As Jaguar's Car Problem Continues Apace, Is the Brand Mulling a Smaller Entry?

Fielding a full range of passenger cars is soooo yesterday, man. Almost no one does it anymore. Certainly, no American automaker, anyway.

Across the pond, Jaguar finds itself at a fork in the road. The sedan market is drying up, and along with it, sales of its compact XE and midsize XF models. The XJ is going electric, so that’s a decision already made.

But what to do at the bottom end of the market?

One possibility, Autocar reports, is to consolidate both models into a single sedan that would attract buyers from both camps. Whatever buyers remain, that is. It’s a possibility floated for some time already (and one reportedly under consideration by company brass), though Jaguar’s new design boss, Julian Thomson, has his mind set on another project he feels could prove useful: a new stepping stone into the brand.

Thomson envisions a small hatchback Jag. Keep in mind that what works for Europe might go over like a lead balloon in America.

“I’d love to do some smaller cars, and it feels as though the time is right. Jaguar needs a global product that could appeal to younger buyers, and more females as well,” Thomson told the publication.

“Our values are ideal for owners who want more efficient cars but still like design quality, luxury and cars that are nice to drive.”

He added, “But it’s a tough sector. You need big numbers, which means big factories and a big organisation to sell them. But that’s definitely where I would like us to be.”

A potential muse, or at least inspiration, for such a vehicle is the R-D6 concept vehicle — a clamshell-doored compact sport hatchback unveiled by Jaguar back in 2003. A new, small Jag, especially one with hybrid power under hood, would go a long way to placating overzealous EU regulators by reducing the brand’s emissions footprint. Autocar argues there’s still enough volume in the European premium compact market to make such an effort worthwhile, assuming Jag plays its development cards right.

It would also be a new way to lure buyers into the brand, as the XE hasn’t proven adept at doing that. A hurdle exists, however, in sourcing a platform for such a small car. Perhaps a partnership with a rival automaker would solve the problem? After all, product tie-ups are all the rage these days.

Time will tell whether either possibility comes to pass. Whatever the future holds, we at least know that the current lineup isn’t doing what it should.

In the U.S., Jaguar XE sales amounted to 3,551 units in 2019, with the XF adding another 1,187 sales. In other words, the Kia Cadenza outsold the XF and the Fiat 500 came within 284 units of topping the XE. Sales leaders, these sedans are not.

[Images: Jaguar Land Rover]