Jaguar Land Rover launches sports saloon car in India

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif poses with the Jaguar XE during its launch at the Indian Auto Expo in Greater Noida, on the outskirts of New Delhi, India, 3 February. REUTERS

 Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) launched its new petrol-powered sports car Jaguar XE at Auto Expo in Greater Noida in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh last week.

Jaguar XE will be available in two petrol variants - standard 2.0 litre petrol unit and turbocharged 2.0-litre power plant. The company will bring a diesel variant in the future.

While Jaguar XE Petrol Pure will be priced at Rs. 3.99 million (ex showroom, Delhi) in India, the Petrol Portfolio variant would cost Rs. 4.65 million.

Bollywood actress Katrina Kaif unveiled the efficient and refined sports saloon car.

Director of design, Jaguar, Ian Callum, said the car to be sold in India will be assembled locally at the company’s plant in the western city of Pune.

“The first XE to be produced in India has just rolled off the production line at a plant in Pune. The Jaguar XE is a car that I am particularly proud of as it embodies the true spirit of Jaguar in both agility and in design,” said Callum.

The fully-loaded Jaguar XE is based on an all-new monocoque platform made of 75% lightweight aluminum. It will have bi-xenon headlights, an eight-inch touchscreen infotainment system with integrated navigation, LED daytime running lights, sunroof, reverse camera, premium leather upholstery and six airbags.

Meanwhile, Indian carmaker Tata Motors unveiled three cars - Zica, Hexa and Kite 5 - at the auto show.

The hatchback Zica - short for Zippy car - will be renamed after the mosquito-borne virus Zika was declared an international health emergency. Tata Motors, part of the Tata Group, one of India’s largest conglomerates, said it would decide on a new name for the hatchback after a few weeks.

“The car name Zica is linked to a virus which has spread on a large scale. Keeping in mind that it has a negative connotation, we decided that it would be intelligent to change its name,” said senior Vice President, Programme Planning and Project Management, Tata Motors (passenger vehicles), Girish Wagh.

Tata Motors is seeking an image makeover with the curvaceous hatchback, which is being endorsed by world soccer player of the year Lionel Messi.

The car was designed by an international team resulting in a more modern look, built with higher-quality materials and equipped with up-to-date features such as an infotainment system. 

Meanwhile, the all-new Tata Kite 5, a sub-compact sedan, is powered by two engines - the new 1.05-litre diesel and the 1.2-litre Revotron petrol engine.

Also unveiled at the motor show was production ready version of a SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) Tata Hexa.

Tata Hexa has a 154.2bhp, 2.2-litre, 4-cylinder VARICOR 400 diesel engine that is paired with a 6-speed manual, and an optional 6-speed automatic transmission.

India’s fifth-biggest automaker, which owns the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, has struggled to dispel perceptions of cheapness since releasing its Nano cars seven years ago costing under $3,000.

Tata bought the two loss-making British brands in 2008 and has since been rapidly updating and expanding its upmarket Range Rover line-up.