You would never know it but the new Jaguar Sportbrake estate was a bodystyle never planned when Tata Motors’ luxury car unit originally launched the XF
Brand chief Adrian Hallmark said: “We are very proud of the fact that the Sportbrake does not look like an afterthought. It also addresses the only two complaints we have had with the XF; headroom in the rear which has been increased by 48mm, and access to the boot.
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“We now have a wide opening door at the rear with 550-litres of cargo space which expands to 1,600 litres with the rear seats folded flat. The new model fits perfectly into our line up.”
It’s an important model for Jaguar in Europe where estate cars [aka station wagons] account for 25% of sales in the premium segment.
Hallmark said: “Sportbrake fills another gap in our portfolio and allows us to compete in a market we have not been in.
“It really is a breakthrough for us because it represents a 25% increase in volume for the XF.”
Hallmark describes the Sportbrake as “unashamedly European” and the segment is dominated by diesel which is why the company is introducing the estate with diesel engines only – 2.2- I4 and three-litre V6 turbocharged units.
Could petrol models be introduced at a later date?
“I would never say never,” Hallmark told headlineauto, “but it is such a small market though if there is a demand we will look at it.”
Outside Europe, he added, there is no great demand for estate cars.
