Jaguar Looks At Changing Direction Of Next XJ, Going Upmarket

William Maley

Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com

September 17, 2012

Jaguar is in the midst of changes. Both with one of their models and the possibility of moving more upmarket.

Inside Line reports that Jaguar is debating where to take the next-generation XJ. One side, headed by CEO Ralf Speth wants to take the next-generation XJ and design it much closer to the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. The other side wants to see Jaguar stick with the distinctive styling theme of the current model.

Why the design change-up? Sales in key markets for the XJ have been dropping. In the U.S. alone, sales are about half when compared to the S-Class and BMW 7-Series. Though we're wondering if the sales drop is due to the design or other reasons, like not offering AWD or some other powertrain choice than a V8.

Source: Inside Line

Next: Going Upmarket

Jaguar has been impressed by the sales of the XKR-S coupe and roadster, and the XJ Ultimate that the brand is looking at doing more upmarket models.

“It’s clear from our research that Jaguar has a strong enough brand name to participate in more of this sort of business. We’ve proven that we can build £100,000-plus cars that sell, and these projects are one way of pushing the brand further upmarket,” said global brand director Adrian Hallmark.

Hallmark didn't go into specifics, but it would be safe to assume a high-performance variant of the XFR is in the cards.

Source: Autocar

William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at william.maley@cheersandgears.com or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.