Black Country Cat becomes Twitter star
Jaguar has been deluging the Twittersphere with images of its new XE saloon as it pumps up expectations for the first car to be powered by Ingenium engines made in Wolverhampton.
Although Jaguar Land Rover is keeping details strictly under wraps, full scale production of the engines is due to get under way at the Engine Manufacturing Centre on the city's i54 site any time now.
They will be transported directly to the car's production line at Solihull, with the first cars due to appear in UK showrooms in May. The first deliveries to customers are due at the end of May or early June.
But the XE forms part of the biggest marketing push ever launched by JLR, alongside the new Land Rover Discovery Sport, which will also receive Ingenium diesel engines from Wolverhampton later this year.
If the newly announced Jaguar F-Pace crossover is also be powered by Ingeniums it would accelerate recruitment at the engine factory, which is expected to have a workforce of 1,600 eventually. The car, which will be built alongside the XE, will mean another 1,300 jobs at the Solihull plant.
Meanwhile, to keep would-be customers in a state of heightened expectation, Jaguar has been tweeting a string of images of the new XE, showing off its sleek looks as well as a classy interior packed to the wing mirrors with the latest technology.
This includes a jet fighter-style Heads-Up Display, or HUD, showing speed and other information on the windscreen, All Surface Progress Control to adapt to any road surface, and a state-of-the-art entertainment system connected to the driver's smartphone.
As well as attracting ordinary drivers, the Disco Sport and the XE will form part of Jaguar Land Rover's determined bid to capture a major slice of the company car and fleet market, assisted by the Ingenium diesel's clean and frugal performance.
JLR has also launched a series of short films exploring the engineering behind the Jaguar XE, with the first one featuring Sir David Brailsford, the man responsible for developing world-beating technical strategies for cycling's Team GB and Team Sky.
Sir David said: "By looking for every last possible improvement on every single element, Jaguar's engineers are able to deliver world class performance. As an innovation partner of Team Sky, it is really encouraging to see Jaguar sharing our philosophy and achieving a great result."
He met with Jaguar engineer Jon Darlington to see the new car in action. Mr Darlington said: "Our engineering team has produced a cutting-edge product with the Jaguar XE by introducing aluminium-intensive architecture and all-new Ingenium engines. By adopting similar design principles to Team Sky, we made even more improvements. This optimum combination makes the XE compact, light and stiff – essential elements in achieving brilliant dynamic performance. It is also the most efficient and aerodynamic Jaguar ever."