Jaguar X-type Facelift

When the Jaguar X-type was released in February 2001, a tad over seven years ago, it was designed to appeal to a more youthful clientele than previous Jaguar models had appealed to. Entering the entry-level luxury sedan market with annual sales targets of 150,000 units and significant cost savings through shared development costs with other Ford Motor Company models were a few of the visions that Ford expected the new-generation Mondeo-based Jaguar to fulfill. By these standards, the X-type - like much of Jaguar's and Ford's performance in the past years, has been disappointing. X-type sales fell to 32,500 units in 2006, compared with BMW 3-series sales of over 500,000 units in the same year. The Jaguar X-type facelift will be presented this year and is expected to go on sale in spring 2008. The cosmetic changes will be subtle and similar to the changes in the facelifted Jaguar XJ; a new grille, different bumpers and side mouldings and new exterior colors and wheels. The most important question is, however, whether the facelift will do anything to turn things around at Jaguar and Ford, or if the facelift has come too late?