Report: Jaguar working on sporty hatchback for 2014

Tata Motors owned Jaguar is planning to add an aggressively styled sports hatchback model to its vehicle lineup in the beginning of 2014. The model is inspired by the R-D6 Concept that was first seen at the 2003 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Originally, when Jaguar was owned by Ford, top-level executives weren’t too supportive of putting the R-D6 Concept into production and felt that it was a total clash with the brand’s image. Under Tata, Jaguar is now gaining support at the highest levels of the company as it moves forward with a more independent future, reports AutoWeek.

“There’s a growing feeling with the R-D6 that we really had something very innovative, fresh and different. Maybe we missed something back then, but the idea is even more applicable now,” a source said.

Internally known as the R-D7, the model is expected to help Jaguar reduce its corporate average emissions and improve its fleet fuel-economy. Power is expected to come from a range of V6 gasoline and diesel engines, as well as 4-cylinder options for some markets.

Prices are expected to start around $60,000 when the Jaguar sports hatch enters production.

– By: Kap Shah

Source: AutoWeek
Image Source: Flickr (Olgun Kodal)