Jaguar Land Rover’s (JLR) profits in 2018 haven’t been anything to write home about, which has led the subsidiary of Tata Motors to plan a major restructuring. Among the many decision JLR will be making, it will have to decide on how to replace the XE and XF sedans that have been selling in very small numbers, eclipsed even outsold by Jaguar’s all-electric I-Pace SUV.
Although both the XE and XF sedans are slated to receive facelifts in the coming months in international markets, JLR is planning on bringing in all-new replacements for the sedans by 2023. Sources indicated that JLR will be starting from scratch on this new project, by possibly merging the XE and XF sedans into a single model; the new vehicle could be either an electric model or a plug-in hybrid.
JLR will be going the hybrid or electric route with a number of models including the upcoming all-new XJ electric sedan. In a presentation made last year by JLR’s executive director of corporate and strategy, Hanno Kirner, plans to launch a number of mid-height vehicles in the future (possibly the rumoured Road Rover series) were in the works, along with more vehicles with a small frontal area, as aerodynamic efficiency for range becomes more important. At the same presentation, he also hinted at a platform for the future I-Pace that will be shared with a sporty model, claiming an eventual replacement for the F-Type, which may be badged as the I-Type.
Despite JLR making these decisions now, we won’t see the revamped line-up for a few years. This is not to say that there aren’t updates coming this year in the international market; facelifts for Jaguar’s XE and XF sedans, the new Land Rover Range Rover Evoque, a significantly re-engineered Discovery Sport, and lastly, the all-new Defender are all expected during 2019.
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