Jaguar XK convertible ready for Detroit

Low Weight and a stiff body structure distinguish the 2007 Jaguar XK convertible, which will make its public debut at the Detroit show. Despite the mechanism for the traditional cloth top and the Volvo SIPS-derived pop-up rollbars (which breaks through the rear glass if the top is up), the XK convertible weighs just 88 pounds more than the 2007 coupe's 3516 pounds.

Design chief Ian Callum began working on the convertible eight months before the coupe, which he sees as an edgier, sportier car that'll appeal to Porsche 911 buyers, whereas the convertible will continue to appeal to traditional Jaguar owners. And Jaguar portrays its six-speed automatic with Sequential Shift as a better alternative to a sequential manual gearshift. The system is standard on both body styles, uses steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, and kisses the unloved Jaguar J-gate goodbye.

Will Ford ever get Jaguar right?
Analysts estimate Ford has probably dumped more than $5 billion into Jaguar since 1989, and yet the storied British luxury brand has yet to make Dearborn any real return on that investment. So why has Jaguar been so tough to get right?

First, Jaguar's ramshackle manufacturing operations required an overhaul. Veteran Ford exec Bill Hayden told auto writers in 1990 that, apart from some Russian factories in Gorki, Jaguar's were the worst he had seen.

Next, Ford's ambitious bid to remake Jaguar as the new BMW, dramatically increasing its sales volume to cash in on the booming luxury-car market, led to product short cuts (like basing the S-Type on the expensive and under-developed DEW98 platform and the X-Type on an aged Ford Mondeo platform) that failed to impress customers used to the technical virtuosity of Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz.