Jaguar's beautiful and desirable new XK sports car has claimed
the prestigious 'Car of the Year' award at the 2006 Auto
Express New Car Honours. The award was announced last night in
the UK.
The Jaguar XK Coupe received the additional honour of being
selected as 'Best Coupe' above its Germany competitors - the BMW 6
Series and the Porsche 911.
Geoff Cousins, UK Managing Director at Jaguar Cars, commented:
"We are delighted that Auto Express shares our view that
the new Jaguar XK is very special. At the outset Jaguar's aim was
to deliver a sporting Grand Tourer that on the one hand cossets the
driver and on the other offers an involving and rewarding
experience - the true heart and soul of a sports car. For those who
have had the pleasure to experience the new XK, I am sure they will
agree that we achieved just that."
The global launch of the all-new XK earlier this year marked the
beginning of an exciting era for Jaguar in terms of design and
engineering, and reinforces the marque's reputation for designing
and producing beautiful, fast cars that are thrilling to drive and
gorgeous to look at.
David Johns, Auto Express Editor in Chief, said: "From
the moment we first heard rumours about the new Jaguar XK we were
excited. When the first pictures appeared we were hooked and early
passenger rides in prototypes merely served to heighten our
anticipation.
"It was only when we drove Coventry's cat back to back against
rivals on UK roads that we realised what an astonishing achievement
this car really is. The driving experience matches your mood -
soothing for a long drive home after work, invigorating for a
weekend blast.
"What's more it proves Britain still has the expertise,
experience and ability to produce world-beaters. Ground-breaking,
bold, beguiling and breathtaking, the Jaguar XK is a British sports
car that we can all be proud of."
Geoff Cousins added: "To win two awards from the UK's best
selling weekly car magazine, Auto Express, is a great
honour for Jaguar, but to win the top award of the evening - Car of
the Year - is fantastic. This is the most significant award Jaguar
has ever won at this event and is testament to just how good the
new XK is."
The new XK is receiving praise from customers too. Globally,
Jaguar has sold more than 8000 XKs, and customer demand remains
strong with the waiting list continuing to grow.
In Australia, the XK has sold out until March of 2007.
About the new XKR - Jaguar will present the new supercharged XKR
for its global debut at the British International Motor Show, which
opens at the ExCel Centre in London's Docklands on July 18.
The ever-growing popularity of the XK is due to the assertive
good looks created by Jaguar's Design Director Ian Callum. The
all-aluminium, 4.2-litre V8 powered sports car is undoubtedly the
most technologically advanced Jaguar ever built.
Constructed using an industry-leading bonding-and-riveting
technique perfected by Jaguar, the XK's aluminium monocoque body
structure yields a chassis that is very safe and very light in
weight. As a result, the XK produces outstanding performance,
on-road dynamics, safety and economy.
The XK Coupe is, in fact, best-in-class for torsional rigidity
and is considerably lighter than its rivals - all attributes that
create the exhilarating driving experience.
The XK has already picked up other notable awards since its
launch this year, one of which is the 'Most Exciting Car to be
Launched in 2006' awarded by What Car? Magazine.
Also, the XK received recognition for its exceptional safety
features to earn the Prince Michael Award for Safety and the World
Traffic Safety Symposium's Traffic Safety Achievement Award in the
Automaker category.
These awards recognise the XK's Pyrotechnic Deployable Bonnet
System - an all-new, industry-leading safety feature which was
created to meet Phase One of the new European safety legislation.
In the unfortunate event of a pedestrian impact, the deployable
bonnet on the new XK responds almost instantaneously and 'pops' up
several centimetres to provide a space between the engine and the
bonnet. This helps to isolate the pedestrian from hard points in
the engine compartment.
The well equipped Jaguar XK Coupe will be arriving in Australian
showrooms at the end of June. The XK Coupe is priced from $199,900
and the XK Convertible is priced from $221,900.
Issued by:
Lesa Horntvedt
Public Affairs Manager
Jaguar Australia
(02) 9020-1513
lhorntve@jaguar.com