Today, Jaguar announced that its XJ and XF sedans have been re-engineered for 2013 to finally accommodate all-wheel-drive drivetrains. In the statement, North America brand vice president David Pryor humbly admits, "We are a little late to the party."
The new awd option will be available with a new 3.0 liter V6 engine on the XF as well as the standard and long-wheelbase XJ models. A $3,000 option, the AWD was developed alongside ZF Friedrichshafen AG. The transfer case will be supplied by Magna International Inc. and the front differential will be provided by Dana Holding Co.
Jaguar's U.S. sales performance for the year saw a 2 percent climb to 7,517 vehicles sold up to July. Jaguar XJ sales have fallen close to 10 percent while XF sales have gained 20 percent.
In an effort to better build cars that will gain sales traction in North America, brand VP David Pryor said that the United States accounts for 80 percent of worldwide production of all-wheel-drive, easily the primary market for the drivetrain in the industry.
Of the luxury sports sedan segment, nearly 50 percent of all vehicles sold in the U.S. came equipped with awd. In the full-sized luxury car category, the ratio is still at a solid 40 percent. Pryor said, "[AWD] is so critical to our success here. We have been locked out of a big chunk of the market -- roughly half the market."
Understanding that many of Jaguar's clients enjoy the automaker's rear-wheel-drive handling, Pryor assures that the new awd system will not interfere with Jaguar's handling characteristics, a main attribute essential to Jaguar's identity.
Pryor further emphasized, "There has been quite a lot of tuning of the suspension so that in most conditions you have 100 percent of the power going to the rear wheels and it is only when you need the traction that we send it to the front. Because of that, steering stays communicative and light."
All-wheel-drive will not be the only major change Jaguar will see for 2013. Four-cylinder and six-cylinder engine offerings will be available for the XF and XJ sedans starting in the fall.
the new four-cylinder for the XF will be a 2.0 liter, 240-hp turbocharged powerplant from the Range Rover Evoque while the supercharged 3.0 liter V6 engine will have a power output of 340-hp and will be available in both XF and XJ sedans.
