This recent renaissance taking place over at Jaguar has excited car enthusiasts everywhere, despite the fact that most of us still can’t afford one of these growling cats.
But that’s about to change, as Jaguar prepares to enter the small sportscar market with its upcoming XE, before offering a sub-XF saloon to rival the Mercedes C-Class and BMW 3 Series.
As for the new roadster, it’s just been spied hot-weather testing in the US, showing off its XK-inspired bodywork and strictly-two-seater interior. It will go head-to-head with cars such as the Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes SLK.
The XE will save money by being built on a shortened XK platform (Will it therefore handle even better?), powered by a V6 engine – the twin centrally-placed exhaust tailpipes are a giveaway – mated to Jaguar’s smooth six-speed automatic transmission. Europe will get a diesel version as well, while a supercharged XER model will follow.
The prototype features some interior parts-sharing with the XK, but the new steering wheel is clearly visible, as is the touchscreen with a disguised surround suggesting a host of luxury equipment features scattered about.
Large 19in wheels shoehorned under the prototype’s wells hide big brake callipers with the “R’ logo, but expect the base model to reach showrooms first, sometime around early 2013. We’ll see a concept early next year in either Detroit or Geneva to keep us salivating at the prospect of a somewhat affordable Jag.
