0 Four-wheel-drive Jaguars 'instigated by Ratan Tata'

Jaguar owner Ratan Tata was the driving force behind the creation of the four-wheel-drive XF and XJ models unveiled at the Moscow show. When he went to America after taking over the company, US dealers pressed him for all-wheel-drive to cover a significant gap in the Jaguar product armoury."Mr Tata has a real love of America, and when he went there to talk to the dealers they told him they needed four-wheel drive," said Adrian Hallmark, head of the Jaguar brand.
"But he is also a man who likes to see all the facts and figures before rushing into anything, so when he got back he asked if it could be done, both technically and economically, and it soon became obvious that the volumes made a compelling business case."
America will be the top region for Jaguar all-wheel-drive sales, taking up to three-quarters of production. China, Russia and the Alpine countries of Europe will also get the cars.
"In the US, 40 per cent of our volume will be all-wheel drive," said Hallmark, "possibly more. In the mountain states 70 per cent of the premium car market is four-wheel drive, and the market average is 40 per cent.
"In China, 30 to 40 per cent of sales will be four-wheel drive, and the same in Russia. The percentages will be smaller in Europe, but in specific regions like Bavaria it will be much higher."
The four-wheel-drive models will be built only in left-hand drive, which rules them out for the UK. But the decision to offer them with just one petrol engine - the new 337bhp 3.0-litre supercharged V6, which will also be used in the upcoming F-type two-seater sports car - means that uptake in Britain would have been small anyway.
"We had to start with the markets with most potential (for four-wheel drive)," said Hallmark. "Even in Europe, places like Austria and Switzerland are very petrol biased. But this is only one step. It is not the end of the story."