A lot of brands these days are reviving their retired models; for instance, Honda with the 'Insight', and Ford with the ‘Mach 1’, to name a few. The latest entrant to this list is Jaguar with the XK. Seeing the success of the F-Type, Jaguar didn’t see the need to keep the XK around and discontinued it in 2015. However, it’s all set to return in a new avatar. Can it stay alive this time around without sacrificing itself for the other models in the line-up?
Beginning of a Revamp
Jaguar has been pretty vocal about expanding its sports car portfolio. It wants to be known as a sports car manufacturer. To complement the F-Type, Jaguar is now going to commence work on a four-seater sports car. No prizes for guessing what it’ll be called! In an interview with Autocar, Jaguar-Land Rover’s director of corporate strategy, Hanno Kirner said, “The F-Type has been a huge success. We love sports cars — and I use the plural quite deliberately. Whether that is delivered by a body variant or something else remains to be seen, but for now, let’s just say that the body type is very important for us … I want a two-seater and a 2+2. We’re working on something now. There’s nothing approved, but we instigate in design.”
Will the New Baby Buzz Electric?
Given how every manufacturer is electrifying its portfolio, will the new 4-seater take that route? “There is an argument that says hybrid sports cars might cater for both the environment and the excitement such cars deliver,” Kirner said. “A lot of people like the sound of an engine. That’s a fact, and it is a defining part of a sports car. I absolutely believe that there will be electric sports cars one day, but I also believe there may be a different step of combining the battery and an engine. At Jaguar, all I can say for now is that we will continue to invest in sports cars.”
Our Take
The new 2+2 is an important product for Jaguar, as it wants to re-establish itself as a sports car manufacturer. The F-Type has played the lone wolf for three years now, but it’s time for new products to populate Jaguar’s stable and this XK successor needs to be a hit. Before the discontinuation three years back, Jaguar was apparently working on the design of a third-generation XK. However, those design cues may well be thrown out of the window because the new XK will be built on an all-new platform which will be flexible enough to size up or down without much trouble and could even take a wide variety of engine options.
So, you can expect the car to be much more than a bloated-up F-Type. The car is not expected to see daylight anytime before 2021. Does this mean we can expect the 2+2 XK to be a complete surprise package, packed with the latest technology and an array of engine options? We can’t wait to get more scoops and details on the new XK. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
References
Read our full review on the 2015 Jaguar XK Coupe.
Read our full review on the 2015 Jaguar XK Convertible.
Read our full review on the 2017 Jaguar F-Type.
Read more Jaguar news.