Jaguar releases a teasing first look at XF Sportbrake

A tantalising glimpse of the car’s shape on centre court and, left, Jaguar director of design Ian Callum and head groundsman Neil Stubley JAGUAR has unveiled the first teaser image of its next all-new car – the XF Sportbrake.

The new vehicle – an estate version of Jaguar’s mid-range XF saloon – is set to be fully unveiled this summer.

Jaguar has released an image of the new Sportbrake from above, offering a tantalising glimpse of what the new premium estate will look like.

To whet people’s appetites further, the Coventry car maker has also used the famous Centre Court at Wimbledon as a giant canvas to create an outline hinting at the Sportbrake’s profile.

Jaguar director of design Ian Callum watched as ground staff transformed the venue’s famous white lines under the expert eye of head groundsman Neil Stubley. Wimbledon was chosen as the location for the eye-catching stunt as Jaguar is the official car partner for The Championships at Wimbledon 2017, which this year run from July 3-16.

Mr Callum said: “With XF Sportbrake we’ve created a silhouette which sweeps towards the rear, almost into the distance and really gives the car a sense of speed and sportiness.

“It will bring new levels of practicality to the range without sacrificing the dynamic design and agile handling our customers expect.”

Mr Stubley added: “Ian and I come from very different professions but the roles of head groundsman and design director at Jaguar have one thing in common – our dedication to achieving perfect precise lines.

“If we get one line out of place, the whole world will see it, so it’s vital that we achieve 100 per cent precision with every line we draw.”

The latest Jaguar XF saloon was launched towards the end of 2015 and is considerably lighter than the model it replaced, thanks to the extensive use of aluminium.

The previous generation XF Sportbrake was Jaguar’s first estate car.

Its replacement is part of a concerted new model product offensive by Jaguar, which was recently revealed to be Europe’s fastest growing car brand.

Jaguar Land Rover celebrated record-breaking sales over the last financial year with Jaguar selling 172,848 vehicles, up 83 per cent compared to the previous year.

The biggest driver was the Jaguar F-Pace, the company’s first SUV.

The car maker is expected to launch a smaller SUV, tipped to be called the E-Pace, and is also set to launch an electric crossover, the I-Pace, which has already been spotted being tested on Coventry roads.