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Current Jaguar XJ facelift.

Despite rumours that the Jaguar XJ would be canned in favour of a new, larger flagship SUV, a report by Autocar UK claims that the limo will be reinvented once more. A source close to the car maker said that the new XJ will come to market by the first quarter of 2019, with a concept model appearing by late 2018.

Despite launching the new XJ facelift last year, it was reported that Jaguar had reached a point where the XJ was removed from its future plans — the publication claims that the success of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class versus the XJ’s poor sales performance, on top of other factors, nearly put an end to the flagship’s existence.

“If you want the room of an XJ, you might as well buy an XF — there’s not much in it — but the whole point of luxury is indulgence, so you need a car like that, something that acts as the bookend for the brand. I think we will always have that,” said Jaguar’s design chief, Ian Callum when asked about the XJ recently.

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Back on the cards, the next-gen flagship Jaguar is said to feature a semi carbon-fibre body similar to that of the new BMW 7 Series, and will ride on the current aluminium D7a architecture. A new V6 hybrid powertrain has been suggested too — one that is based on the three-cylinder Ingenium mill being developed for the Range Rover Evoque hybrid.

Rather than focus on a new exterior design language, Jaguar is said to be working on a whole new luxurious cabin for the XJ. Its top priorities also include developing latest-gen tech to rival the likes of the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and the BMW 7 Series. Autonomous driving is also a part of the picture.

GALLERY: Current-gen Jaguar XJ facelift

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