Since day one, sales of the X-Type have always been mediocre at best. Demand for the compact cat has even dropped more sharply
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| Analysts don't believe a sport wagon will cause much more excitement for the X-Type . (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
in recent months, with projected U.S. sales figures for this year taking a dip to 15,000 units, down from a peak of around 35,000 units when the vehicle was introduced in 2002. On a global scale, Jaguar sold a little more than 50,000 X-Types last year, but the brand has hopes that this year's sport wagon and diesel models will bump figures up to 68,000 units. Of course, the diesel will not be offered in the U.S., at least not anytime soon. The wagon, coming to the U.S. for the first time as a 2005 model, has incidentally already been available in Canada during most of 2004.
In order to lure more entry-luxury buyers to the Jaguar brand, the nameplate reduced the X-Type's price last year, but it hasn't been enough to turn fortunes around. Most analysts don't believe a sport wagon will cause much more excitement for the X-Type either, at least not in North America.
Taking into account the weak economy and poor U.S. dollar, plus increasingly tough competition from all corners of the globe, it's looking pretty bleak for the British carmaker.
Currently, there are several opinions floating about between industry analysts. The most drastic of these sees the removal of the
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| Whether Jaguar reduces the number of X-Types built, or removes it from North America all together, production cuts will be necessary to maximize wafer-thin profits. (Photo: Shawn Pisio, Canadian Auto Press) |
X-Type from North America, which commentators feel will help patch Jaguar's tarnished image. Others feel that Jaguar should scale down the production of the X-Type to free up plant capacity for the redesigned 2005 Land Rover Freelander, which is built at the same Halewood, England facility. That said, the current Freelander hasn't exactly been burning up the sales charts in North America either. Regardless of which choice, if any, Jaguar makes, the picture that Boerio and global analysts paint is consistent. No doubt, production cuts will be necessary to maximize wafer-thin profits.
