In a surprising move, Jaguar’s global brand director Adrian Hallmark has informed CAR & DRIVER that it plans to ditch its rear wheeled drive philosophy and adopted all wheel drive on majority of its models in the next 3 years. The last all wheeled drive Jaguar was the X type which was not really a bespoke Jag because it was based on the Ford Mondeo platform.
This surprising move is because Jaguar is continuously losing its market share to the Germans in its prime market – USA. In order to stay afloat, the leaping cat needs to change its core philosophy and change with times.
The Jaguar XF (5 Series competitor) and XJ (S-Class rival) will the first ones to adopted the AWD architecture and the time frame given is the next 3 years. Converting a rear wheeled drive car into al all wheeled drive one is very expensive and almost cost prohibiting. But Jaguar is ready to dump its funds and take the risk. The XK will not be touched for now.
The XJ is doing well internationally against the other vehicles in the segment, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. The XF hasn’t done well since its 2008 launch in the international markets. The addition of all-wheel drive should help boost sales numbers and improve ratios against brands like Mercedes, VW and Audi.
The Jaguar XJ (a.k.a The Big Cat) and XF are all set to receive a brand new V6 by 2014. The rising fuel prices have certainly affected the luxury car market as well. Most manufacturers have started offering an entry level V6 for the less spirited chauffeurs 
The engine will be used across all global markets, replacing the Ford-based 3.0L V6. The expected power will be around 300 bhp and Jaguar is targeting 11.9 kmpl.
It makes sense to have an entry level petrol model with less focus on performance and more on fuel efficiency. And for those who want to do a bit of spirited driving can opt for engines with larger amount of power at a higher price point.
Entry posted on June 15, 2010 by
Naveen;
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Jaguar XJ is a very special car to me. When I first caught a glimpse of the test car without any badges in Silverstone, UK back in July 2009, I thought the mighty Jaguar would be taking on the Rolls Royce Phantom and the Bentleys. Only when the car was officially launched as an XJ, I realized this car is going to compete against the best of Germany- the S-class, 7-series and the A8.
The presence of the Jaguar XJ is immense, the car is longer than a 7-series, wider than a Rolls Royce Phantom and sexier than a Maserati Quattroporte. The car is typically a Jaguar, pure British charm.
Tata’s ownership of Jaguar popularized the brand even more and the Jaguars always had a market in India. Till now Jaguar has been selling only XFs, XKs and now Jaguar would begin deliveries of the XJ for its customers.
Tata brought Jaguar and Land Rover to India in June 2009 and it is more than happy with Jaguar’s performance in the Indian market. Tata claims Jaguar is doing better in India than its German rivals from Mercedes, BMW and Audi. Tata is also planning to increase the number of Jaguar dealers from 2 to 8 in the coming months.
The car would be a CBU import and would come with a 5.0l naturally aspirated V8 petrol engine producing 385 bhp and 515 Nm of torque. The car comes with a 6-speed automatic tranny with paddle shifts. This car is extremely opulent and is loaded to the gills.
click through to read the press release
Scoop! Autocar’s spy photographers have caught a heavily disguised next generation Jaguar Xj undergoing testing. It is understood that the XJ is just a few weeks from being unveiled and scheduled for the market in 2010.
