The Jaguar XF is one of the best cars in its segment. However the vehicle doesn’t sell as much as it should mainly because of two reasons. The Jaguar XF is imported as a Completely Built Unit (CBU), thereby attracting a hefty excise duty. The XF’s main competitors (from Germany) are all locally assembled through the CKD route. This gives them German trio a massive price advantage, resulting in more aggressive pricing. All the luxury car makers are slowly and steadily expanding their dealership network.
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The second reason for lower sales of Jaguar XF can be the engine it is being offered with. While the complete competition has 4-cylinder diesel engines on offer, Jaguar offers the diesel XF with a V6. The Jaguar XF range starts at Rs. 52.96 lakhs for the base Diesel S variant. The base BMW 5-Series (520d) is priced at Rs. 41.92 lakhs, the base Mercedes E-Class (E220 CDI) is priced at Rs. 41.43 lakhs, while the base Audi A6 (2.0 TDI) is priced at Rs. 39.98 lakhs (all prices ex-showroom, Mumbai). The prices mentioned above for the German cars are for diesel variants. The base petrol variants (4-cylinder engines) of the above mentioned German cars are priced lower. The base petrol Jaguar XF is priced at Rs. 69.78 lakhs (ex-showroom, Mumbai). However the petrol XF is powered by a V8 engine.
Jaguar plans to counter its German rivals by bringing in a cheaper 4-cylinder diesel engine. The 2.2-litre Jaguar XF is already on sale in Europe and produces 200 PS of power and 450 Nm of torque. The British automaker will also start local assembly of the Jaguar XF in Pune (where the Freelander 2 is already being assembled). Both the 2.2-litre diesel engine and CKD operations will happen in 2013. So we can expect Jaguar to shake the segment completely, with more aggressive pricing.
