Awards 2011 - Luxury: Jaguar XJ

Date: 25 January 2011

When Jaguar launched its XJ in March 2010, it wanted to challenge the German-led dominance of the sector. As this year's luxury awardee, this has proven to be the case, taking over from last year's winner the Audi A8.

The carmaker's tactic to directly target company chief executives has obviously paid off. "It's a personalised corporate sale that is a more targeted sales approach than going to 30 or 40 leasing companies, although we will do that too," said UK boss Geoff Cousins at the car's launch. The long-wheelbase version of the car has also made the XJ popular in the chauffeur market.

Despite not being class-leading for CO2, with its lowest emissions at 184g/km (according to Cousins, Jaguar is working on lowering that CO2 figure) and its sleek, modern looks and refined engine, the XJ has clearly won over fleet buyers.

The biggest-selling fleet car, the mid-range 3.0 V6 diesel Premium Luxury costs a reasonable £59,300 and does 40.1mpg. But for the few businesses with cash to spare, the Supersport, a 5.0-litre supercharge V8 with 510hp will put a smile on any boss's face.

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