Jaguar XF and XJ saloon cars with 4WD will be launched by 2014!

Jaguar has planned to up the ante with an all new four-wheel drive sedan range. Jaguar top boss Adrian Hallmark has revealed that the British car maker will soon debut four-wheel drive versions of their XF and XJ sadans. According the Jaguar official these cars will be important for the company and will be the stimulant for its growth in the huge market across the Atlantic. Cars with four-wheel drive are particularly popular in places which experience snowfall in winters.

It is a huge untapped market for Jaguar and hence the car maker has chalked out plans to enter the 4WD sedan segment, he said. Even as the market calls for development of economical automobiles and hybrids, Jaguar believes hybrid technology is still too expensive to make it viable for them and hence to provide an initial sales boost, they have decided to target the 4WD segment instead of running behind hybrid-tech. It is quite a surprising decision since, the German brands are way ahead of their competition when it comes to development of hybrid-tech for their cars.

However, it does not mean that Jaguar won’t develop hybrids in the future. The priority for Jaguar at the moment is to complete the development of a four-wheel drive system for their cars with a global launch expected in the next couple of years. The development of the new drivetrain could also pave the way for a 4×4 SUV from Jaguar in the future. The United States is a big market for SUVs and Jaguar might have plans to enter the fray as well. Hallmark was speaking on the side lines of the Los Angeles motor show and here what he had to say,

“In the past all-wheel-drive has meant Audi and Quattro, but now it is something that the market expects,” said Hallmark, speaking at the Los Angeles motor show. “In the snowbelt of America it accounts for 70 per cent of sales, and overall it counts for 30 per cent of sales, so we are working on it and in the final stages of a decision. It is core to our future offering.”

The development of four-wheel-drive vehicles has been prioritized ahead of developing hybrids at Jaguar, as it is believed it will give a more immediate sales boost.

“Hybrid technology is currently very expensive,” said Hallmark. “The customer doesn’t want to pay for it yet, so while it is something we will develop for the market, it is a longer-term project.”

Source: Autocar & ICB