Shooting Higher
Jaguar considering design options for next-gen X-Type
By WIM OUDE WEERNINK | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
AutoWeek
Photo from Global Auto Index
The current X-Type may be replaced by a "shooting brake" style wagon.
Jaguar could replace its X-Type lower-premium car with a “shooting brake”-style station wagon.
The term shooting brake often is used to describe a stylish wagon used for sporting purposes such as hunting. In the past, the Queen of England always had a shooting brake at her disposal.
The X-Type, which comes as a sedan and station wagon, is Jaguar’s best-selling model. Its sales have not matched the British sports car maker’s hopes since its 2001 launch.
Development work on the X-Type’s successor has been delayed as Jaguar debates what kind of vehicle should replace it.
“Work has been held back for some time now,” a European distributor executive said. “They are studying what sort of model the next X-Type should be. But it won’t be a sedan again.”
Jaguar Managing Director Bibiana Boerio hinted at the Detroit auto show in January that the British sports car maker was considering radical options for the X-Type.
Denying rumors that the next X-Type will be a crossover, she told Automotive News Europe: “Someday we may create our own segment, with an alternative [concept] option.”
The X-Type’s successor likely will be equipped with all-wheel drive.
Last year Jaguar built 44,965 X-Types, down from 59,992 in 2004.
Jaguar had problems with the X-Type from the beginning. The vehicle was derived from the Ford Mondeo, and some customers didn’t feel it was a proper Jaguar.
The carmaker was slow to bring diesel and station wagon versions to market. The X-Type also performed very poorly in North America, where dealers had to offer big incentives to sell the cars.
Jaguar considering design options for next-gen X-Type
By WIM OUDE WEERNINK | AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
AutoWeek
Photo from Global Auto Index
The current X-Type may be replaced by a "shooting brake" style wagon.
Jaguar could replace its X-Type lower-premium car with a “shooting brake”-style station wagon.
The term shooting brake often is used to describe a stylish wagon used for sporting purposes such as hunting. In the past, the Queen of England always had a shooting brake at her disposal.
The X-Type, which comes as a sedan and station wagon, is Jaguar’s best-selling model. Its sales have not matched the British sports car maker’s hopes since its 2001 launch.
Development work on the X-Type’s successor has been delayed as Jaguar debates what kind of vehicle should replace it.
“Work has been held back for some time now,” a European distributor executive said. “They are studying what sort of model the next X-Type should be. But it won’t be a sedan again.”
Jaguar Managing Director Bibiana Boerio hinted at the Detroit auto show in January that the British sports car maker was considering radical options for the X-Type.
Denying rumors that the next X-Type will be a crossover, she told Automotive News Europe: “Someday we may create our own segment, with an alternative [concept] option.”
The X-Type’s successor likely will be equipped with all-wheel drive.
Last year Jaguar built 44,965 X-Types, down from 59,992 in 2004.
Jaguar had problems with the X-Type from the beginning. The vehicle was derived from the Ford Mondeo, and some customers didn’t feel it was a proper Jaguar.
The carmaker was slow to bring diesel and station wagon versions to market. The X-Type also performed very poorly in North America, where dealers had to offer big incentives to sell the cars.