British luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover launched Jaguar’s new compact sports sedan XE in Seoul on Thursday with the ambition to create a “game changer” in the segment where German carmakers are dominant. 

Bigger competitors of Jaguar XE in the luxury entry-level sedan market are BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes C-Class.

“We are going to deliver British premium experience to young car buyers here who seek differentiation,” Baek Jung-hyun, president of Jaguar Land Rover Korea, said in a press conference, held during the new car launch event in Seoul.

The company expects Jaguar XE to play a key role to boost the sales volume of Jaguar Land Rover in Korea.

”Fast growing Korea is a globally important market. Jaguar Land Rover Korea has grown around 40 percent per year on average for the past five years,” Baek said. Korea is the fifth largest market in the world for Jaguar and eighth largest market for Land Rover.

Innovation is one of the keywords being used to define the new Jaguar XE, Baek said. The British sports sedan boasts an unrivaled light weight in the segment, as more than 75 percent of body structure of the Jaguar XE is based on aluminum.

Jaguar‘s new four-cylinder 2.0-liter Ingenium diesel engine offers improved dynamism in driving, the company said.

In styling, Jaguar XE has a sporty look with cues taken from the F-Type sports car. Regarding in-car tech, the XE’s InControl Touch infotainment system features full Apple and Android smartphone connectivity.

XE offers customers five trim options, depending on engine type and engine displacement options. The price of the five XE models ranges from 47.6 million won ($40,800) to 69 million won.

Besides XE, Jaguar will debut its new mid-size sedan XF and F-pace crossover early next year, the company added. 

By Seo Jee-yeon(jyseo@heraldcorp.com)