Jaguar's new XK sports car has claimed the 'Car of the Year' award at the 2006 Auto Express New Car Honours. The award was announced on Tuesday night in the UK.

The Jaguar XK Coupe received the additional honour of being selected as 'Best Coupe' above its Germany competitors - the BMW 6 Series and the Porsche 911.

Geoff Cousins, UK Managing Director at Jaguar Cars, commented: "We are delighted that Auto Express shares our view that the new Jaguar XK is very special. At the outset Jaguar's aim was to deliver a sporting Grand Tourer that on the one hand cossets the driver and on the other offers an involving and rewarding experience - the true heart and soul of a sports car. For those who have had the pleasure to experience the new XK, I am sure they will agree that we achieved just that."

The global launch of the all-new XK earlier this year marked the beginning of an exciting era for Jaguar in terms of design and engineering, and reinforces the marque's reputation for designing and producing beautiful, fast cars that are thrilling to drive and gorgeous to look at.

David Johns, Auto Express Editor in Chief, said: "From the moment we first heard rumours about the new Jaguar XK we were excited. When the first pictures appeared we were hooked and early passenger rides in prototypes merely served to heighten our anticipation.

"It was only when we drove Coventry's cat back to back against rivals on UK roads that we realised what an astonishing achievement this car really is. The driving experience matches your mood - soothing for a long drive home after work, invigorating for a weekend blast.

"What's more it proves Britain still has the expertise, experience and ability to produce world-beaters. Ground-breaking, bold, beguiling and breathtaking, the Jaguar XK is a British sports car that we can all be proud of."

Geoff Cousins added: "To win two awards from the UK's best selling weekly car magazine, Auto Express, is a great honour for Jaguar, but to win the top award of the evening - Car of the Year - is fantastic. This is the most significant award Jaguar has ever won at this event and is testament to just how good the new XK is."

The new XK is receiving praise from customers too. Globally, Jaguar has sold more than 8,000 XKs, and customer demand remains strong with the waiting list continuing to grow.

In Australia, the XK has sold out until March 2007.

About the new XKR - Jaguar will present the new supercharged XKR for its global debut at the British International Motor Show, which opens at the ExCel Centre in London's Docklands on 18th July.

The ever-growing popularity of the XK is due to the assertive good looks designed by Jaguar's Design Director Ian Callum. The all-aluminium, 4.2-litre V8 powered sports car is undoubtedly the most technologically advanced Jaguar ever built.

Constructed using an industry-leading bonding-and-riveting technique perfected by Jaguar, the XK's aluminium monocoque body structure yields a chassis that is very safe and very light in weight. As a result, the XK produces outstanding performance, on-road dynamics, safety and economy.

The XK Coupe is, in fact, best-in-class for torsional rigidity and is considerably lighter than its rivals - all attributes that provide the exhilarating driving experience.

The XK has already picked up other notable awards since its launch this year, one of which is the 'Most Exciting Car to be Launched in 2006' awarded by What Car? Magazine.

Also, the XK received recognition for its exceptional safety features to earn the Prince Michael Award for Safety and the World Traffic Safety Symposium's Traffic Safety Achievement Award in the Automaker category.

These awards recognise the XK's Pyrotechnic Deployable Bonnet System - an all-new, industry-leading safety feature which was designed to meet Phase One of the new European safety legislation. In the unfortunate event of a pedestrian impact, the deployable bonnet on the new XK responds almost instantaneously and 'pops' up several centimetres to provide a space between the engine and the bonnet. This helps to isolate the pedestrian from hard points in the engine compartment.

The well equipped Jaguar XK Coupe will be arriving in Australian showrooms at the end of June. The XK Coupe is priced from $199,900 (RRP) and the XK Convertible is priced from $221,900 (RRP).

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