Jaguar Teases New XE S Sports Sedan

Jaguar has continued its onslaught on the luxury market, this time finally giving a peek of the upcoming XE small sports sedan ahead of its full reveal on September 8. The automaker showed off just the nose of the vehicle, which prominently shows off the “S” badge that indicates it’s the high-performance variant of the car. That the model will feature forced induction seems almost certain, considering it has large air intakes designed to keep things cool under the hood. Many are speculating that the Jaguar XE S will feature the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 used in the F-Type, which would make the sedan quite a potent performer. The automaker has also hinted that a V8-powered XE R might be a possibility.

Some additional details have been revealed about the XE that should make the car a worthy contender against the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes C-Class and Audi A4. For one, the car’s structure will be incredibly lightweight since it is over 75 percent aluminum, a method Jaguar has used on the F-Type and XJ but that no automaker has introduced to such a low price bracket. The aluminum alloy Jaguar is using for the XE has been specifically designed for the car, called RC5754, and uses an extensive amount of recycled material. Jaguar is already declaring that the car will be the lightest in its class, which could mean superior fuel economy and all-around performance.

Not only will the car benefit from superior structural rigidity provided by all of that aluminum alloy, handling should be excellent thanks to the front control-arm and rear multilink suspension that are similar to what is used on the F-Type. In fact, quite a few of the suspension components will be made of forged aluminum, which will help give the car the kind of cat-like reflexes Jaguar loves to brag about.