Jaguar XE teased in see-through body wrap ahead of October launch
Jaguar has published a picture (above) of its upcoming XE sedan on its Twitter feed, but offered no further details about the car that's expected to debut in October.
The new XE will be a size smaller than the XF that currently does battle with BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class, among others. As such, it'll be the company's first competitor against the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Audi A4 and Lexus IS since the ill-fated Mondeo-based X-Type.
Although it's clad in a body wrap that allows us to see through to the car's underlying metal structure, this is the clearest look we've had yet of Jaguar's new "baby" sedan. Earlier this year Jaguar gave the world a look at the XE's front end design (below).
We know for certain that the new car will feature a weight-saving aluminium monocoque body and will be offered with the 3.0-litre supercharged V6 currently powering select F-Type variants. In the F-Type this engine produces either 250kW/450Nm in standard spec or 280kW/460Nm in the more powerful S models.
While the supercharged V6 is an exciting prospect, it's expected that the majority of Jaguar XEs will ship with the company's new Ingenium 2.0-litre petrol and diesel motors.
The XE's aluminium underpinnings, dubbed "iQ Al", will be used as the basis for a whole range of new models from Jaguar and Land Rover, including, probably, an SUV not too far removed from the C-X17 concept.
According to Jaguar the "iQ Al" platform can handle transverse and inline engines, and drivetrains ranging from 300km/h screamers to more eco-friendly models that emit just 100g/km of CO2.
The Jaguar XE is set to go on sale globally by mid-2015.
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