Jaguar, the well-established British luxury sports car maker, is in the process of framing its biggest ever new product development project. This comes as the after-effect of the investment of more than USD 1 billion by its parent company, Tata Motors, to introduce new models in the Indian auto industry. Jaguar is working on several new launches, which will work as a volume puller for the car maker and will also improve its brand presence in the segment, wherein mainly German trios rejoices. Two of these new models happen to be a 5-seater crossover and a compact sedan, which will efficiently square off against Audi Q5 and BMW 3-series, respectively.
The crossover segment of the Indian automotive market happens to be one of the fastest developing markets across the world with recent launches like Renault Duster and Audi Q3. Besides, other car makers are in a frenzy to tap in the opportunities offered by this segment with the most prominent being Ford EcoSport.
The Audi Q5, which has been marked as a target by the British car maker, happens to be the first model being offered with a Bi-TDi (Bi-Turbocharged Direct Injection) technology. Q5 is assimilated with a 3.0 litre diesel unit, which is built to churn out 313 bhp of maximum power and a peak torque of 650 Nm. These outputs enable the crossover to clock 100 kmph from initial in a minuscule 5.1 seconds. The car boasts of an all-wheel drive Quattro system and a sports suspension system, which can automatically lower itself by 30 mm to improve the handling. Now, if the Jaguar is aiming at posing stiff challenge to a model like this, it will better if the new entrant can offer additional advantage over the existing features that are packed in Audi Q5.
The next speculated product, which is expected to be launched by Jaguar, is the compact sedan that will be pitched against the recently launched BMW 3 Series. This new model, which is anticipated to come in 2015, will be an entry-level model in the sedan line-up of Jaguar. Jaguar is likely to place its new model below the XF sedan, in terms of price.
To be able to counter BMW 3 Series, Jaguar will need to come up with a model that can outperform the BMW 328i petrol variant, which is powered by a 4-cylinder TwinPower unit. Its powertrain is capable of producing 245 bhp of peak power with 350 Nm of maximum torque. The car has a top speed of 250 kmph with a mileage of 14.79 kmpl, which together makes the model a perfect blend of power and performance.
Coming to diesel variant of 3 Series, 320d, it generates 181 bhp of maximum power and clocks top seed at 235 kmph. Yet again, if Tata owned brand want to pose some serious challenge to this impressive model line-up of German brand, it will have to outperform the car on the grounds of technical specifications within a competitive price range.
Considering Jaguar's optimistic plans for India, these models are expected to arrive at the Indian showrooms soon. Reflecting its ambitious intentions for the country, the car maker has increased its dealership network in the country to 13. It is believed that the new 2015 entry-level sedan from the British car maker will be manufactured locally; post its launch in the country.
