Frankfurt Motor Show 2013: JLR shows crossover concept, announces further UK investment

Prior to the opening of this year's Frankfurt Motor Show (Germany) today (10 September), Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed a new concept vehicle for the Jaguar brand, the C-X17 Sports Crossover Concept. As the name suggests, this vehicle considers what a Jaguar crossover concept would look like, and featuring many of the brand's hallmarks and styling traits. However, underpinning the concept is an an all-new advanced aluminium monocoque architecture, codenamed iQ[Al], on which future ranges of Jaguars will be built. This is said to be modular and scalable, while being high-strength, lightweight and extremely stiff. It is also planned to offer flexible high-volume production.

The architecture will be at the centre of a further GBP1.5-billion (USD2.35-billion)-worth of investment being undertaken by the automaker in the UK and announced today (10 September). According to the automaker, this will also create 1,700 new jobs at its Solihull (UK) site. The first model to use this new architecture will be an all-new mid-sized Jaguar sports sedan to be launched in 2015, which the automaker expects to "be the most efficient, advanced and refined premium sports sedan ever seen in the C/D segment".

The concept, which measures 4,718 mm long, 1,959 mm wide and has a wheelbase of 2,905 mm, features technology that could also be used on the brand's forthcoming models. This includes adaptive four-wheel drive, which continuously monitors grip levels and driver inputs and uses feed-forward torque distribution to both pre-empt and react to wheel-slip, although it predominantly works in rear-wheel drive. The C-X17 also features Torque Vectoring by Braking, a system that constantly monitors the vehicle's cornering dynamics and, when required, uses the brake system to rebalance the distribution of engine torque to the wheels, in order to reduce understeer and maximise grip. The interior, which features four individual bucket seats benefits from two seats that retract from the boot for use when stationary.

The driver is also presented with a twin dial configurable TFT with provision for head-up display (HUD), and an interface between road, sport and all-road dynamic modes. The centre console stretches through the car and features what it calls an Interactive Surface Console. Made up of a series of interconnecting touch screens encased in transparent acrylic glass, the Interactive Surface Console connects those in the rear cabin with the driver and front seat passengers via a secure in-car Wi-Fi network. This allows the vehicles occupants to upload photographs, video and sound files from their mobile devices and share them with fellow passengers. The concept also uses a sculpted panoramic roof, featuring vanes from front to rear, which help with headroom.

JLR sales up again in August

Coinciding with the announcement, JLR has also revealed another record month for retails sales. In a statement, the automaker said that its sales this month had increased by 28% year-on-year (y/y) to 27,852 units. Land Rover took the lion's share with 22,447 units, up 18% y/y, although Jaguar recorded the biggest gains with an increase of 92% y/y to 5,405 units. Sales were up in nearly all of its key markets, with demand including China (+43% y/y), North America (+40% y/y), United Kingdom (+36% y/y), Asia Pacific (+35% y/y), other overseas markets (+18% y/y. However, demand in Europe dipped by 1% y/y, due largely to the run out of the Range Rover Sport. JLR added that its retail sales in the year-to-date (YTD) now stand at 269,653 units, an increase of 16% y/y.  

Outlook and implications

Although the new architecture will be first used on Jaguar's new volume sedan contender initially, the decision to roll it out beneath this crossover concept is intended to show just how flexible it is intended to be. As a result of this, it will appear beneath a wide array of Jaguars, with IHS Automotive data suggesting that this will eventually include the next generation XF and XJ.

The sedan based upon this architecture will also be the first vehicle to be equipped with JLR's all-new four-cylinder diesel and gasoline (petrol) engines. This is expected to see a vehicle built by the brand achieve CO2 emissions of 100 g/km for the first time. These engines will be built at JLR's new engine production facility, currently under construction in Wolverhampton (UK) which will become operational from 2015. However, there will also be the option of a V-6 gasoline engine, likely to be high performance applications.

While a new smaller sedan based on this architecture will help Jaguar generate additional volumes, there appears to be no denying that it is also planning on pursuing an entry into the highly popular premium crossover field. Reports have been swirling for quite some time about such a vehicle and engineering test mules have already been spotted running around. What Jaguar has shown also gives the appearance of a design that could easily go into production, and there is an expectation that this will arrive the year after the sedan. Although traditionalists may baulk at the prospects of a Jaguar in this sector – particularly given Land Rover's speciality in this sphere – there are many new, younger, family-orientated customers that could be drawn to the brand with a more versatile vehicle. As well as broadening its audience in its mature markets, such a vehicle is also likely to go down a storm in markets such as China, India and Russia where such vehicles are also popular. IHS Automotive expects that the combination of the new sedan and crossover will lift the brand's sales from 52,000 units during 2012 to almost 200,000 units by 2017, and continue at around this level towards the end of decade, supported by replacement vehicles also underpinned by this architecture.