Autoblog

Click above for a gallery of the Loder1899 Jaguar XF.

Unlikely the atrocity that Galpin performed on the new Jaguar XF, the German tuners at Loder1899 recognized the cat's strong points and built a set of tasteful mods around it. The package from Loder comes equipped with a new front bumper, rear diffuser and trunk lid wing, a suspension setup that lowers the XF by 35mm and a choice of either 20- or 21-inch rollers. Across the pond, buyers can opt for the 2.7-liter V6 diesel, so Loder has employed a few tweaks on the oilburner to increase output to 249 hp (from 207) and torque to 385 lb.-ft. All that kit will cost you a cool 8,000 euro in Germany, not including assembly and painting. Hit the jump for the full press release.


[Source: Loder1899 via WCF]

Geoff Polites, who's stewardship of Land Rover and Jaguar improved the health of both properties, has succumbed after a long illness. Polites led Jaguar and Land Rover back to collective profitability, and kept a steady hand on the helm during the upheaval surrounding the sale to Tata a month ago. While rumors swirled and pundits punned, it was Polites leadership that kept Jaguar and Land Rover on an even keel, with heads down and concentrating, instead of freaking out. Polites spent 40 years in the automotive business, and rose to CEO at Jaguar Land Rover in 2005. Both brands have strong, stylish product portfolios with name cachet, and David Smith, CFO of Jaguar Land Rover will step in as acting CEO for now. Press release after the jump.

[Source: Ford]

It's been a quiet week in Cardom, so for Autoblog Podcast #92 we take time to address some of the excellent emails we've gotten at our new podcast at autoblog dot com address. Feel free to send in questions, comments, SHO-centric ribbing, whatever! We can't promise that it will make it onto the 'cast, but it just might. Before we dive into the binary mailbag, we discuss some of the vehicles that we've been sampling - so basically Damon talks about what he's been hooning around in at track events. Thanks for your 57 minutes this week!

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Arden, the German tuning firm that's been tweaking Jaguars for decades, is teasing us with this concept shot of its new Jaguar XF AJ 21. We just drove the 2009 Jaguar XF and felt the sheetmetal was lacking some excitement. In a good manner, it appears that Adren has addressed some of our concerns with its aerodynamic sport package including new front and rear bumpers, new side skirts, and a more aggressive wheel package. Look closely and you'll notice the cat is back on the hood (maybe too much redundancy, considering the badge is just below it as well?). Expect more photographs, specifications and pricing in the near future.

[Source: CoolBrit]

Click above for more high-res pics of the Jaguar XF

March 2008 was the first month of sales for the Jaguar XF, and while we haven't seen any around town yet, the Hail Mary sedan from Coventry is selling extremely well... at least by Jaguar standards. The Jaguar brand has consistently been losing sales month over month since we began reporting sales numbers in our By the Numbers posts. In February 2008, the brand sold just 1,063 units. As you've already seen, March 2008 sales numbers have been released, and the XF by itself sold 1,161 units, a number that's sure to grow as the sport sedan penetrates the media and its marketing campaign gets off the ground. Because of the XF's sales performance last month, the brand sold 1,752 units in March 2008, its best performance since July 2006 when it moved 1,997 units. If Jaguar does rebound on the back of the XF, it's too bad Ford won't be around to enjoy the fruits of its investment.


[Source: Jaguar sales numbers]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the Galpinized Jaguar XF.

It's been argued that the Jaguar XF lost a lot of the edge that it's conceptual predecessor displayed on the show stand. The end result was less than thrilling, but the available powerplants and sumptuous interior may have made up for the exterior's shortcomings. Galpin Jaguar, the largest volume Jag dealership in the States, has decided to pull an Emeril on the XF and kick it up a notch through a custom, two-tone paint scheme, 22-inch, color-matched Forgiato wheels, smoked tail lamps and "blacked-out" window trim. Thankfully, Galpin has left most of the interior intact, save the wood trim and matching black and burgundy leather seats. Overall, the effect ranges from cruel to unusual, and as such, we're considering a call to the Hague.

Check Galpin's full press release after the jump.

click above for high-res gallery of the Jaguar XF

The Jaguar XF goes on sale worldwide in the UK, Europe and North America on March 10. A simultaneous debut in multiple markets is reportedly a first for Jaguar, as is this initial heavy demand for a brand new model. Automotive News reports that Jaguar has 10,000 customer deposits in hand for the new Jaguar XF, with 3,000 orders in the U.S. alone. Jaguar, a near constant fixture as Autoblog's Biggest Loser every month in our By The Numbers report of monthly sales figures, sold just 664 cars in the U.S. last month. We bet that come the end of March, it will no longer hold that dubious honor.

We knew demand would be big, as Jaguar dealers reported having to create informal waiting lists for the sports sedan, which will be sold with no mark ups on a first come, first serve basis. The successor to the stylish but slow-selling S-Type, the XF will start at $49,975 and come with a 300-hp V8 as standard. So far it's been a darling of the media, who, like us, claim that it has to be seen in person to appreciate the design. No one knows how many XF sedans Jaguar plans to sell annually, but we've heard estimates of 20,000 and Land Rover has additional production capacity if it's needed.

Seeing an automaker completely reverse its fortunes overnight is a rare sight, but we may witness that happen when the dust settles after March 10th. Thousands of XF sales will in turn mean more sales of the XK to new buyers who just dropped by a dealership to check out that "hot new sedan" everyone's talking about. Jaguar would be well advised to put a rush order on delivering the new XJ to market to complete its lineup's reinvention.


[Source: Automotive News]

The Jaguar XK may have been the subject of the aptly-named "Gorgeous" campaign, but the four-door XF is set to take its turn in the limelight. Since it's due to hit dealer showrooms on March 1, the first TV commercials are invading both our airwaves and YouTube, as evidenced by the :30 spot after the jump. Jaguar's marketing hired guns opted for the typical fast cuts of sex on wheels mixed with good-looking people getting frisky over a soundtrack of "Hush" by Deep Purple. Good stuff. Let's hope it helps folks remember Jaguar's not dead. Thanks for the tip, Chad!

[Source: YouTube]

British car guide WhatCar? has announced its 2008 car of the year awards. The categories range from supermini to performance, and every class in-between. Throughout the results common themes are apparent. No matter what type of vehicle they are looking for, British consumers are in need of everyday practicality along with fuel economy. Practicality comes in the form of tight packages that do not sacrifice storage space or good handling characteristics. Fuel economy comes in the form of small diesel engines powering almost every vehicle on the list. WhatCar? also seems to have a bit of a bias towards makes with British heritage. It named the Jaguar XF 2.7D V6 Luxury their overall 2008 Car of the Year. The Jag was also the winner of the executive car category. They noted that the car's classic refined Jaguar design mixed with modern details is what won them over.

[Source: WhatCar?]

The Apple iPhone has been on everyone's wish list since it hit the streets this summer. Jaguar is using its web marketing savvy to piggy-back Apple's success by offering a new XF magazine made specifically for its touch-screen devices (don't forget the iPod Touch). Owners can go to jxfphone.com (it works for PC and MAC also) to view pics, rich-looking videos, and plenty of marketing info on the new four-wheeled feline. It works great on the iPhone, and with lots of new touch-enabled mobile phones on the way, Jaguar is smart to create a touch-friendly marketing site to feed the ever-growing population of mobile surfers.

[Source:Jaguar]