Rover based SUV. In places like China cars like the XF and XJ will struggle because drivers there want 4x4's to cope with poor roads. If Jag doesn't make an SUV then it will struggle to get it's other models in. BMW by contrast will capture new buyers who may move to passanger cars as and when China's roads get better.

A 4x4 is a priority now for Jag. Aston Martin and Porsche are both aware of this factor and Jag not having a 4x4 limits where they can develop their brand.

[Steed]

Originally Posted by MGROVERnut

A 4x4 is a priority now for Jag. Aston Martin and Porsche are both aware of this factor and Jag not having a 4x4 limits where they can develop their brand.

You've got to be kidding?! The company is "Jaguar LANDROVER", surely the Land Rover part of the company covers the 4x4 market ably enough?! Why steal sales from your own company?! Besides, 4x4's are a fashion fad and sales are highly likely to collapse. Leave that market to Land Rover, and concentrate on making beautiful sporty cars I say...!

[tanvir]

Originally Posted by Steed

You've got to be kidding?! The company is "Jaguar LANDROVER", surely the Land Rover part of the company covers the 4x4 market ably enough?! Why steal sales from your own company?! Besides, 4x4's are a fashion fad and sales are highly likely to collapse. Leave that market to Land Rover, and concentrate on making beautiful sporty cars I say...!

I agree. They are two distinct brands, don't blur them together

[AndrewPorter]

Originally Posted by MGROVERnut

Good move by Jag if true. A coupe would also be nice and why not a convertable too? This car has hit gold for Jag and they need to milk it for all it's worth now. Expanding that car into a 4 model range could actually begin to put Jag back on the map.

Personally I think Jag must also look very seriously at a Range Rover based SUV. In places like China cars like the XF and XJ will struggle because drivers there want 4x4's to cope with poor roads. If Jag doesn't make an SUV then it will struggle to get it's other models in. BMW by contrast will capture new buyers who may move to passanger cars as and when China's roads get better.

A 4x4 is a priority now for Jag. Aston Martin and Porsche are both aware of this factor and Jag not having a 4x4 limits where they can develop their brand.

I agree with you about this. In my view it should be a RR Sport derivative built at Solihull to minimise both development cost and risk to JLR.

[Howard]

Originally Posted by MGROVERnut

Personally I think Jag must also look very seriously at a Range Rover based SUV. In places like China cars like the XF and XJ will struggle because drivers there want 4x4's to cope with poor roads.

Surely the Range Rover is already all the SUV JLR needs?

And poor roads don't put the Chinese off buying XFs competitors from the Germans. BMW sold 65,822 units last year in China, the vast majority of which were 3ers and 5ers. Mercedes-Benz sold 38,700 units and Audi 119,598. BMW and Audi win because they make LWB cars for the Chinese market in China, and Audi's aiming to sell 200,000 units in China by 2015.

To put this in context, Chinese drivers bought 2,000 Jags last year. Made in the UK, obviously, and most went to Hong Kong.

When BMWs X5 went on sale in China in 2007, prices were more than double the starting price for a BMW X5 in America. A 3.0SI in the U.S. was $45,900. The same car sold at 8900,000 yuan ($118,666) in the Chinese market, because it's made in America. Import duty, so they don't sell very many.

What Jaguar need before they start competing with LR which they will never do is a stretched XF and a factory in China - both of which are rather a long way off...

You might have a point about the roads in China though. The big JLR 'order' from the Chinese recently for 13,000 cars was for 10,000 Land Rovers and 3,000 Jaguars. (Over three years). Whoopee.

[doos]

Unfortunately brand loyalty means there must be a Jag 4x4

[MGROVERnut]

Originally Posted by Steed

You've got to be kidding?! The company is "Jaguar LANDROVER", surely the Land Rover part of the company covers the 4x4 market ably enough?! Why steal sales from your own company?! Besides, 4x4's are a fashion fad and sales are highly likely to collapse. Leave that market to Land Rover, and concentrate on making beautiful sporty cars I say...!

Why make a Porsche version of a VW 4x4? Same company....

JLR need to distrbute the same platforms as widely as possible. It's all about profit margins and econmies of scale. What would be the point of a new X type that sold in volumes that are too low with no economies of scale?

[tanvir]

Anyway, back to the original topic...

some photoshop



I think it will look more coupe-like in reality

[climbsyke]

Thats an impressive photoshop. However I expect the real estate to be more of a lifestyle estate. That seems to be the way the market is going, its more about "look at me, I need an estate for my hectic life", than actually needing an estate. It'll have to be extremely good looking to knock the 75 tourer off the top of the best looking estate category. And I don't even have to be biased to say that! In ZT form it still looks really fresh.

[MGROVERnut]

I quite like the Photoshop. They could actually make an "all road" version of it too. That would kind of suit that photoshop...

[damogti]

What are the quality isues this article mentions?? I havent heard anything about quality problems on the XF....

[Ian]

Sadly, I've been speaking to someone within JLR who would know, and this story seems to have come out of the 'fiction' section.

What a shame - if Jaguar are reading this, you NEED to put an XF Tourer on sale NOW! You owe it to yourselves and Britain!

[Ian]

Here's a chop.

I so wish it was true.

[MGROVERnut]

OMG that's lovely.... come on Jag wakey wakey! Build this and it's goodbye Audi... Wow!

[Ian]

It really has a hint of Chrysler 300C Touring of it, doesn't it?

[dentricrio]

That is a seriously good photoshop, if they built that it would really give BMW and Audi a run for its money.

[wilko]

I'd have one, but only if it was manual ( don't like auto's)...hell, if they did a manual saloon I'd have one anyway and buy a roofbox! It'd certainly get to the top of the wish list (instead of A6 avant, Alfa 159 SW...)

[AndyTucker]

Originally Posted by wilko

I'd have one, but only if it was manual ( don't like auto's)...hell, if they did a manual saloon I'd have one anyway and buy a roofbox!

Have you actually tried the ZF 6HP28 auto in the XF? It's managed to convert every dyed-in-the-wool manual box fan that I've ever come across.

For a comparison, drive an S-Type manual and auto back-to-back. The auto transforms the car. Its shifting and gear choice is far, far better than even the best drivers with a manual box.