Cheapest Jaguar might be the Cheapest in Segment: Jaguar XE to be Locally Assembled

Jaguar’s entry-level luxury sedan, the XE, had recently made its world debut in Paris last month, and now, as per a report on livemint, it seems that the company is contemplating to assemble the car in India. However, the same news piece also mentions that Del Sehmar, JLR spokesperson, has said that the car would not be launched in India until 2016 and also that he cannot confirm that it would be locally manufactured.

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The base Jaguar XE costs around 27,000 British Pounds, which roughly comes to around INR 27 lakh, and that’s before the import duties! Therefore, with the current Indian duty structure, it would be near impossible for Jaguar to make any dent in the segment if it does not take the local route for the XE. Its competitors, the A4, 3-Series, and C-Class, all start around the INR 30-lakh mark!

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Now, Jaguar has already managed to bring the price down by quite a bit of its XF and XJ luxury saloons. In fact, the flagship XJ, which competes with the Audi A8, BMW 7-Series, and Mercedes S-Class, is the only car in its segment to have an ex-showroom sticker price of less than one crore rupees.

However, it’s the XE (and its customers) that will get the most benefit if it’s locally assembled as, all said and done, the segment in which it plays is still a price-sensitive one. This segment is also majorly responsible for getting those crucial ‘volumes’ for the respective manufacturers. And the vehicles in this segment comprise the entry-ticket for those aspiring to enter the ‘snob club’. Let’s just hope that the XE becomes not just the cheapest Jaguar in India, but also the most accessible in this segment.

Related: Jaguar Launches Locally Produced XJ 2.0L Petrol for Rs 93.24 Lakh!

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