Jaguar F-Pace programme director Andy Whyman believes the new SUV will be as transformational for the firm as the Range Rover Evoque has been for Land Rover.
“The ingredients are there,” he said at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. “The vision has been clear from the start and it’s a logical new car for us in a fast-growing segment.”
The Evoque heralded the start of the current boom in Land Rover sales and even today, five years after launch, the factory is still operating around the clock to build more than 100,000 units a year.
Jaguar, which last year sold 81,570 cars, feels the F-Pace will deliver a proportionally similar lift – and will mean the entire brand should no longer outsold by the smash-hit Range Rover Evoque.
No crossover with Land Rover
Whyman says there was never any concern that the first-ever Jaguar SUV would step on the toes of Land Rover.
“Both brands are very different and are positioned separately: our research shows there’s likely to be little cross-shopping between the F-Pace and Land Rover models.
“It’s first and foremost a Jaguar: it handles like a Jaguar, has sports car proportions and, while it can tackle mixed-road conditions, is a road-biased vehicle.
“It’s obvious to customers that the Jaguar and Land Rover brands are different: we don’t expect Range Rover Sport customers to start looking at F-Pace.”
Whyman also said the firm is comfortable with its first SUV. “It is natural to us – we don’t think of it as an SUV: it ‘feels’ like a Jaguar.”