Jaguar F-Type DOES mean next Jaguar XK heading upmarket

Ian Callum has said that the new Jaguar F-Type will give Jaguar the opportunity to push the next generation Jaguar XK upmarket.

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Back in September – just after Jaguar finally revealed the new F-Type – we published an article asking if the launch of Jaguar’s first true sports car in almost two generations would mean the next generation Jaguar XK moving upmarket in to Aston Martin territory. It seems it will.

Autocar has been chatting with Jaguar’s design guru, Ian Callum, who has said pretty much what we said in September, namely that the F-Type’s arrival will allow the next XK to be ‘More special than a GT’.

Ian also speculates that the next XK could grow in size too to be a bit more than a 2+2, but it seems pretty clear that Jaguar will be looking to take the next XK firmly in to territory currently held by cars like the Aston Martin DB9 and Vanquish.

In addition to Ian’s comments about the next XK, he’s also made it clear that, despite falling sales for luxury cars, the next XJ will continue as a saloon car (although we’re hoping there will be a new XJ Coupe too) and that Jaguar are having to ‘take notice’ of the rise and rise of the luxury crossover/SUV market.

Which is a much better route for Jaguar than buying Aston Martin would have been.