Jaguar Land Rover, the wholly owned Tata Motor subsidiary, has announced the arrival of its new All Wheel Drive (AWD) Jaguar XF and XJ sedans at the Indian shores by 2013. These models are expected to be introduced in the markets like Russia, China, Europe and USA. However, the shocker remains the fact that the company has chosen to ignore Britain, its home turf, from the release. The new sedans will come powered by a 3.0-litre supercharged petrol V6 engine capable of producing 335.34 bhp of power. The motor will come mated with a brand new 8-speed ZF automatic transmission. The AWD feature was missed in Jaguar cars for a long time and with Audi hogging all the limelight with its 'quattro' series, the car maker has some serious expectations to live up to. The 2013 Jaguar XF and XJ sedans will feature the new engine.
Speaking on the launch of 2013 XF and XJ cars, Jaguar's Vehicle Line Director Ian Hoban said, "Our all-wheel drive system preserves all the dynamic qualities of our rear-wheel drive Jaguar saloons in terms of handling, steering quality and ride refinement while adding a new depth of ability in low-grip conditions. The system delivers all the traction benefits you would expect, but the AWD XF and XJ are still very rewarding cars to drive - which was exactly our intention."
With its new launches, Jaguar will be aspiring to cash on the markets where AWD cars are much in demand. The AWD feature provides added traction control and compensates for the skidding encountered on snow-covered, wet, marshy or any slippery track. It can transfer up to 50 per cent of the torque to the front axle, making driving on snow a pleasure and not a nuisance. It also boasts of a winter mode with a 30/70 torque split, which makes driving highly safe and secure. To further appeal to the buyers, the car maker has added paddle shifts and Start/Stop technology; however, the latter would not be found on the 2.0 Litre variant.
According to Jaguar’s figures, four-wheel-drive cars represent just 5 per cent of the luxury saloon market in Britain, and this could be the reason for Jaguar's decision of not introducing the models in its home country. However, things could be different for India as Audi's 'quattro' has been quite influential in India. It is expected that the 2013 XF and XJ will head towards the Indian auto market by early 2013, mainly because of the success tasted by Audi. It is anticipated that Jaguar will disclose the prices of the upcoming sedans at the Paris Motor Show to be held in September, 2012. This news is sure to enthral fans of the brand, as with these new additions the range of Jaguar only gets better in the India.
