It says a lot about what's going on at Jaguar that it can't get around to launching the F-Type for three years after a 12-month study to determine both the business implications and potential launch timing. "Today, Jaguar as a business is in the process of a major product-led transformation," said Reitzle. "The introduction of the S-Type sedan in 1999 is driving record sales around the world. The new X-Type compact sports sedan which goes on sale later this year establishes Jaguar as a four-model line company, accelerating the company's development from a niche player into a major competitor in the premium car segment." There will also be changes to the XJ lineup of sedans and the XK luxury coupe and convertible series by the time we see the F-Type.
F-Type is meant to complement the XK by being smaller and less expensive, said Jonathan Browning, Jaguar's managing director, and it will help X-Type drive Jaguar to be "more accessible and aspirational to a wider customer audience." At the same time, said Browning, innovative derivatives within each model range will provide greater customer choice.
"The atmosphere at Jaguar today is vibrant, exciting and challenging," Browning noted, "as the rate of new product development continues at a dramatic pace. Over the next 36 months, Jaguar will launch 15 new or significantly revised products and powertrains, and F-Type will be the sixteenth.