Car Throttle

One of the consequences of the financial crisis was Ford jettisoning most of its luxury operations. Aston Martin, Volvo and Jaguar/Land Rover were all sold off. This is despite previously dumping billions into these companies. The case with Jaguar was interesting; right after being sold the company began to experience success with the all-new XF sedan. That has continued with the XJ sedan. When the XF was launched, it was well regarded as a handsome design. However, we were collectively spoiled by the C-XF concept car that preceded it. The overall shape of the production car was the same, but key design details were different. Apparently, that is because the concept was designed further along in the development process of the XF, once the production

Auto Shows these days are a mix of really exciting debuts, and a lot of updates. Some of these updated models are interesting, but not really worth an entire article to themselves.  I've saved you the time of clicking a thousand links to consolidate the rest of the significant debuts at the NYIAS (New York International Auto Show) this year. Revised Jaguar XK and XF Models There's nothing really wrong with the XK and XF models, which are some of Jag's most competitive models to date.  But the breakneck pace of the market dictates that if it's been out three years, it's already looking old.  Enter the new XF (left) and the new XK (right.)  The revised styling on the XF is intended to mimic Jag's

Jaguar and Land Rover have been doing quite well for themselves lately in terms of a new introductions. The new Jaguar XF mid-size sedan has been a hit product, the range-topping (and high profit margin) XJ is coming, and at Land Rover sales of the Range Rover have held up better than expected. It appears that those combined factors are helping the Jaguar and Land Rover to move from red to black. In the world of business as well as fashion, black is always in. India's Tata Motors, who owns the two British luxury brands, recently reported sales and financial results for the quarter ending September 30th. In that that time, sales for Jaguar Land Rover increased by about 23%, for a total of 44,300 vehicles compared to

Nonstop news has surrounded Cadillac and the CTS-V ever since Lutz challenged all comers to beat him in the CTS-V.  The CTS-V Challenge was born out of this and is set to take place this Thursday, October 29th at the Monticello Motor Club in New York. In past articles on the CTS-V Challenge, we have reported various automakers turning down requests by journalists to attend the event.Jalopnik's Wes Siler originally planned to attend the event in a Mercedes, but was turned down. Jaguar was the only one to accept the challenge by offering a vehicle, the Jaguar XFR. Now, they are pulling out, and that leaves no manufacturer representation of any kind at the event that we are aware of. In other words, there really is

With the XF, Jaguar has been experiencing something of a sales renaissance in markets across the globe. In the United Kingdom, Jaguar's home market, estates (what we call in America wagons) are big sellers. Kind of like crossovers are here in America, they are essential to a brand's success. If Jaguar is to be operating at it's full potential, it's a must for them to get in on that market with an estate variant of the XF. Even Cadillac has saw fit to develop a wagon model for the CTS (and a beautiful one at that) along with a coupe to go along with the sedan. Given Jaguar's overseas presence is much greater than Cadillac, it only makes having one all that more important. For enthusiasts, the biggest

This coupe-like sedan trend just isn't going away, and based on what I've been seeing, that is a good thing indeed. Mercedes-Benz started this whole thing with the CLS, and other high-end manufacturers like Porsche and Aston Martin followed. Audi has one coming in the form of the A7 Sportback, and Jaguar might be joining the fray as well, albeit at a lower level. The new model is code-named RD7 and is supposedly similar to the RD6 concept that debuted in 2003. The RD7 won't be a high-end range topper; in fact it would be the exact opposite, serving as the brand's new entry-level model. Think Audi A5 Sportback in terms of size and positioning. Jaguar's renaissance has taken place at the higher end, with the outstanding

Jaguar is on a product renaissance as of late! The XK and XF have  been hit products and it looks like the recently-introduced XJ flagship is following in those footsteps as well. We've never quite seen a Jaguar lineup like this! Hopefully, it will be enough to bring the brand to profitability. If this all-star lineup of cars can't, nothing can. Even under Ford's ownership, it is has been long rumored that Jaguar was planning an XE roadster to compete against Porsche's highly successful Boxster. Nothing ever came of it as it was delayed over and over again. Now Jaguar is being managed right and it looks like it finally could make it's way to production. Ratan Tata, head of Tata Motors (the company that owns

If you're like me, no information on the Jaguar XJ is too much. This car has been a long time coming huh? Jaguar started a new style of future vehicles when it debuted the XK. Everyone was impressed but eager to see if the company would follow through with a similar style for the rest of the lineup. That's where the XF came in, and it definitely lived up to the XK's promise. Orders poured in and the XF put Jaguar back on the map, setting the stsge for a new flagship. It was a long progression: spy shots, renderings and leaks that came out drip by drip. It's here now though, and the base price of $72,500 just announced yesterday. It slipped past me somehow but

Jaguar has used aluminum structures extensively in it's flagship models the XJ and XK. Using aluminum enables there to be a significant reduction in weight, and a host of other improvements that comes along with that. For instance higher fuel economy that results in lower consumption and emissions, etc. The weight savings are quite pronounced - for instance the XF sedan weighs more than the new XJ. While costly, aluminum has a lot of benefits and apparently Jaguar will be employing them more in the future. I think it's a good idea - it's something that has and will continue to help Jaguar differentiate itself from others in the luxury segment. The lighter weight really does deliver a host of benefits.  The real news here is that it

Wow! The new Jaguar XJ has been officially unveiled. James covered some of the leaked pictures of the car earlier, and now the official pictures are out. I've posted about the XJ endlessly as Jaguar leaked information about the car bit by bit over the months. Renderings, spy shots, you name it - the new XJ is a huge launch for Jaguar. And now, it's finally here. Was it worth the wait? Let's find out! To me that answer is unequivocally yes! The XJ has lived up to all the expectations bestowed upon it, helping to usher in a new era for Jaguar.  The Jaguar renaissance started with the XK, followed with the XF and now is being completed with the new XJ. As predicted, the car