Many have tried and literally all have failed. The BMW M3, without question, has been the benchmark high-performance mid-size luxury sedan for years. The Mercedes C63 AMG is often a close second. And now that the Jaguar XE has officially launched, there've been plenty of rumors that a high-performance version is on the way. Well, the rumors are true. According to Autocar, Jaguar is currently developing an M3-rivaling XE-R, and the brand's supercharged V6 S with 335 hp simply won't cut it.

Instead, Jaguar wants to further utilize the 5.0-liter V8 with 488 hp found in the top-of-the-line F-Type. Various other things will be adapted from the XE including a recalibrated eight-speed automatic transmission and retuned adaptive dampers. Expect to see various exterior modifications and beefier wheels. Jaguar Special Operations may even further optimize the car by upping output to 542 hp in order to outgun the upcoming Audi RS4. So when will the XE-R arrive? A Jaguar official stated they "need to get the next year to 18 months over and the new products established" (i.e. the F-Pace crossover). At that point there'll be further investment available due to a doubled sales volume.