Jaguar needs to compete with volume kings like the BMW 3-Series and they will be doing so by leveraging sex appeal above all else.

“Design has got to be a benchmark,” said Jaguar North American CEO Andy Goss on the sidelines of the Chicago Auto Show. “We know the areas,” he said, but declined to go into specific detail about the car before emphasizing again that the Jaguar needs to set the design bar.

But as we all know, looks alone can’t keep you floating long, although Jaguar is ready for that too.

“I think increasingly… if you want to compete with the Germans, if we’re going to live our true brand promise of actually having a car that’s very emotionally engaging, driving dynamics is really, really key,” Goss said.

That’s easier said than done as makers often try and fail to recreate benchmark Bimmer driving dynamics. For example, Lexus has long struggles to do that with the IS.

Although driving dynamics will be key for Jaguar, it won’t need to be the car’s main focus. It’s silly to speculate about how a car that doesn’t exist drives, but Goss hinted at how brand engineers will think while building the German compact competitor.

“When you drive the F-Type, you’l know all the work the engineers have put in there to make sure [it] really is a bonified true sports car,” Goss said. “Realistically, the same type of process will have to apply to a 3 Series [competitor].”