The Jaguar XJ has already collected its first award of 2006, topping the Luxury Car category at the Fleet Excellence Awards, voted for by readers of Fleet Week and Fleet Management magazines.

"The Jaguar XJ oozes feel-good factor, and the new 2.7 V6 especially makes good business sense," said Guy Bird, editor of Fleet Management magazine, commenting on the award.

Since its introduction, the XJ's sophisticated styling and lightweight all-aluminium construction have proved a real success in the UK, consistently commanding around half of all petrol sector sales and almost a third of sales in the entire premium F-sector. Now, with the new XJ 2.7 TDVi, Jaguar's luxury flagship adds an even stronger reason for customers to choose the Jaguar XJ.

"How does a 35mpg combined fuel economy sound? Or a BIK figure that saves £50 a month over the equivalent BMW, or £59 over a diesel Mercedes S-Class. Beyond the diesel there’s the entry-level 3.0 V6, and 3.5 and 4.2 V8 petrols which are sure to have accounted for many of the votes from chairmen and MDs alike," Bird added.

"The opinions garnered from the combined readership of Fleet Management and sister title Fleet Week, 32,000 in total, amply cover the whole UK fleet industry. These decision makers are collectively responsible for the purchase of a million-plus vehicles every year, well over half of all new cars sold in Britain. In short, their views matter."

Robert Aitken, Corporate Operations Manager, Jaguar UK, welcomed the award: "Jaguar is delighted that the XJ has been voted best luxury car by readers of Fleet Week and Fleet Management. With its revolutionary lightweight aluminium construction, XJ’s 3.0, 3.5 and 4.2 litre petrol derivatives have been delivering class leading performance and handling characteristics ever since the launch of the new XJ.

"The introduction of the XJ TDVi Diesel derivative last year means that Jaguar is now able to compete head on with other luxury brands in this extremely competitive sector. With its lowest BIK tax rates, coupled with best-in-class levels of noise reduction and refinement, the XJ TDVi is a deserving winner and we look forward to its first full year in the market place."

The XJ also contributed to Jaguar ending the year on a high with its best ever December, driven mainly by strong demand for its new diesels in XJ and X-TYPE.

Audi Unveils Three Firsts in Detroit
19th January, 2006
Audi treated visitors to the 2006 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit with its presentation of three world firsts ..... more

Porsche: Exchange of exhaust tailpipes
17th January, 2006
Porsche AG, is having the exhaust tailpipes exchanged worldwide on 18,627 units of the 911 Carrera S and 911 Carrera 4S ..... more

25 new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup Cars Arrive
16th January, 2006
Carrera Cup racing in Australia will shoot for a world record for the most number of brand new race cars of the same type ever to line up on a starting grid when 25 of the new 997-based Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars take to the track in Adelaide in March ..... more

Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart’s Sixth Successive Dakar Rally Win
16th January, 2006
Repsol Mitsubishi Ralliart Team driver Luc Alphand and co-driver Gilles Picard clinched victory in the 28th Dakar Rally yesterday (Sunday). The feat marked a record-breaking 11th win for the Japanese automotive manufacturer ..... more

Ford Shelby GT500: Most Powerful Mustang Ever
13th January, 2006
After 40 years, racing legend Carroll Shelby and the Ford Mustang are back together with the introduction of America's 2007 Ford Shelby GT500 ..... more

2005: 10th Successive Record Year for Audi
13th January, 2006
Audi was able to set a new record for vehicle sales in 2005 for the tenth year in succession: 829,100 vehicles (2004: 779,441)* were handed over to customers worldwide ..... more

Passat "Individual" – Enhanced aesthetics edition
12th January, 2006
Europe's Volkswagen Passat "Individual" combines outstanding design and an exclusive equipment specification. From the outside the special edition already catches the eye with luxury chrome trim and 18-inch alloy wheels ..... more

Audi Hits All-Time Record in Australia
12th January, 2006
Audi has recorded an impressive 30 percent growth in sales during 2005, selling more than 4,800 units in Australia ..... more

Morgan 4-seater To Return
11th January, 2006
The Morgan 4-seater is coming back! The new model is due to make its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2006. The new and significantly revised 4-seater ..... more

Audi Reveals New Roadjet Concept
10th January, 2006
Audi has taken the wraps off a brand new study car, called the Audi Roadjet Concept, at the North American International Automobile Show in Detroit ..... more

Aston Martin Rapide Concept Car
10th January, 2006
The Aston Martin Rapide concept is a four-door, high performance coupé of remarkable grace and poise. Based on Aston Martin's unique VH (Vertical/Horizontal) architecture, the Rapide combines the company's commitment to power, beauty and soul with space and practicality for every eventuality ..... more

Porsche Announces Cayenne Turbo S
9th January, 2006
The second most powerful Porsche ever homologated for road use has been announced ..... more

20 Years Of Saab Convertibles
8th January, 2006
Saab is raising the roof, celebrating two decades of convertible sales success by introducing an eye-catching 20th anniversary model, the Saab 9-3 Convertible Cerulean edition ..... more

Lamborghini Miura Concept For Detroit
6th January, 2006
The House of the Raging Bull has brought back a legendary historical name with the introduction of its Lamborghini Miura Concept car, which will be shown at the Detroit Motor Show this month ..... more

New Car Sales Record For 2005
5th January, 2006
Australians bought more cars and trucks in 2005 than ever before to set an all-time annual motor vehicle sales record of 988,269 ..... more

New Audi RS 4 Supercar
27th December, 2005
Audi’s high-performance range will feature as the hero models at the 2006 Melbourne International Motor Show, with the company displaying its new RS4 supercar alongside the superlative new Audi S8 ..... more

Audi S8 is Show-Stopper for Melbourne 2006
23rd December, 2005
Audi will pull out all stops for the 2006 Melbourne Motor Show, displaying its superb S8 sports limousine for the first time in Australia ..... more

Discovery 3 S – Amazing Drive Away Pricing
22nd December, 2005
Land Rover Australia has announced outstanding drive-away prices on the Discovery 3 S model in both V6 and TDV6 ..... more

New Peugeot 307CC Lands in Time for Summer!
21st December, 2005
The first shipments of the new Peugeot 307CC (Coupe Cabriolet) have arrived in Australia; just in time for summer ..... more

Saab Announces New Pricing For 9-3
21st December, 2005
Saab Australia has realigned its 2006 pricing, reducing the recommended retail prices of its vehicles by up to $8,000 ..... more

Lotus Europa S - ‘Business Class by Lotus’
20th December, 2005
The new Lotus Europa S, a Grand Tourer (GT) inspired two-seater will provide Lotus customers with a spectacular sportscar with significantly enhanced levels of touring and cruising capability ..... more

Rolls-Royce Commemorates 2,000th Phantom
20th December, 2005
Employees at Rolls-Royce Motor Cars celebrated the production of the 2,000th Phantom earlier this month ..... more

Audi's Capital Expenditure To Remain High
19th December, 2005
Audi is to invest considerable capital in expanding its model range significantly over the next few years. The company plans to invest a total of EUR 10.8 billion between 2005 and 2010 ..... more

Mazda RX-8 Revelation
19th December, 2005
Mazda’s latest addition to its sports car line up is a limited edition RX-8. Known as the RX-8 Revelation, it exudes luxury and exclusivity, with the added enticement of only 100 vehicles available in Australia ..... more

Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in a Class of its Own
19th December, 2005
It isn’t often that a car is made that is so superior that it is deemed to have no competition at all, but this year, the Automobile Journalists of Canada declared the Corvette Z06 to be just such a car ..... more

GM Engines Named Among Industry’s Best
18th December, 2005
Two of GMs newest engines – the 2.0-litre Ecotec Supercharged and 2.8-litre V6 Turbo – have been named among the industry’s 10 best engines of 2006 by Ward’s Communications ..... more

Audi To Compete With Diesel At Le Mans
14th December, 2005
Audi will become the world’s first car manufacturer to fight for overall victory with a diesel-engined sportscar in the famous Le Mans 24 Hours ..... more

Global V6 Turbo Power For Saab 9-3 Aero
12th December, 2005
Powered by Saab’s 2.8 litre V6 Turbo, the 9-3 Aero Sport Sedan is the fastest accelerating car to carry the Saab badge ..... more

Audi On Target For New Record
11th December, 2005
Audi sold almost 767,000 vehicles worldwide between January and November, an increase of 8.8 percent on the corresponding prior-year period ..... more

Nissan Releases the 2006 350Z
11th December, 2005
Nissan's iconic 36-year-old flagship sports car, the 350Z, has been released with new features including a more powerful engine and enhancements to its exterior and interior ..... more

Porsche Enjoys Continued Growth
9th December, 2005
Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG enjoyed continued growth in fiscal year 2004/05 (to 31st July). The manufacturer of sporty premium vehicles once again succeeded in selling more vehicles ..... more

Small Cars Push Motor Vehicle Market Towards Record Year
6th December, 2005
Another record month of small and light car sales has all but ensured that the Australian motor vehicle market is heading for its fourth straight annual sales record ..... more

Peugeot 407 Coupé – 5 Stars for Euroncap
6th December, 2005
Elegance, power and outstanding handling and dynamics, the 407 Coupé is also distinguished by its high levels of passive safety ..... more

Safer car design has cut road casualties
4th December, 2005
Car makers deserve real credit for dramatic improvements in safety trends over the last 10 years ..... but there are duds, such as Landwind, a Chinese import into the EU ..... more

Morgan 4/4 70th Anniversary Model
3rd December, 2005
In 2006, the Morgan 4/4 celebrates its 70th Anniversary and to mark the occasion, the Morgan factory has come up with a unique Anniversary version of the iconic 4/4 model ..... more

Peugeot Round Australia Trial 50th Anniversary
3rd December, 2005
In April 2006, to mark the victory of a Peugeot 403 in the first Ampol Trial in 1956, Peugeot Automobiles Australia will sponsor the Peugeot Round Australia Trial 50th Anniversary Rerun ..... more