The XK convertible features a safety device to protect pedestrians.

The XK convertible features a safety device to protect pedestrians.

The new Jaguar XK has arrived in New Zealand with a job to do: rekindle interest in the British brand and lure customers back into showrooms.

If it succeeds, those customers will find Jaguar has moved away from the volume side of the luxury market and into the go-fast arena.

The carmaker is the first stage of a plan to establish itself as the leading high-performance luxury brand in New Zealand.

"In time," says Wallis Dumper, the managing director of Jaguar importer Motorcorp Distributors, "I want to be in a position where we import only 'standard' models to special order, as New Zealanders begin to recognise Jaguar as the highest specification, performance and value in the luxury class. This is a complete reversal of the scenario we exist in today."

Dumper says Jaguar will launch a new line-up over the next few years based around premium "R" models, dynamic go-fast offerings whose supercharged V8 engines offer considerably more power than standard six- and eight-cylinder units.

"The new XK coupe and convertible are the first of these models," he says. "The XK is setting a new direction for Jaguar. Next year we will add an XKR model with even more performance.

"We plan to specialise in that area of the market, thus avoiding the almost commodity status of some luxury cars. At the moment, we only import the R models to special order. They sell as soon as they arrive in the country.

"It's an area we can fit into. Our pricing will not be in the same bracket as equivalent high-performance models from our German rivals. We believe there is a gap in the market actually created by the German marques that Jaguar R can fill."

A typical R model uses a supercharged 4.2-litre V8 engine producing 298kW (400bhp). A standard Jaguar V6 engine develops 179kW (240bhp).

Dumper says the future R range will be complemented by high-performance diesels, the first of which, the S-Type diesel, will be launched this year. A diesel XJ sedan will follow later.

"These will also be comprehensively equipped cars," he says. "Jaguar has had considerable success in recent years in marketing its high-performance diesel models into Europe, where sales of diesel-engined cars are made in large volumes."

Dumper says Jaguar has had a difficult time competing with the German brands in "the standard luxury sector" of the market.

"They are forced to discount and sell on volume because of factory production pressures," he says. "We want to get away from that, even if we sell fewer cars."