Jaguar green lights next-generation XJ, due in 2019 – report
The next-generation Jaguar XJ has reportedly been given the go-ahead by the board of the British luxury car maker.
Sources have told Autocar that the replacement for the current car, which was launched in 2009, has been approved. According to these informants, replacing the XJ wasn't a certainty.
Some inside the company thought a new car couldn't be justified given that the company sells around 20,000 XJs annually, a drop in the ocean compared to the 125,000 or so S-Class models that Mercedes-Benz found buyers for in 2015.
Others pushed for a super-luxury SUV to take the XJ's place in the range. In the end, the success of the S-Class and the argument that the brand needed an "indulgent car" to serve as its halo vehicle won out.
Above: The current-generation Jaguar XJ
It's understood that the next-generation XJ will use a modified version of the aluminium D7a or iQ-Al platform that underpins the XE, XF and F-Pace. For the XJ, the aluminium structure will be augmented with carbonfibre to help shed even more kilos and improve rigidity.
Motivation will reportedly come courtesy of a plug-in hybrid drivetrain that utilises the Ingenium V6 engine that's current under development at Jaguar Land Rover.
The next-generation XJ will also debut a new design direction for the luxury brand. The company is said to be working on a radical interior design concept and autonomous driving technology for the car.
If all goes according to plan, the company will show off a preview concept in 2018 and follow that up with the XJ's global debut in 2019.
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