Wald is giving older-generation Jaguar XJ owners something to get excited about. Part of their Black Bison line, Wald has introduced a new styling package for the XJ transforming the aesthetics and giving the luxury sedan a much sportier look. Along with the kit, customers can opt for a set of Wald wheels and a quad-tipped exhaust system.

The kit itself will replace the XJ’s outdated front bumper, side skirts and rear bumper. Additions include a subtle lip spoiler for the trunk and a rear window spoiler, giving the XJ a sporty style in the rear. The front bumper comes standard with LED daytime running lights, but customers can also opt for LED additions on the mirrors and fenders. Though wheel and tire packages can be custom tailored to what the customer wants, Wald chose to outfit their XJ with a set of 21-inch chrome wheels that in our opinion, doesn’t fit the Jaguar well.

GALLERY: Wald Black Bison Jaguar XJ

[Source: Zercustoms]

Today, a report was released regarding the possibility of Tata motors entering a joint engine-development program with Jaguar Land Rover. Tata is currently India’s leading automaker by sales, and presently obtains engines from Jaguar and Land Rover models from the brand’s previous owner, Ford Motor Co.

Tata feels that the joint engine-development program would allow another step forward to establishing the brands’ independence from Ford(Tata bought Jaguar Land Rover from Ford in 2008). ”To optimize the synergistic strengths between JLR and Tata Motors in India, an examination is also under way on a joint engine development program which would have manufacturing facilities both in the U.K. and India,” explained Ratan Tata

Tata Motors sold 62,090 Jaguar and Land Rovers globally for the fiscal year, up 9 percent from the previous year, according to the company. Jaguar Land Rover North America sold 23,702 vehicles in the U.S in the first six months of 2011, up 13.9 percent over the first six months of 2010.

[Source: Automotive News]

Jaguar hasn’t won at Le Mans since 1990, or when the XJS was just starting to get long in the tooth. But parent company Tata is interested in a return to the prototype class, with an LMP1 car of its own.

Hopefully Jaguar will replicate any of its seven past wins, the most recent with the XJR-12. ”We are monitoring developments in motorsport around the world,” said a spokesman for Jaguar, whose parent company Tata Motors is crunching the numbers necessary for a return. Jaguar already competes in the GT2 class with the XKR.

No concrete information has been given on the plan, or even a date for anything, but at least their head’s in the game now. And it’ll be interesting to see them battle it out against Porsche’s own hybrid-fueled return to LMP1 for more cross-continental rivalries!

[Source: Autosport]

Mercedes-Benz dealerships have been awarded the top spot for the third consecutive year in an independent study issued on yesterday using secret shoppers to determine how customers are treated. Both Jaguar and Lexus tied for second place with Toyota and Chrysler being the best among mass-market brands in the Pied Piper study.

Mercedes-Benz has been locked into a tight race with BMW to overtake Lexus this year as the top-selling brand in the U.S market however Lexus lost sales caused by the March earthquake in Japan halting production. Mitsubishi and Suzuki finished at the bottom of the survey due to low volume sales. Lincoln scored the worst among luxury brands falling to below the industry average and Ford fell to bellow the industry average as well.

In total, 3,524 “mystery shoppers” were sent to U.S dealerships rating how sales people performed in explaining the features of the car to finalizing a sale.

[Source: Automotive News]

Jaguar has announced that the XF will have a wagon variant but only in Europe. There probably won’t be a wagon version in the U.S, but we can live vicariously through the Europeans for a few minutes.

The most important detail given was that “It will be slightly different, with character and panache,” which may mean it could be noticeably different from the XF line (other than the back end). However no info has been release regarding price even though Jag had planned to have an XF wagon in the lineup. Last December, Jaguar’s global brand director said we would see the wagon “shortly”.

We will have to wait and see what the XF wagon will look like and, how it stacks up against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Audi A6 Avant and the BMW 5-Series.

In commemoration of the Jaguar E-type’s 50th anniversary, a 91.9-foot tall sculpture has taken center stage for this years Goodwood Festival of Speed.

This gigantic steel structure constitutes nearly half a kilometer of steel pipes, which were originally intended for use as a gas pipeline. The material for this structure was donated by Tata Steel, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, which currently owns Jaguar. It looks massive and with a curb weight of 336,000 lbs. it is heavy too.

This structure is the work of Gerry Judah, who has been working on it since January. It took 10-days to erect it and the work was undertaken by a firm that usually builds bridges.

Typically the annual monument at the Goodwood Festival of Speed incorporates cars on it, but Judah didn’t want that, saying; “The E-type is famous for its shape but too small and delicate to hoist into the air. I thought I would like to express the form of the car itself without any embellishments. Everyone recognizes the E-type, the shape speaks for itself. You can’t compete with it, you can’t digress from it.”

The festival starts today and will run until July 3rd.

Jaguar’s new high performance XKR-S is the fastest car in its lineup since the XJ220 supercar built twenty years ago. Jaguar is now considering installing the same 542-hp 5.0-liter supercharged V8 in the XK convertible and XF sedan. The XKR-S convertible and coupe will have identical aerodynamic upgrades feauturing front and rear carbon-fiber spoilers as well as extra front air scoops and wider fender arches. This Jaguar is capable of reaching 186 mph and looks absolutely fantastic.

The XF will also receive an “S” model featuring improved power with a new 0-60 time of around 4 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph. The XFR-S will supposedly cost around $25,000 more than the regular XFR so it is fairly expensive. However this car is supposed to give the BMW M5 a run for its money and will also compete with the Mercedes-Benz E-Class AMG.

Both the XKR-S convertible and the XFR-S sedan will receive the active exhaust system that opens for more power and sound during performance driving, as well as the variable-rate dampers.

[Source: Motor Trend]

Jaguar has plans to change its badging and drop the brand name from appearing on the lineup of luxury vehicles. The word ‘Jaguar’ will soon be replaced from the back of production cars within two or three years, the firm’s design boss confirmed. ”Eventually we will take the name off and just leave the leaper,” said Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design director.

“When people see the XF they won’t know what it is, so they will look for a name badge. That’s why we’ve left it on, but put the leaper there as well. The name will go probably on production cars within two or three years.”

The traditional text-based badge will be replaced leaving the prominent Jaguar big cat leaper. The plan is to faze out the text badge, and with exposure to the leaper badge, people will become familiar over time and not need to locate the text badge on the back to identify the brand.

[Source: Autoblog]

The first crossover/SUV from Jaguar will bow in 2014 as a 2015 model year vehicle according to a new report.

The unnamed machine is likely to be a large one and take on the likes of the Audi Q7 and BMW X5. To help keep weight down Jag will use an aluminum body, as with the current XJ and XK.

Engines could range from a turbocharged 2.2-liter 4-cylinder from the Evoque, or a 3.0-liter V6, to the automakers new 5.0-liter V8. In addition to a high-performance R version, a hybrid is being considered.

The vehicle will be targeted towards customers in the U.S. as well as to in emerging markets like China and Russia, with Jag’s goal to quadruple sales from 50,000 units to 200,000 over the next decade.

[Source: TopGear]

The Jaguar E-Type is arguably the most beautiful sports car ever made. Ever since it was introduced back in 1961, many car companies have tried to copy its iconic shape, yet none have gotten the same effect.

Even Jaguar have tried to revive the E-type design in recent history with cars like their XK, but have failed to capture the elegance and beauty of the original.

A thing of beauty it might be, but an E-Type is hardly the most reliable car you can own. So what to do if you want to own a E-Type but also want modern technology and reliability thrown into the package? You get yourself an Eagle E-Type.

Eagle has been modernizing the E-Type since 1982 and their attention to detail have brought them much fame. Top Gear’s Jeremy Clarkson even named the Eagle E-Type as his pick for “The Car of the Century.”

Now Eagle is set to bring a new toy to the annual automotive party called Salon Privé. This annual event in London, U.K. attracts all the exotic car makes, and Eagle hopes to make a positive impression with their new E-Type Speedster.

Judging by the pictures, they should have no problem attracting admiring glances. It should perform as well as it looks also. The 4.7-liter, straight-six cylinder engine produces 310 hp and 340 lb/ft of torque, paired to a five-speed manual gearbox. Combine that with its weight of just 2,222 lbs., and it gives you the power to weight ratio of the new Porsche 911 Turbo.

Eagle believes this Speedster model will accelerate from 0-60 mph in under five-seconds, and can top 160 mph.

No prices have been announced yet, but if you happen to be in London between June 22 to 24, you can see this car in person in the Syon Park section of  Salon Privé.

[Source: World Car Fans]

Jaguar plans to move the XF, it’s current bread and butter model, up in size for the car’s next redesign, scheduled for 2015. In addition, the company will augment its product offerings, with a new smaller car at around the same time.

The main motivation for up-sizing the next generation XF, comes from the car’s German competition, particularly the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5-series, which Jag boss Adrian Hallmark notes “given that [these models] have moved up in size, so will the next XF.”

Originally, Jaguar had planned to offer a new, baby offering ahead of the XF redesign, but there were some that felt it could potentially steal sales away from the current XF, the car which ‘saved,’ Jaguar, since the two models would likely be harder to differentiate.

Hallmark is strongly enthusiastic about the idea of a new smaller Jaguar, but along with engineering chief Bob Joyce, believes that the car has to be designed and engineered exactly right for its target audience, avoiding the same mistakes the company got into when it launched the Ford Mondeo based X-Type.

“We’ve got to be careful and not be too British and think that just because we didn’t hit the bullseye first time, we can’t hit it a second time,” Hallmark said.

[Source: Autocar]

Everyone’s favourite car show will return to television on June 12. The hit BBC show Top Gear has been on break since the 16th season ended on February 27 with only 6 episodes. Some of the highlights of last season included Hammond driving the Porsche 959 and Ferrari F40, May driving around in NASA’s new lunar rover and Clarkson racing the sun in a Jaguar XJ.

What can be expected from the new season? Unofficial sources reported that Prince Harry may be a guest on the Top Gear track. However you can bet the trio will be putting the McLaren MP4-12C and the Lamborghini Aventador through their paces.

[Source: Autoblog]

Parent company Tata is serious about their British crowns. Over the next 5 years, they will inject 8.2 billion dollars into making sure that Jaguar and Land Rover are not only afloat, but good enough to beat the Germans.

A sizeable chunk of that money will go towards new equipment for the brands’ three manufacturing facilities in England. Some of it could also go towards a new manufacturing facility in China, as previously rumored. And $1.25 billion of that will go towards engine manufacturing, so Jaguar and Land Rover can finally break off ties with ex-owner Ford.

Overall, Tata plans to improve quality and introduce new, fuel-efficient engine technologies during the next five years—all the better to face Audi and BMW.

[Source: Road and Track]

Ralph Lauren’s prestigious sports car collection is on show for the first time at Paris’ Musée des Arts Décoratifs. Lauren is normally reluctant to publicly display his vehicles, although he last let publications such as Road & Track and Vanity Fair get a glimpse of various vehicles in his stable. Cars from manufacturers like Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar, Porsche and Ferrari will be on display. The show is on from April 28 to August 28.

[Source: The Snob Magazine]

What seemed like a pipe dream is about to become reality with Jaguar today announcing plans to put the C-X75 hybrid supercar concept into production. First unveiled at the Paris Auto Show, the stunning machine will be brought to reality thanks to a partnership between Jaguar and the Williams F1 team. Using a carbon fiber chassis, Jaguar said it plans to further explore the use of jet engines in its models through a partnership with Bladon Jets, but in order to bring the C-X75 to reality within a reasonable timeframe it will instead opt to use a “highly boosted” internal combustion engine with an electric motor at each axle.

With this drivetrain configuration Jaguar is promising a 0-60 mph time of less than 3 seconds and a 0-100 mph time of less than 6 seconds. The top speed will be above 200-mph, and Jag is also targeting an all-electric (emissions free) range of 30 miles).

“People expect Jaguar to be innovators – that is when Jaguar is at its best,” said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Brand Director. “The C-X75 received an incredible reception as a concept car. We’ve been building on that momentum and there is a clear business case for this exclusive halo model. No other vehicle will better signify Jaguar’s renewed confidence and excellence in technological innovation than this.”

In addition, Jaguar designer Ian Callum is promising the production model will stay true to the design of the concept. “This will be the finest looking and most innovative Jaguar ever produced,” he said. “Even in the world of supercars, we can still produce the most beautiful.”

Just 250 C-X75 models will be built, priced from £700,000 (roughly $1.2 million).

GALLERY: Jaguar C-X75

GALLERY: Jaguar C-X75 Debut in Paris

Jaguar has some ambitious plans to work alongside its sibling Land Rover brand. The two brands will be launching major production over the next five years with the goal of boosting Jaguar and Land Rover out of their markets and lifting them firmly into the luxury mainstream.

“We’ll be launching 40 new cars, derivatives and (major) technologies from Jaguar/Land Rover in the next five years,” said Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Global Brand Director.

New programs break down into three categories:

• *Products that slot above and below the current Jaguar and Land Rover line-up, as well as those that expand the current line-up’s appeal;
• *Products that can broaden the two brands in markets where they currently don’t have a presence;
• *Technologies that broaden the capabilities of the two brands  — possibly including new diesels, hybrids and other advanced propulsion systems.

Hallmark also confirmed the new entry-luxury model that will slip in below the current XF model as well as a higher end crossover, targeting the BMW X5 and Audi Q7. A replacement of the disliked X-Type is essential. Hallmark explained that “That segment is massive.” It is likely that fitting into that sedan segment could become “the most important piece” of Jaguar’s planned product expansion. There is also a strong possibility of a smaller crossover to enter Jaguars lineup, although, “We will not overlap” said Dr. Ralf Speth, Jaguar and Land Rover CEO.

Electric cars do have a place in Jaguar’s future product portfolio, however company officials were vague on specifics. Speth alluded to pure, battery-powered models “are not the only way to go,” suggesting more conventional hybrids and plug-ins are a more likely focus.

[Source: thedetroitbureau.com]

Flavio Briatore has quite an interesting past. Having been accused of fraud, which lead to jail time, only to re-emerge running a string of Formula-One teams, including the Benetton F1 and Renault F1 teams. He was then given a lifelong ban from the sport for trying to fix races.

Briatore was later exonerated from the charges and his ban was lifted, however he is still no longer a visible player in the world of Formula-One racing.

Briatore is also known to have lots of beautiful women around him, having dated Naomi Campbell and Heidi Klum. He is now married to lingerie model Elisabetta Gregoraci.

In addition to these noteworthy accomplishments, Briatore is an avid car collector, but has decided to get rid of a 1994 Jaguar XJ220. This all black example has covered 22,000 km and recently went through an inspection and service. The car as a result now has a new fuel tank.

The car obviously has lots of “provenance” and may even come with a “wonderful patina” – to put it politely. But with XJ220s existing in such small numbers, this may be a good opportunity to pick one up, not to mention one with a colorful past.

[Source: GT Spirit]

It’s not that often you here about new automotive job creation in the United Kingdom these days, but Jaguar is planning to do just that, by building a factory to produce a brand-new V6 engine for its XF and possibly XJ models.

Although in North America, Jaguars are currently only available with a 5.0-liter V8; in Europe, a pair of turbo diesel engines (a 2.2-liter four and 3.0-liter V6) are offered, along with the hoary old 240 horsepower 3.0-liter Ford V6.

Needless to say, given recent fuel price spikes, Jaguar needs an entry-level V6 model for U.S. buyers and this new motor will no doubt fit the bill very well. No specifics are available yet, but it is likely that this engine will be paired with the new eight-speed automatic transmission and crank out somewhere in the region of 300 hp, which will give it equal footing to current V6 offerings from the likes of the German competition, namely Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

Whether diesel Jaguars will make it to our shores, remains to be seen, but given the brand’s current status, along with its product mix here, that’s probably unlikely, at least in the short term.

[Source: Car & Driver]

One of the worst kept secrets at the New York Auto Show belong to Jaguar, which unveiled their revised XF and XK luxury cars, including a 550 horsepower XK-RS.

The XK-RS is billed as the fastest Jaguar ever, with a 550 horsepower version of the 5.0L supercharged V8. Jaguar hinted that their power rating was a bit below what the car’s actually capable of, and we’ll welcome the chance to verify this claim, as well as the car’s 186 mph top speed.

The XF sedan gets minor styling tweaks both inside and out, while the XFR gets a more aggressive bodywork treatment to help differentiate it from the more sedate members of the XF family. A new Jaguar leaping cat badge will also be found on the decklid, giving teenage vandals a new target for their hijinks.

Gallery: 2012 Jaguar XK-RS and XF

If you’re buying a Jaguar XKR, you are probably the kind of customer who expects to be swaddled in leather, but an Italian special edition tore the leather out and replaced with with plaid Alcantara.

The example pictured above is finished in a pattern known as “Prince of Wales check” and is a bit more subdued than the hipster style Buffalo plaid we were expecting. The car in question is actually a super-rare XKR 75, which already came with an exclusive leather interior. Guess this new material makes the car even more rare – but maybe not any more tasteful.

[Source: Autoblog]

Jaguar has slowly been releasing details of their new products expected to debut in the next few years, and each leak makes us more excited for what’s in store.

The new SUV is expected to help bulk up the brand’s total sales and take on cars like the Range Rover Sport, BMW X5 and Porsche Cayenne. Unlike some of the more rugged offerings in the segment, the Jaguar will use the brand’s aluminum spaceframe construction, and be oriented towards on-road performance. The main challenge will be keeping it from cannibalizing sales from Land Rover, and the two will undoubtedly share hardware to keep costs down.

Jaguar is also planning a new sports car positioned below their XK grand tourer, said to evoke the iconic E-Type of the 1960′s, while also avoiding competition with the Porsche Boxster, BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK. The new sports car will be out around the same time as Jaguar’s new small sedan and the all-wheel drive XJ sedan .

[Source: Inside Line]

If the source for this photo is correct, you’re looking at the 2012 Jaguar XF – a facelifted version of the British brand’s mid-size luxury sedan that is slated to debut at the New York Auto Show.

While the photo can’t be verified, the restyled Jag does seem to resemble what we’ve seen so far in spy photos. Plus, it’s in keeping with Jag’s new styling direction, gaining more of a family resemblance with the new XJ.

In official spy pics released recently, Jaguar also announced a new 2.2-liter diesel engine making 187-hp and 332 lb-ft of torque and mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission. While that powerplan is unlikely for North America, look for the same transmission to be fitted to the brand’s 5.0-liter V8.

Get more all the NY Auto Show debuts here.

[Source: Joke for Blog via Autoblog]

After confirming that there would be an all-wheel drive version of the Jaguar XJ, CEO Adrian Hallmark also confirmed future product plans, including a smaller sedan and a hotter version of the XFR.

Jaguar hasn’t elaborated on their plans for a new small car, but such a vehicle will be crucial for them to expand and take on other European luxury marques, as well as provide an entry point for younger, less affluent customers.

Jaguar is also planning on an XFR-S, similar to the XKR-S supercar, while a 4-cylinder diesel XF and a 6-cylinder XJ are being developed to cater to the other end of the market. The two economical engine choices will open up new markets for the XF in Europe and the XJ in China (where the 6-cylinder configuration will help the car skirt hefty import taxes).

[Source: Pistonheads]

It’s sometimes hard to believe anything you hear in the news these days. With countries still looking for bailout money (Portugal being the latest) and others struggling to climb out of recession, it would appear that austerity measures are still the norm, rather than the exception.

On the other hand, sales for some luxury goods and services, seem to be on the rise. Take the case of Jaguar Land Rover. On April 6th, the company reported that March 2011 was its best ever sales month with global growth up by some 6 percent over last year.

Much of that increase in demand came, not surprisingly, from China and India, though the UK, North America, parts of Europe and Russia also reported significant gains in vehicle sales.

Naturally Jaguar Land Rover was pleased with the results; Group Sales Operations Director Phil Popham stating that “Despite a challenging business environment, Jaguar Land Rover is flourishing on a global scale with March sales reflecting the confidence consumers have in our brands and products. We have ambitious plans to grow our business and it is clear that there is a strong appetite in the market for exciting new products, powertrains and technologies which will further improve our penetration in key markets and segments.”

Indeed. Although the global sales increase may seem by a fairly small amount; some individual markets, such as Russia for Land Rover and Germany for Jaguar; reported sales gains of almost 50 percent for the month of March. In lean economic times, that’s a sign of strong brand equity.