Jaguar Land Rover announces new XE sedan, diesel engine
Jaguar Land Rover on Sunday announced it will offer its XE compact sedan in the United States starting in 2016, and will have diesel engine options for all its North American vehicles starting this year.
The British automaker showed off the new XE sedan at the College for Creative Studies in Midtown Detroit on Sunday in advance of press days at the North American International Auto Show. Two Land Rover luxury diesel SUVs also will debut at the show.
The new XE completes its sedan lineup, which includes the larger XF and XJ models.
"The XE ... positions us really well in North America," Joe Eberhardt, president and CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, said at a press event Sunday.
The aluminum-body XE is powered by a 3.0-liter V6 engine that generates 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque. It's linked to an eight-speed automatic transmission with paddle shift controls. It will be the first Jaguar to be equipped with electric power steering.
The XE will be offered with the company's new Ingenium diesel engine starting in 2016. Starting this year, the automaker will offer diesel options on its Range Rover Td6 and Sport Td6 SUVs.
The new diesel engines will deliver 25 miles per gallon combined, a 32 percent improvement over the supercharged V6, and reach a high of 28 miles per gallon on the highway.
"We are joining the diesel game in the U.S. in a big way," Eberhardt said. "We intend to roll out fuel-efficient diesel-powered vehicles across Jaguar and Land Rover lineups on virtually every model over the next three years. I think it's the powertrain of the future."
Eberhardt said the diesel engines will be attractive not only for their fuel efficiency, but for their towing applications as well.
Last year, the automaker recorded its fifth straight year of sales gains, selling 462,678 vehicles globally in 2014, a 9 percent increase over 2013. North American sales rose 2 percent to 74,981.
Jaguar said it will introduce 12 new products in 2015 and will roll out 50 new products over the next five years.
The automaker also confirmed Sunday it will enter a new segment with an F-PACE production version of the CX-17 crossover concept near the end of 2015. Jaguar said it would add 1,300 jobs at its Solihull Manufacturing Facility in the UK to make the new five-seat crossover.
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