Jaguar

Back in 2005, Jaguar's hottest selling model of all time ended its production run. That car was the XK. In the spring of 2006, the 2007 model emerged as a completely reworked vehicle that Jaguar hoped would continue to see record sales. The challenge for the company has been competing in a segment - Large Premium Sports Cars - that doubled from the mid 90s to the mid 2000s. Jaguar sought to blend the two major groups - grand tourers and sports cars - into a single kickass car.  

That generation ran through 2009 offering a 4.2-liter V8 good for 300 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque as well as a supercharged variant providing 420 hp and 412 lb-ft of torque. But with everyone stepping up their game, Jaguar quickly realized that even though they had satisfied their goal, they certainly had no BMW M6 or Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG killer…

Vanilla ice cream may technically be white in color, but these days white cars are far more exciting to your eyes than the grey-of-ice-creams is to your taste buds. Black used to be the color of bad boys and speed, but these days white draws far more attention. If you happen to be driving a white 2011 Jaguar XKR Special Edition no one will mistake it for goody goody.

Making its public debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar is hoping to root itself a little deeper in the performance GT market. Although it wears the color of purity and restraint, the 510hp supercharged 5.0 liter V8 will run with the tarmac bad boys up to 174mph.

2009 was a tough year for the auto industry to say the least. Not only did we witness massive government bailouts, epic bankruptcies and a precipitous plummet in sales, but over 1,500 dealerships shuttered their doors. When I was back in my hometown of Cleveland, OH over the holidays, I notice at least 6 large dealerships throughout the city that had closed up shop, with all of the remaining ones seemingly relegated to the ubiquitous "Auto Mile" of car lots mostly owned by large conglomerates. A sad state indeed.

Current estimates peg the total number of new cars purchased last year at just around 10.5 million, which is about 7 million shy of the high reached in 2000 and 2 million below sales in China (yes, we're no longer numero uno). The Cars Allowance Rebate System (CARS) program, aka Cash for Clunkers, dolled out $2.8 billion in $3,500 - $4,500 rebates and supposedly resulted in 700,000 new car sales.  According to several leading analysts, this was just enough to keep the industry on life support while everyone scrambled to figure out how to infuse more cash into daily operations. Even though many hailed the program as a success, it had its detractors as well, and for good reason. Edmunds concluded that really only an additional 125,000 cars were sold that wouldn't have sold otherwise, resulting in a taxpayer burden of $24,000 per vehicle.

For the last couple of years, CAR magazine has challenged designers from major auto manufacturers to come up with designs that upgrade Santa's sleigh to the toy-delivery vehicle of tomorrow. In 2008, the likes of Bentley, Ford, Nissan and Rolls-Royce all delivered spectacular creations. This year Vauxhall, Aston Martin, Jaguar, Audi and Land Rover came through with some crazy cool concepts. 

Land Rover has created transportation for Kris Kringle that follows their brand aesthetic remarkably well. The particle accelerator propulsion system is a nice touch and we dig the optional CRS (Chimney Recognition Software) technology. But we're not sure how Santa is supposed to see over the big dome of the reindeer in front of him and it looks like every time the animal swivels its head, it would skewer ole Saint Nicholas, but these are just minor quibbles.

Today, the North Coast Triumph Association hosted its 18th Annual British Car Show at Shaker Square, in Cleveland, Ohio. The event was located on the green space inside the inner quadrants of the historic district and featured a wide variety of classic, vintage and modern vehicles of UK origin. There was a nice mixture of brands such as Jaguar, Aston Martin, Austin Healey, MG, Lotus, Triumph, Rolls Royce, Morgan and DeLorean.

The BMW M5 has been a favorite of the folks at Top Gear for quite some time and sits atop its list of Sports Sedans like a mighty king on its thrown. Now, some other camps are getting ready to storm the castle, most notably the Jaguar XFR, with its new 510 hp V8 engine and 461 lb-ft of available torque. Top Gear has taken notice and wanted to see if the BMW M5 was still best in its class for both track driving as well as city roads.

Jeremy Clarkson beautifully manhandles the Jaguar XFR by maxxing out the top end and then putting the car through drifts, burnouts and whipping it around like a madman. Not something you typically see someone do with a luxury sedan, let alone a Jaguar. In any case, Clarkson couldn't speak highly enough about the Leaping Cat's new offering as he gushed about the ride quality and amazing power on hand. But no comparison would be truly complete without putting both the BMW M5 and Jaguar XFR side by side on the track. Check out the full video after the jump.

The long wait is officially over as the 2010 Jaguar XJ was finally revealed at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London this past Friday. With the XK (the company's grand touring coupe or convertible) and XF (their entry-level luxury sedan) recently getting overhauls, the XJ was sorely in need of an update, and this time Jaguar exceeded all expectations. The new 2010 XJ is the company's flagship luxury sports sedan and is available in 4 different trims with three engine options.

Once a year, the Goodwood Festival of Speed rolls around to showcase some of the most diverse cars in motorsports. The 2009 event, like all others, takes place just outside the Goodwood House in the UK from July 3rd to 5th. Special vehicles from many of the top auto manufacturers will be in attendance. This year, the 2010 Jaguar XKR Prototype, code name "Goodwood Special' will make its debut. This one-off variation of the company's super fast XFR will be even quicker than before.