Work on Chery-Jaguar Land Rover's assembly plant in the Chinese region of Changshu is well underway and we expect to see the first cars roll out in July 2014. The plant will have an installed capacity of 130,000 units/annum, out of which, 30,000 units will be Jaguar models.
According to local Chinese media reports, Jaguar will add a long wheelbase version of the XF, which has been specifically developed for China, to their portfolio. The long wheelbase XF will be assembled at this China plant, and will compete with the likes of the Mercedes E Class L (launched a couple of months ago), Audi A6 L and BMW 5 Series Li.
It certainly makes sense for Jaguar to spawn a long wheelbase model on the XF, given that China sees brisk sales for extended wheelbase luxury cars, and that the competition already have their respective offerings in this segment.
The long wheelbase XF would be available with two engine options. The base models will be powered by a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine producing 241 PS and 340 Nm of torque, while the higher variants will source their power from a 3.0-liter supercharged engine producing 340 PS and 450 Nm of torque.
We expect to learn about the dimensions of the stretched XF in the coming days. A preview at the upcoming Beijing Motor Show cannot be ruled out.
