Motor Authority - blog Category: XJ

The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is a holiday tradition for many, but not all the cars that have been offered in the book over the years have proved as collectible as the buyers might have hoped. Fifty eager Jaguar buyers have placed their bets against that eventuality for this year's offering, as the 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition sold out in just four hours.

Sales started noon Eastern time last Friday, and before close of business, all 50 examples of the car were spoken for, with just four hours and four minutes required to move every last one of them.

Priced at $105,000, that's a cool $5.25 million, or about $1.3...

The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is a holiday tradition for many, but not all the cars that have been offered in the book over the years have proved as collectible as the buyers might have hoped. Fifty eager Jaguar buyers have placed their bets against that eventuality for this year's offering, as the 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition sold out in just four hours. Sales started noon Eastern time last Friday, and before close of business, all 50 examples of the car were spoken for, with just four hours and four minutes required to move every last one of them. Priced at $105,000, that's a cool $5.25 million, or about $1.3 million per hour. Not too shabby even by Neiman Marcus and Jaguar standards. As fast as that is, however, it's not the quickest seller Neiman Marcus has seen. In 2006, the Neiman Marcus BMW M6 sold 50 units in just one minute, 32 seconds. The Neiman Marcus XJL features a unique appearance package, with Celestial Black paint and navy/ivory interior leather with Zebrano matte wood accents. Twenty-inch split-spoke alloy wheels, illuminated tread plats and a custom nameplate that denotes each car's 1-50 serial number also mark the car out as something beyond the typical production 2010 Jaguar XJL. Read our release story for full details on the 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition to see what all but 50 of us are missing out on. Read More

The 2010 Jaguar XJ was just released this summer, but as Jaguar gears up for the holiday season, it is releasing a limited-edition run of 50 XJL Supercharged cars for Neiman Marcus's holiday catalog.

The 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition, as the car is exhaustively titled, features exactly what you'd expect: the extended-wheelbase 2010 Jaguar XJL platform, a 470-horsepower Eaton supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine and custom Neiman Marcus special-edition interior and exterior treatments.

Navy and ivory leather mate with Zebrano matte wood accents inside the cabin, while illuminated tread plates and a custom nameplate on the...

The 2010 Jaguar XJ was just released this summer, but as Jaguar gears up for the holiday season, it is releasing a limited-edition run of 50 XJL Supercharged cars for Neiman Marcus's holiday catalog. The 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition, as the car is exhaustively titled, features exactly what you'd expect: the extended-wheelbase 2010 Jaguar XJL platform, a 470-horsepower Eaton supercharged 5.0-liter V-8 engine and custom Neiman Marcus special-edition interior and exterior treatments. Navy and ivory leather mate with Zebrano matte wood accents inside the cabin, while illuminated tread plates and a custom nameplate on the interior mark the car out as a member of the limited-edition run. The exterior is painted in an exclusive Celestial Black metallic color. The holiday sale of the Neiman Marcus Edition marks the Jaguar XJ's sales launch as well. “Being a part of The Neiman Marcus Christmas Book is a spectacular way to launch the Jaguar XJ, one of the most anticipated new luxury cars in the market this year," says Richard Beattie, Jaguar's executive vice president, marketing & sales. This is the third time a Jaguar has been selected as the featured vehicle in the Book. In 1968, the XKE Grand Touring Coupe was featured, and most recently, the 1997 Jaguar XK8 Convertible. Not content to just put together a custom appearance package, the 2010 Jaguar XJL Supercharged Neiman Marcus Edition also comes complete with a five-piece fitted luggage set in matching navy blue leather. Reservations for the car open Friday, October 16 at noon Eastern time, and you can make yours by calling 1-866-524-6963. The list price is $105,000. The standard 2010 Jaguar XJ will begin arriving in showrooms in early 2010. Read our story on the car's reveal for more details on the 2010 Jaguar XJ, including an extensive photo gallery. Read More

It's not even out yet and already the 2010 Jaguar XJ is grabbing headlines all across the spectrum--from its controversial roofline and C-pillar to a possibly illegal dual-view navigation screen, the next XJ is pushing boundaries. Following on that theme, the 2010 XJ will also include a relatively new technology as standard equipment: HD Radio.

The HD Radio feature will be offered throughout Jaguar's North American territory.  The 2010 XJ is available for order, but won't be hitting dealerships until early next year. If you just can't wait, the XKR and XFR also offer HD Radio as standard equipment and are on sale now.

Big deal you say?...

It's not even out yet and already the 2010 Jaguar XJ is grabbing headlines all across the spectrum--from its controversial roofline and C-pillar to a possibly illegal dual-view navigation screen, the next XJ is pushing boundaries. Following on that theme, the 2010 XJ will also include a relatively new technology as standard equipment: HD Radio. The HD Radio feature will be offered throughout Jaguar's North American territory.  The 2010 XJ is available for order, but won't be hitting dealerships until early next year. If you just can't wait, the XKR and XFR also offer HD Radio as standard equipment and are on sale now. Big deal you say? Well, consider that while XM Sirius satellite radio offers a wide range of genre-specific stations, it also requires a monthly subscription. HD Radio provides the highest-quality over-the-air digital talk and music all for free. Combined with the available 1,200-Watt Bowers & Wilkins premium surround system available on the 2010 XJ, the HD Radio channels are sure to sound fantastic. The Bowers & Wilkins sound system first debuted in the XF sedan in 2007. [Jaguar] Further pushing the high-tech boundaries for the XJ sedan is the recently-presented Limo Green plug-in hybrid concept, which you can read more about here. Read More

Jaguar is well underway with the launch of its 2010 XJ sedan and despite the company’s financial hardship the car is still on track for a debut in the second half of next year. For the current XJ, Jaguar looked to its past for inspiration and this definitely hurt its sales, especially when compared to rivals like the Mercedes Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series, which have shunned conservative styling in favor of a much more dynamic look.

Thankfully, Jaguar didn’t make the same mistake again. This time around designers went for a more radical look, borrowing lines from the XF but with even more aggression. However, it isn’t just...

Jaguar is well underway with the launch of its 2010 XJ sedan and despite the company’s financial hardship the car is still on track for a debut in the second half of next year. For the current XJ, Jaguar looked to its past for inspiration and this definitely hurt its sales, especially when compared to rivals like the Mercedes Benz S-Class and BMW 7-Series, which have shunned conservative styling in favor of a much more dynamic look. Thankfully, Jaguar didn’t make the same mistake again. This time around designers went for a more radical look, borrowing lines from the XF but with even more aggression. However, it isn’t just the styling department that kicked it into high gear. Jaguar has revealed today a new plug-in hybrid concept of its new XJ labeled the Limo-Green. Developed in partnership with the British government, Lotus and Caparo, the new Limo-Green features a 195 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque electric motor running on lithium-ion batteries. On a single charge, the Limo-Green can travel up to 30 miles on electrical power alone. Once the batteries are almost depleted, a highly efficient 1.2-liter gasoline engine developed by Lotus will kick in and charge up the batteries and allow the car to cover up to 600 miles. In this configuration, Jaguar claims a combined fuel economy of 47 mpg--not bad for a full-size luxury sedan. “The technology is still in its infancy and there is still a lot of work to do before we can even think of production,” said Anthony Harper, head of research at Jaguar Land Rover. “The components aren’t at the right cost or quality yet you would expect of a Jaguar product, but the technology is there.” Expect a production version of the system to appear in the new Jaguar XJ in late 2011 or possibly even 2012. For now, the system will remain in testing. [Autocar] Read More

Dual-view displays have been billed as the hottest new technology to hit the automobile since GPS, and though the hype might be overdone, there's a lot of merit to the idea. Americans might not get to find out, however, due to a law prohibiting front-seat entertainment systems.

Based in the common-sense idea of limiting driver distractions, the law also technically rules out use of the new dual-view technology which feeds different images to driver and passenger from a single screen.

Jaguar's new 2010 XJ flagship could be one of the first victims of the law, reports Autocar. The company's own Ian Callum, chief of design, says it's... Dual-view displays have been billed as the hottest new technology to hit the automobile since GPS, and though the hype might be overdone, there's a lot of merit to the idea. Americans might not get to find out, however, due to a law prohibiting front-seat entertainment systems. Based in the common-sense idea of limiting driver distractions, the law also technically rules out use of the new dual-view technology which feeds different images to driver and passenger from a single screen. Jaguar's new 2010 XJ flagship could be one of the first victims of the law, reports Autocar. The company's own Ian Callum, chief of design, says it's "technically illegal." That technicality could be enough to keep the system out of early models, at least until the regulation can be changed to allow for the new technology. Of course, that assumes that regulators will be willing to change the rule to allow such dual-view systems. Given that the whole purpose of the dual-view system is to keep the driver supplied with navigation or other important behind-the-wheel info while limiting the entertainment side to passenger view, approval seems likely, though as with all things governmental, don't expect quick action. Check out our preview story for more on dual-view technology. [Autocar]2010 Jaguar XJ Read More

Jaguar is known for its use of aluminum in the construction of some of its models, and the weight and dynamic advantages that this approach offers compared to traditional steel-bodied automobiles. Now, it has been revealed by Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata that all future Jaguar and Land Rover models will make use of aluminum in their bodies - a move that will help Jaguar and Land Rover models keep weight down and improve mileage and efficiency figures.

Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, revealed the information through Ratan Tata's comments in the company's annual report. The news comes following massive losses for the Jaguar... Jaguar is known for its use of aluminum in the construction of some of its models, and the weight and dynamic advantages that this approach offers compared to traditional steel-bodied automobiles. Now, it has been revealed by Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata that all future Jaguar and Land Rover models will make use of aluminum in their bodies - a move that will help Jaguar and Land Rover models keep weight down and improve mileage and efficiency figures. Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, revealed the information through Ratan Tata's comments in the company's annual report. The news comes following massive losses for the Jaguar and Land Rover duo in 2008, with numbers hovering around the negative £673.4 million ($1.1 billion) mark. These losses were largely attributed to high development costs for new models, as well as the poor luxury car market, but vehicle production costs would also have been a factor. The use of aluminum in the construction of cars is certainly more expensive than using steel, but Jaguar and Land Rover will be banking on the efficiency gains that the material affords to woo a more environmentally-conscious public in the future. Jaguar has already made extensive use of aluminum in the construction of the XJ and XK models. As revealed to Autocar by Jaguar senior engineer Andrew Tarpey, “an all-aluminum body is the foundation for the major vehicle attributes of safety, driving dynamics and performance", and that more extensive use of the material will allow the designers to "produce a lightweight, efficient body structure with fewer parts and joints, meaning a stiffer body".2010 Jaguar XKR2010 Jaguar XJ Read More