Jaguar is all set to expand the sales of the firm’s brand new XF sportbrake outside Europe. Recently, the UK based sports car maker released pictures of the new model ahead of its debut at the Geneva auto show next week. The new model Jaguar is said to be the most versatile Jaguar ever created and the XF Sportbrake is exclusively based on the chassis of the XF saloon and shares that car’s front end. The new Jaguar XF Sportbrake shares underpinnings with the XF sedan, but the Sportbrake’s overall length only grew by just 0.19 (5mm) and weight only grew by 154 pounds (70kg), when compared with the XF sedan.

Jaguar has to revamp every panel on the XF Sportbrake model beginning from the B-Pillar rearwards. The strong silver signature line running the length of the car is extended while the C-Pillar is finished in gloss black, a trait shared with the XJ sedan. The thin rear light units expand into a strong chrome cross member that overwhelms the rear of the car and the result would be a car that blends style and function with the rear seat occupants benefiting from 1.8 inches (48mm) of extra rear headroom. Measuring 145 gallons that is around 550 liters with the rear seats up, the trunk is bordered by a set of useful cubby compartments. With the rears seats folded down, the total volume grows to a startling 442 gallons (1,675 liters).

The British car manufacturer, however, has succeeded in selling XF wagon in the United States, where wagons are less popular than in Europe. A Jaguar spokesman said that they have now designed the new model only for Europe, but in long term it might go to other markets. “The new car will give us access to an additional 30 percent of the medium-premium car market,” he added. The competition of XF Sportbrake will be against wagon versions of the BMW 5 series, Audi A6 and Mercedes-Benz E class. The new sedan will be diesel only with the choice of a 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine or a 3.0-liter V-6.m. The prices of the new models will be announced closer to the market introduction in the third quarter of this year. According to market researchers JATO Dynamics, the XF sedan is the best seller among Jaguar’s three-model lineup, with sales declining nearly 18 percent to 16,700 XFss in Europe last year.

via Autonews