From the luxurious XE to delectable F-Type, Jaguar, till now, had four models on offer in Qatar. Yesterday, they added a fifth. And this could prove to be their most important model in this market.
The F-Pace sees the Jaguar brand enter into the world of SUVs and yesterday, Alfardan Premier Motors Co, the exclusive retailer of Jaguar in Qatar, unveiled the luxurious crossover in Doha.    
The British brand calls it the world’s ultimate practical sportscar. And when you have a vehicle which has a 0 to 100kmph time of 5.8 seconds, you can sense where the focus is. The F-Pace uses the same 3.0-litre supercharged V6 petrol from the F-Type producing the same 340PS as in the sportscar. You can also upgrade to the 380PS variant. And that will increase your 0-100kmph bragging rights by 0.3 seconds.  
Ian Callum, Jaguar Cars design director, has worked his magic on the F-Pace too. The lean, mean look up front, accentuated by the LED ‘J’ blade DRLs is well complimented by the stylish tail lamps (similar to the F-Type) at the back. It comes loaded with luxury features, just like any Jaguar does.   
Luxury SUVs is a fast-growing segment and Yann Thepaut, regional business manager for Jaguar Land Rover Mena, believes that with the F-Pace, Jaguar will now be able to make quite a bit of noise in that category.
“SUVs are the fastest growing segment in the automotive industry at the moment so it’s very important for Jaguar to be there.  Coming from a sedan and sports car only scenario and not having an SUV, we are talking to a much wider audience now than in the past,” Thepaut told Gulf Times yesterday.
The F-Pace aims to be one-upping on its competitors by providing a more involving experience. “When you compare the F-Pace to the competitors, this is a lighter, sportier and affordable vehicle. We see this as a vehicle for the family who want the driving experience of a sports car but the practicality of having a larger vehicle with lots of space inside. We are looking at young families in Qatar, the ones who have the passion for driving,” said Thepaut.    
SUVs and Qatar are almost a synonym and Jaguar is banking on that to rake in the numbers. “If you compare this SUV with the rest of the Jaguar line-up, we have more ambitious targets than the other models. It fits better in the Qatari market which is largely oriented towards SUVs,” said Thepaut.