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).

\*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