Is Jaguar plotting a 1 Series rival?

Jaguar is on an expansionist drive, with three new models (the XE and XF saloons and the F-Pace crossover) all due for launch in the next few months.

It has just brought on stream its new line-up of four-cylinder Ingenium engines (both petrol and diesel) and it seems that there are plans for a new line-up of powerplants, both larger and smaller, based around the Ingenium architecture.

According to Motor Trend magazine, Jaguar is planning to spin off both six- and three-cylinder engines from the current four-pot Ingenium engines. That would mean a return to the classic Jaguar straight-six configuration for the first time since 1996, when it replaced the last of the XK-series engines with the current V8 unit.

Battle of giants

All engines would be turbocharged, putting Jaguar head-to-head with BMW and also with Mercedes, which is working on its own new family of straight-six engines.

With the Ingenium engines using a 2.0-litre capacity for the four-cylinder units, a 3.0-litre capacity for the new six-cylinder seems likely, and it will replace the current 3.0-litre V6 engine from as soon as late 2016.

More intriguing still is the word that a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder engine will also be created from the same components. Such an engine would give the XE saloon a rival for BMW’s 1.5-litre three-pot engines due to go into the 316i and 316d when the 3 Series is given a facelift later this year. It will also most likely make up the internal combustion half of Jaguar’s forthcoming plugin-hybrid drivetrain, which will see service in the XE, the XF, the F-Pace and the next-generation XJ.

The existence of a smaller engine has kicked off something of a rumour mill, whose churning is suggesting that Jaguar may be working on a small hatchback rival to the BMW 1 Series, Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class. Obviously, 1.5-litre petrol and diesel turbos would make ideal power plants for such a car, but can Jaguar justify the expense?

Cost issues

BMW makes the 1 Series numbers add up by sharing its rear-drive chassis with the 2 Series and 3 Series, while Mercedes and Audi share front-drive platforms across a multitude of models. Jaguar would presumably have to decide whether to try and make the XE’s aluminium-intensive rear-drive architecture cost effective enough for a smaller, more affordable model or to find a partner with which to share a front-wheel-drive chassis.

By co-incidence, Volvo – like Jaguar, formerly part of the Ford empire – is also working on a next-generation front-drive platform for a new V40 family, and is sharing the technology with its Chinese owner, Geely. Could the two former bedfellow hook up again, to develop a small, front-drive Jag? Or will memories of the disastrous X-Type bring caution to Jaguar’s expansionist plans?