JAGUAR is changing its spots and the new look will dramatically alter the company, its sales standing and even its dealer network.

This is no niche-play exercise either, Jaguar is walking straight into the world’s hottest market segment, Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs), with its all-new F-Pace crossover.

The F-Pace SUV is predicted to almost double Jaguar’s sales in Australia (1274 units so far this year to June 30), placing massive expectations – and strain – on its dealerships.

But the reward is global recognition of a brand that has often been either invisible, overlooked by prestige buyers, categorised as a male-only brand or one that makes cramped sports car and softly-sprung saloons.

Now the F-Pace – geared at the family with style and a rival to Porsche’s Macan, BMW’s X3 and Audi’s Q5 – hits the Australian market with an agreeable $74,340 before on-road costs entry price, and more expensive packages with further advanced drivetrains and higher levels of in-cabin sophistication.

Can the F-Pace cut the mustard in its $60,000-plus medium-size prestige SUV segment and what has Jaguar planned to make its first SUV hit its ambitious targets?

For the first six months of the year, there are 14,800 sales in the segment that the F-Pace will compete. Jaguar predicts 200-250 F-Pace sales a month, about half of the market leading Audi Q5 and BMW X3, but close to its Range Rover Evoque cousin, the Mercedes-Benz GLC and the Porsche Macan, and ahead of Volvo’s XC60 and BMW’s X4.

Jaguar plans to enter combat with a strong value message. It also highlights high levels of sophistication – particularly the advanced InTouch Pro infotainment system – and sports-oriented drive characteristics that include a competent off-road ability.

Jaguar will include customer-focused ownership programs to cut costs, including a pre-paid, transferrable, five-year service deal priced from $1100, a comprehensive, factory-backed used-car warranty and guaranteed value at end of lease.

Jaguar Australia director of sales, Andrew Phillips, said that the British-brand “believe F-Pace will be responsible for 90 per cent of conquests to Jaguar”.

“That’s a fairly ambitious number but we haven’t had an SUV before,” he said.

Jaguar Land Rover Australia managing director Matthew Wiesner said internal sales predictions have been adjusted three or four times “because the interest in the car is a lot better than we expected”.

“F-Pace has a broad appeal. It has appeal from the female buyer and Jaguar has never had that before,” he said.

“We see our rivals mainly as the BMW X4, Porsche Macan and Audi Q5. But we have the ability with the F-Pace to get into Cayenne and X5 territory.

“It has more elasticity to move between segments and to appeal to a greater number of buyers.”

Mr Wiesner said he expected some degree of cannibalisation of Land Rover (Discovery and Discovery Sport) and Range Rover (Evoque) sales – of which, sales this year to the end of June are 1498, 2256 and 1321 respectively.

“But that’s not too bad,” Mr Wiesner said. “I’d rather see people deciding between a Range Rover and a Jaguar, for example, than us and another brand.

“This is the beginning of Jaguar being a premium player with volume sales.”

Andrew Phillips said Jaguar had seen very good growth off the back of the XE which has performed better than expected and is bringing new people into Jaguar showrooms.

“With F-Pace, we’re confident it will do more,” he said. “The premium SUV market has exploded.” (see slide)

Jaguar also believes that the F-Pace will lead to sales of more XEs and XFs by bringing new customers into showrooms.

By Neil Dowling