Market view: why the Jaguar XJ has an uphill battle

By Glen Brooks Motor Industry 10 July 2009 16:11 It’s a sobering thought for Jaguar management that no matter how good the new 2010 XJ is, it’s never going to be a big seller. The global market for large executive saloons was in decline long before the Great Recession appeared, the buyers in this segment increasingly tempted by models as diverse as the BMW X6, Infiniti FX, Cadillac Escalade or Mercedes GL-Class crossovers and SUVs. The generation that was chauffeured in an S-class or XJ is retiring, with the owner-drivers who succeed them soon to be preferring a Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide or Audi A7.

New Land Rover Discovery Sport to get 7 seats – and they’re (almost) revealed

The Land Rover Discovery Sport shows it 7-seat layout We already know that the Land Rover Discovery Sport will be replacing the Freelander in Land Rover’s range next year as the first in a family of Discovery models from Land Rover. It seemed likely that the new Discovery Sport would come with five seats as standard but with as even seat option to add another dimension, but Land Rover has decided it is going to offer 7 seats as standard, setting it apart from the competition in the ‘Premium’ sector. Land Rover are busy running prototypes of the new Discovery Sport, and to ram home the point that the new Discovery Sport is more flexible than its competition they’ve covered it in camouflage that looks like the skin of the car has been peeled back to show the 7-seat (well, 5+2) arrangement inside.

Peugeot Onyx concept [w/Gallery]

Peugeot has previewed its Onyx concept, set to debut at this month's Paris motor show, just days after the first teaser images were released. Very much a supercar in terms of its proportions and form, the Onyx is not the first time Peugeot's previewed super and super-sports cars in concept form, but the Onyx looks a lot more promising than previous efforts, from these photos at least. Conforming to the modern, eco-conscious supercar norm, the Onyx features a hybrid drivetrain - following in the footsteps of the BMW i8, Honda NSX and Jaguar CX-75.  Peugeot's stated aim is to push itself upmarket and become a more premium brand, so the Onyx could be read as a sign that the company feels it needs more of a 'halo' car in order to achieve that aim.