Jaguar States That the New XJ Will be its Flagship

• Published On: 2 November 2017
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JLR design head Ian Callum stated that the XJ luxury sedan will always be 'more sophisticated'.

Callum stated that the company is at a “consensus” that the XJ, rather than a large SUV, will remain Jaguar’s flagship. The upcoming ‘J-Pace’ will be positioned above the F-Pace and below the XJ.

“An SUV was discussed but it’s not the mainstay of the brand,” Callum said. “There’s more sophistication for a flagship sedan than a flagship SUV. Only one brand can have an SUV as its flagship due to its origins and that’s Land Rover,” he added.

Jaguar will continue to make SUVs, but Callum says that they will make sure these cars are “sporty ones”. Callum added that the current XJ’s design remains popular because it is “different” to its rivals. He added, “The coupé profile is something I obsessed over. Some people don’t agree with it. Everything else is three-box; people simplify and categorise things. [If you do that], you lose the opportunity to define in your own way. The XJ covers that well.”

He also stated that the XJ was “a personal thing for me”, and he saw it as “a fundamental part of Jaguar”. He added, “it’s there and it says what Jaguar is about.”