Jaguar Ranks Second, Land Rover Ranks Ninth in J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout Study

Jaguar Ranks 2nd, Improving 15 Points; While Land Rover Ranks 9th, Improving Four Points In A Study That Measures Customers' Delight With The Design, Content And Layout Of Their Vehicles

MAHWAH, NJ - July 17, 2009: According to J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study(SM) released yesterday, Jaguar ranks 2nd out of 37 brands with an overall score of 859, improving 15 points from 2008; while Land Rover ranks 9th with a score of 822, improving four points from 2008. The APEAL study examines the critical design and performance characteristics that make a new vehicle a delight to own and drive, and is based on owner evaluations of more than 90 vehicle attributes.

"We are pleased with our vehicle performance rankings," says Gary Temple, President of Jaguar Land Rover North America. "Having two brands rank in the top 10 underscores our commitment to providing our customers with industry-leading performance vehicles that offer luxury, performance and first-rate quality."

With a combination of advanced technologies, new engines, performance enhancements and sleek and stylish revamped interiors, both brands' product lineups are further improved for the 2010 model year.

This year, Jaguar surpasses the industry average of 779 by 80 points. It is the second consecutive year that Jaguar takes 2nd place with the brand's overall APEAL score increasing from 844 in 2008, 841 in 2007 and 820 in 2006.

Jaguar XF

In its launch year, the Jaguar XF ranks 2nd among vehicles in the Midsize Premium Car segment with a score of 859; 21 points higher than the premium segment average, and receives high scores in the engine/transmission category, particularly for passing power at highway speeds.

With an overall score of 822, Land Rover improves its ranking position by one, from 10th to 9th place, in this year's study - an improvement of 4 index points over last year, scoring 43 points above the industry average. This is the 3rd consecutive year of score improvements for Land Rover, having scored 818 in 2008 and 816 in 2007.

In 2009, the APEAL score for all-new and redesigned models averages 790 on a 1,000-point scale -11 points higher than in 2008 and 15 points higher than the 2009 score for carryover models. The APEAL Study examines how gratifying a new vehicle is to own and drive, based on owner evaluations of more than 90 vehicle attributes. The 2009 APEAL Study is based on responses gathered between February and May 2009 from more than 80,900 purchasers and lessees of new 2009 model-year cars and trucks who were surveyed after the first 90 days of ownership.

Jaguar Land Rover is a business built around two great British car brands that design, engineer and manufacture in the UK. Jaguar Cars Limited, founded in 1922, is one of the world's premier manufacturers of luxury saloons and sports cars. Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that define 'breadth of capability' in their segments. The Jaguar XF, XJ and XK models are manufactured at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham, while the Jaguar X-TYPE is produced alongside the Land Rover Freelander 2 at the Halewood plant in Liverpool. Land Rover's Defender, Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover models are all built at the Solihull plant. The Jaguar Land Rover business employs some 16,000 people, predominately in the UK, including some 3,500 engineers at two product development centres in Whitley, Coventry and Gaydon, Warwickshire. The business is a major wealth generator for the UK with 78 percent of Land Rovers exported to 169 countries and 70 percent of Jaguars exported to 63 countries, with sales to customers conducted principally through franchised dealers and importers.