New High-Performance Jaguar XJR Named Robb Report's 1998 Car of the Year
16 January 1998
New High-Performance Jaguar XJR Named Robb Report's 1998 Car of the Year; Prestigious Honor Bestowed at Greater Los Angeles Auto Show
ACTON, Mass., Jan. 16 -- Robb Report, the world's leading
authority on the luxury lifestyle, has named the new Jaguar XJR sedan as its
Car of the Year for 1998.
The award -- an exquisite crystal trophy from Geary's of Beverly Hills --
was presented to Jaguar officials December 30, 1997, at the Greater Los
Angeles Auto Show. This year marks the renowned carmaker's second consecutive
win in the award's five-year history. The Jaguar XK8 convertible won Robb
Report's Car of the Year in 1997.
The Robb Report Car of the Year award will be featured in the February
issue of the magazine, due out on newsstands this week.
"The Jaguar XJR is a monster in a tuxedo," said Daniel J. Phillips,
publisher of Robb Report. "It looks simple and elegant, but once you step on
the throttle, it turns into a sports car with all the power and performance of
a street racer. We congratulate Jaguar for a job well done and wish it
success with this superior vehicle."
Competition for the grand honor for 1998 was fierce, with 11 luxury
vehicles selected as finalists, representing the largest and most diverse
field ever considered. The Audi A6 Quattro sedan, Mercedes-Benz's highly
regarded ML320, and the sleek Porsche Boxster are just a few of the
distinctive vehicles that were under consideration for this year's award.
The magazine assembled a panel of highly respected automotive journalists
for the Robb Report 1998 Car of the Year Selection Committee, including Ken
Gross, who penned the Car of the Year feature for the magazine; Paul Dean,
automotive columnist for the Los Angeles Times and Robb Report contributing
writer; Dennis Adler, automotive writer, photographer, and Robb Report auto
historian; Christopher Jensen, automotive editor for the Cleveland Plain
Dealer and Robb Report contributing auto editor; Steven Castle, editor of Robb
Report; and Daniel J. Phillips, publisher of Robb Report.
The panel selected the XJR for its ultimate blend of luxury, performance,
and style. The car represents the pinnacle of Jaguar's new series of
V-8-powered XJ sedans. Nearly everything inside had been improved: the remote
transmitter; all the interior controls and switches; six-position, variable
intermittent wipers; one-touch window controls; a new analog clock and an LCD
message center that "speaks" 12 languages; a Harman Kardon stereo; and a new
security system with over one billion possible codes.
The Jaguar XJR offers a unique balance of power, design, comfort, and
safety with a supercharged 32-valve, 4.0-liter V-8 engine, dual frontal and
side air bags, traction control, ABS, and an interior trimmed in birds-eye
maple and leather.
"We are particularly pleased to receive this award for the second
consecutive year," said Mark Miller, vice president of communications for
Jaguar Cars North America. "It is one thing to design, develop, and
manufacture what we believe to be a true Jaguar. But, as has often been said,
we at Jaguar rely on the press to tell us when we have actually succeeded. To
receive this award from judges as renowned and exacting as the panel that
judged the competition is, for us, validation that the XJR sedan embodies the
essence of what we strive to integrate in every make and model of Jaguar --
style, performance, and luxury."
As the world's leading consumer magazine for the luxury lifestyle, Robb
Report offers monthly features on an array of lifestyle subjects, including
automobiles, aircraft, jewelry, design, electronics, art, and exotic
vacations.
According to its subscriber survey, Robb Report's reader income
demographics rank as the highest among those of any consumer magazine in the
country. The average income of Robb Report readers is $755,000, with an
average net worth of $3.7 million. Seventy-eight percent of U.S. billionaires
are regular readers of Robb Report, as are 63 percent of billionaires
worldwide.
For more information on Robb Report's Car of the Year award or on the
magazine itself, please contact Linda Beltran at 818-992-4353. Robb Report
can be accessed on-line at http://www.robbreport.com or e-mailed at
robb@robbreport.com.
SOURCE Jaguar Cars Inc.
