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The Jaguar XJ 2009

This coming July the latest revolutionary Jaguar XJ will be unveiled in London preceding its opening in the latter part of 2009 with the intention of reclaiming some of its regular executive clients. The XJ was previously the natural and patriotic vehicle of choice for board directors all over corporate Britain, but has since been replaced by the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

However, the XJ will attempt to open a new customer base through new styling, lightweight alloy construction, and new powerplants. Dubbed as Project X351, it started out as a simple reskin of the present XJ model, but as the project progressed its engineering became more expanded making the K351 the first Jaguar flagship to be introduced with a re-engineered body and new powerplants. In the past Jaguar did what most carmakers do - launch cars with new bodies but with old version engines for reason of lowering costs. The structure is basically new with the rear structure modified to house the XK's differential which needs a new subframe and new mounts.

The experiences of the carmaker in reskinning and repackaging of the S-type into the XF are currently being used in the XJ. The Jaguar began with a coupe-derived rear cabin, with a low rear seat for a low-mounted rear window. The design, however, has evolved into a more functional shape which was motivated by making the rear cabin as comfortable as possible for a chauffeured executive. The XF motivated the styling although there are information coming out that the car is expected to come with a more stunning appearance.

An informant within the project said that many will not be prepared for what they will see when the car comes out. The improvements also follow into the interior of the car.The new XJ model, which carries over some elements from the XF, such as the rotary gear selector and the basic theme with lots of shiny wood and metallic trim, has brought the design to a whole new level of craftsmanship and excellence.