The Jaguar XK has been crowned 'Car of the Year' and 'GT of the
Year' at the 2006 Top Gear Awards. This is the first time Jaguar
has received this prestigious accolade from the UK's biggest
selling motoring publication. The awards were held in London on the
7th December, and were presented by BBC Top Gear TV's Jeremy
Clarkson.
Editor of Top Gear magazine Michael Harvey said: "We feel
justified in handing OUR BIG ONE to the fabulous XK, a car everyone
now recognises as magnificently beautiful, that reclaims the lost
role of the Grand Tourer and, we suspect, might reclaim the art of
ride/handling compromise in the portfolio of skills any purveyor of
so-called luxury cars must possess."
Top Gear's US editor Jamie Kitman said: "This is not only the
best Jaguar in 40 years, it is a real Jaguar; one knows it in
seconds. Jaguar has thoroughly demonstrated with the XK that it is
an utterly serious modern engineering entity with a priceless
institutional memory of that which made Jaguars great."
Jaguar's Design Director Ian Callum collected the award for 'Car
of the Year'; he said: "It was a tremendous honour to receive this
award for the XK and for Jaguar to be recognised for creating such
an accomplished vehicle by real enthusiasts such as Top Gear. I
feel very proud of everyone at Jaguar responsible for their
contribution to the success of this car."
Geoff Cousins, Jaguar's UK Managing Director, picked up the 'GT
of the Year' award on behalf of Jaguar, said: "We are delighted Top
Gear have chosen the XK as their 'GT of the Year' and 'Car of the
Year', particularly as the awards represent the views from a panel
of judges comprising BBC's Top Gear TV and the magazine. To be the
favourite is testament to just how great this car really is, and
our sales figures show that the public think so too."
Globally, Jaguar has already sold over 10,000 XKs since its
launch, and taken over 1,500 advance orders for the XKR, which is
due to arrive in Australia in 2007.
Sales of the XK in Australia have exceeded expectations, with
November YTD up almost 150% on the same period last year. Even 7
months after launch, interest remains so strong that production is
sold out 5 months in advance.
The XK has already picked up some notable awards this year
including 'Most Exciting Car to be launched in 2006' by What Car?
magazine, 'Car of the Year' and 'Best Coupe' at the Auto Express
New Car Honours 2006, 'Scottish Car of the Year 2006' and 'UK TV
People's Car of the Year 2006'.
Across Europe and the United States it has also been gaining
accolades including 'Austrian Car of the Year' for the convertible
and 'Most Chic Car of the Year' by Spain's biggest selling women's
magazine, Telva. Other awards were in recognition of exceptional
safety features on the car: the Prince Michael Award for Safety and
the World Traffic Safety Symposium's Traffic Safety Achievement
Award in the Automaker category.
Notes to editors:
1) The Jaguar XK has won 'Car of the Year' three times already
this year:
- 'Scottish Car of the Year 2006'
- 'Auto Express 'Car of the Year' 2006
- UK TV People's 'Car of the Year' 2006
2) The Jaguar XK is built at Jaguar's state-of-the-art
manufacturing facility at Castle Bromwich, Birmingham. The XK is
designed and developed at Whitley Product Development Centre.
3) Jaguar's Design Director Ian Callum was recently honoured
with a Royal Designer for Industry distinction, the highest
accolade a designer can receive in the UK. The award was given in
recognition of designers who have 'achieved sustained excellence in
aesthetic and efficient design for industry' and is presented by
the RSA (Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufacturers
and Commerce).
4) Jaguar XK pricing:
|
XK Coupe $199,900 rrp\* |
|
XK Convertible $221,900 rrp\* |
\*All prices are Recommended Retail Prices excluding dealer
delivery charges which may vary from dealer to dealer, stamp duty
which varies from state to state, registration and compulsory third
party insurance costs. This is a manufacturer website. New vehicles
must be purchased from dealers. Prices and specification are
subject to change without notice.
5) The Jaguar XKR will go on sale in Australia towards the
middle of 2007.
For further information please contact:
Guido Schenken
Public Relations Department
Jaguar Australia
Phone: (02) 9020 1517
Email: gschenk4@jaguar.com
Website: www.jaguar.com.au