Autoblog

click above image to view a few more shots of the first Jaguar XF

Is today the dawn of a new era for Jaguar or just another 24 hours of circling the drain? The very first Jaguar XF sedan rolled off of the production line today at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in jolly old England, so what happens next is anyone's guess. The car is a Vapour Grey 4.2L V8 SV8 model (that's the supercharged one) and surprisingly will not be sold to the public. Despite Jaguar desperately needing the profit from every car sold, the first one is being donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection. The rest will go on sale next March in 66 markets, including the U.S. where interest in the new cat is high, at least for a Jaguar. That's a bit unfair, as the XK and XKR are gems that garner quite a bit of praise, from us included. Nevertheless, until Jaguar starts delivering the XF, we can't say whether it follows in the footsteps of the forgettable S-Type it's replacing or aspires to be the four-door version of Jaguar's wonderful coupe.

[Source: Jaguar]