Jaguar launches new sedan in China

JAGUAR announced today it will start selling its new XJL sedans in China, joining the competition in the country's rapidly expanding luxury car market.

The British car maker will sell the Jaguar XJ8L, a four-door sedan equipped with an eight-cylinder engine, for 1.28 million yuan (US$170,666), according to statement from Jaguar China, the luxury car unit owned by Ford Motor Co. The Jaguar XJ6L is priced at 868,000 yuan.

The flagship model Jaguar XJ8L can reach a maximum speed of 250 kilometer per hour and accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds.

Jaguar sold 458 units in the first half of this year in China through imports including the XJL sedan, S-type mid-size luxury executive car as well as the XK coupe. In June, sales jumped 84 percent to 90 units.

Overseas car makers have been adding models and shortening delivery to boost sales in the Chinese market amid growing demand for luxury cars.

Sales of Mercedes-Benz cars in China rose 30 percent to 15,830 units in the first seven months of this year. The buoyant sales were mainly fueled by imported high-end S-class luxury sedans, which saw sales increase 53 percent to 5,800 units from a year earlier.