Struggling carmaker Jaguar Land Rover's chief executive David Smith stepped down on Monday, the company said, after a breakdown in negotiations on workers' pay and conditions.

The automaker gave no explanation why Smith, 49, was resigning after 26 years with the firm -- but it came after unions and company chiefs failed to reach agreement in talks last week.

Jaguar Land Rover wants to make changes to pay and pensions for new employees but has come up against union resistance.

The company, however, insisted the negotiations were not linked to Smith's resignation.

"We are disappointed the discussions ended without agreement, but his departure is not linked to the talks," said a spokesman.

The firm also pointed out Smith had been in charge in June 2008, when the group was acquired by India's Tata Motors for 2.3 billion dollars (1.6 billion euros, 1.4 billion pounds).

"The company would like to thank David for his efforts in the role and for his service to Jaguar and Land Rover over many years," said the firm.

The group said its director Ravi Kant would temporarily take over Smith's duties until a permanent replacement is found.

India's Tata Motors has secured private funding for its luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, meaning the firm will no longer be seeking state help, the group said on Tuesday.

Tata Motors, which bought JLR last June, said it has secured 175 million pounds of funds from the private sector. It had first approached the government for funding in September.

"Tata Motors and JLR have been in discussions with commercial banks for JLR funding facilities, many of which have been successfully concluded in the last few months and the balance is expected to be completed in the coming weeks," they said in a statement.

"Tata Motors and JLR also expect that the long-term loan from the European Investment Bank of 340 million pounds, sanctioned to JLR, can also be successfully secured in the coming weeks through appropriate commercial arrangements.

"With the positive trend in the external environment in financial markets and improvement in general liquidity, these arrangements have been and are expected to be concluded without necessitating guarantees from the UK government, for which discussions had been ongoing for some time."

Tata Motors completed its 2.3-billion-dollar acquisition of JLR from the Ford Motor Co. in June last year. The ailing US carmaker sold the brands to focus on turning around its North American operations.

Some 2,000 people have been laid off at JLR in recent years, with plants shut down and sabbaticals given to staff.

Trade unions have been pushing for more government support for JLR which employs about 15,000 people in the country, as the global economic downturn puts the brakes on car sales and demand.

Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson welcomed Tuesday's announcement.

"The fact that the banks and commercial capital markets are meeting JLR's funding is a clear sign of confidence in the company, its products and the automotive sector," he said.

"This additional funding will allow JLR to invest in future models and successfully launch the new XJ saloon on schedule and updated Land Rover models later this year.

"The government had offered bridging finance from the automotive assistance programme if necessary. We understand the Tata group will now be successful in resolving longer-term financial needs but we are willing to help again if necessary.

"This is a good and encouraging outcome for JLR, its workforce and its supply chain."

Luxury carmaker Jaguar, owned by India's Tata Motors, announced Wednesday it would end production of its X-Type car by the end of the year with the loss of up to 300 jobs.

The news is a huge blow for its Halewood factory in Liverpool, which is also to close for three weeks in an extended shutdown starting in September as the global downturn hits the car industry hard.

Jaguar said it would be seeking voluntary redundancies at the factory, which employs about 2,000 workers.

David Smith, chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover said: "Our industry has been especially badly hit by the recession and the premium sector more than others.

"Jaguar Land Rover's retail sales fell by 28 percent in the past 10 months. We have taken unprecedented actions to cut costs including reduced production volumes, significant cuts to investment plans and some 2,200 job losses.

"Ceasing production of the X-Type early, with further redundancies and temporary shutdowns at Halewood is necessary to protect our other investment plans," added Smith.

Jaguar Land Rover said the Halewood plant would continue to produce Land Rover's best-selling Freelander model.

Jaguar last week launched a new version of its flagship XJ model in a glitzy ceremony in London featuring supermodel Elle Macpherson.

The government could arrange loans to help luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover within days, the Financial Times said on Saturday, as a top Labour peer said he was confident of a deal "fairly soon."

Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India's Tata Motors, has been in talks with the government about a deal to help it cope with plunging demand because of the credit crunch.

US President George W. Bush unveiled a 13.4 billion dollar rescue loan for carmakers General Motors and Chrysler on Friday. Unions say tens of thousands of jobs are at risk in Britain unless the government takes similar steps.

Lord Kumar Bhattacharyya -- who is seen as close to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Ratan Tata, chairman of the Tata Group whose subsidiary owns Jaguar Land Rover -- told the FT he was confident that the government would "fairly soon" arrange loans to help the industry.

"If the government fails to act to help the car industry, the UK will be the only major country not to take action to safeguard its vehicle sector," the Labour peer told the newspaper.

The paper said Bhattacharyya believed there could be a package of up to one billion dollars in loans to help Jaguar Land Rover plus unspecified amount of support for other firms.

Brown accepted on Friday there was a "problem" with demand in the car industry, adding: "We of course talk to the larger companies in our country regularly. But I've got no announcement or decision to make about what we can do."

Business Secretary Lord Peter Mandelson said this week the government has talked to Jaguar Land Rover about a possible bailout but no decisions had been taken.

He added that the firm's owners had the "first responsibility" for sustaining Jaguar Land Rover.

Britain has seen a drop in demand for new cars as the credit crunch bites -- many factories are shutting for longer than normal this Christmas and the number of cars built here last month fell 33 percent to 97,604 compared to 2007.

Employers' body the Confederation of British Industry wants the government to act quickly while the Unite union says it must step in within days to safeguard tens of thousands of jobs.

Jaguar is seeing the benefit from its pending takeover by Indian automaker Tata Motors with its first monthly sales rise in nearly two years.

The British sports car brand appears to have turned around its sales decline last month with a nearly 70 percent increase in sales across Europe.

It sold 4,047 cars in Europe during April, up 69.6 percent from the 2,386 it sold in April 2007, according to figures from vehicle manufacturers' association ACEA.

The figures were the first monthly sales increase for Jaguar since July 2006.

Jaguar sales rose in the first four months by 0.4 percent to 12,629 units.

Don Hume, Jaguar and Land Rover spokesman, said Jaguar was helped by the launch of the new XF medium-premium sedan and an end to the uncertainty over the company's future.

Ford Motor agreed in March to sell Jaguar and Land Rover to Tata for $2.3 billion.

Hume said: "The clear future for Jaguar is helping us rebuild the brand, underlined by new products like the XF."

Hume said there had been a global improvement in Jaguar sales, including in the UK, its biggest market, where sales rose nearly 85 percent in April.

"We have got an order book for the XF for 18,000 units, which is at least as good as we hoped," Hume told Automotive News Europe. "We are working flat out to meet the demand."

He said there had also been an increase in sales of the X-Type lower-premium sedan and XJ upper-premium sedan.

While Jaguar sales rose, Land Rover sales fell by 14.6 percent in April to 6,023 units, and were down 12.9 percent to 30,573 in the first four months.

Hume said Land Rover was doing well in markets outside Europe.

He said: "April was a record month for Land Rover globally and our global sales continue to rise. Land Rover is continuing its growth pattern of the last three years."

Jaguar continues its trend of being a leader in innovative media technology as it launches the industry's first broadband multimedia magazine specifically for Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users.

The largest Broadband 2.0 Video Network, 29HD Network, developed this unique spin on the traditional website for Jaguar. By going to www.jxfphone.com, iPhone and iPod Touch owners can experience the new Jaguar XF like never before. The broadband magazine features the XF in vibrant photos and dramatic videos, all cropped to perfectly fit the portable devices' displays and take full advantage of their widescreen format.

With just a tap of the screen, users can flip through the dynamic photos of the broadband magazine, each of which also features an accompanying video that can be viewed with just another tap. All content is editorial based and will be updated regularly as the XF's release date approaches.

The new 2009 Jaguar XF is the first production car that reflects the new design direction for the brand, and will go on sale in March 2008 with a starting MSRP of $49,975 (includes destination and delivery charges).

Ford Motor Co. will not make an announcement about the sale of its Jaguar and Land Rover units until late this year or perhaps early in 2008, the head of the company's European operations said Wednesday night.

"It's a very orderly process," said Lewis Booth, executive vice president of Ford's European units, adding that Ford is in the middle of its strategic review of Volvo for potential sale.

Speaking to reporters in a round-table with the rest of Ford's top managers, Booth said he couldn't go into more detail about the possible sales.

Earlier this month, former Ford President Nick Scheele joined with New York-based Ripplewood Holdings LLC in its bid for Jaguar and Land Rover.

Scheele served as Ford's president and chief operating officer from 2001 until his retirement in 2005. He also led Jaguar from 1992 to 1999.

Scheele's involvement pits him against Jacques Nasser, who was Ford's chief executive from 1999 to 2001. Nasser is leading a separate bid by One Equity Partners LLC, which manages private equity investments for JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 and Land Rover in 2000, joining them with Aston Martin and Volvo to form its Premier Automotive Group. But the automaker lost $12.6 billion in 2006 and has said it expects to burn up $15 billion to $16 billion in cash before returning to profitability sometime in 2009.

Earlier this month, Ford said it completed the sale of its controlling stake in Aston Martin for $931 million in cash and preferred stock. The company has taken opening bids for Jaguar and Land Rover, and Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally said in late July that the probability of selling the brands is greater than 50 percent.

Indian automakers Tata Motors and the Mahindra group are considering separate bids to buy luxury British car brands Jaguar and Land Rover from struggling US carmaker Ford Motor Corp, according to media reports on Thursday.

Ford announced last month that it was considering selling off the two iconic marques as it restructures its North American operations.

Media reports have pegged the deal as worth around 1.3 billion to 1.5 billion dollars.

Tata Motors, India's biggest automobile company, has appointed advisors to evaluate a bid and signed a confidentiality agreement with Ford to access financial details of the two brands which have a combined British workforce of 19,000, the Business Standard daily quoted unnamed sources as saying.

The move would be in keeping with Tata group's growing appetite for overseas acquisitions.

Earlier this year, Tata Steel bought Anglo-Dutch steelmaker Corus for 13.7 billion dollars, India's biggest ever foreign takeover.

Leading tractor and utility vehicle maker Mahindra and Mahindra, which formed a joint venture this year with France's Renault and Japan's Nissan, had also signed a confidentiality agreement with the US carmaker, the Economic Times reported.

Ford bought Jaguar in 1989 for 2.5 billion dollars and Land Rover from Germany's BMW in 2000 for 2.7 billion dollars.

Spokesmen for Tata and Mahindra declined to comment.

The Economic Times said Mahindra and Mahindra's real interest is in Land Rover, but since the two brands are being offered as a package deal it is looking at a combined bid.

XK buyers wanting a more distinctive yet elegant exterior appearance for their XK can now choose to specify Jaguar's exclusive range of body exterior styling products, known as the 'Exterior Styling Pack', which makes its debut early 2007.



With body styling packages already available on the X-TYPE and S-TYPE, this new addition to the range provides a stylish differentiation for the XK and adds yet another exciting dimension to Jaguar's selection of body accessories.



Reflecting the dynamic qualities the XK offers, the Exterior Styling Pack gives the car a more bold and distinct appearance. Designed to reflect and accentuate the dynamic qualities and sleek, strong profile that the XK offers, the Exterior Styling Pack uses the car's existing flowing lines to project its athleticism and performance. This ultimately makes a dramatic but subtle impression on both passengers and passers-by.



The new XK Exterior Styling Pack consists of a front valance, rear valance, upper and lower mesh grilles in a choice of bright or black finish, sill appliqués as well as new exhaust tailpipe finishers, giving the vehicle an aura of self-confidence.



As with all of the body styling packages, engineering integrity has been maintained and the components have been developed for ease of installation onto vehicles and all parts utilise current fixings. The Exterior Styling Pack comes as primed therefore supporting fitment to all vehicle colours.



Jaguar Design Director, Ian Callum said: "We have designed a range of accessory products to visually emphasise the stance and presence of the XK. The enhancements we have made for the XK Exterior Styling Pack give the car an even more stylish and purposeful look by deliberately lowering the visual stance of the car and creating exciting new elements that work with the elegant profile of XK."



Available from March 2007, the Exterior Styling Package can be retro-fitted to all non-supercharged new XKs from launch.

IRVINE, Calif. January 3, 2007 – The all-new Jaguar C-XF concept car, a stunning four-door sedan that blends dynamic, modern features with classic, heritage cues, will make its debut at the 2007 North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Mich. This concept, which boasts a 4.2-liter supercharged V8 engine, signifies a new era for the company and is a clear indication of the design direction for the company's next-generation of sport sedans.



Headed by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum and Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson, the concept was designed by the same team that produced the award-winning 2007 Jaguar XK Coupe and Convertible. The team looked to create a vehicle that presents a confident statement of design purity. In doing so, the C-XF possesses a sense of latent power through a look that is dynamic and athletic.



"The Jaguar C-XF concept is the most dynamic and modern four-door car that Jaguar has ever created, a design showcase heralding the next generations of our sports saloon models," says Ian Callum. "It signals a future for Jaguar that is as exciting as the C-XF itself."





The concept sedan features single, slim-wedged headlamps which have evolved from the twin-lamp motif seen on past Jaguars. The lights are thin and angular, producing an aggressive look for the car's front profile. Running from the headlamps to the rear wheel haunch is an unbroken, main feature line that gives the car a sense of power and movement. Furthering the vehicles aggressive appearance are the muscular bonnet, side power vents, tapered tail and deeply recessed front grille.





The vehicle's modern, sports design philosophy is applied to the cabin as well, with the emphasis tailored toward performance as opposed to luxury. Inside are lightweight, sculpted bucket-style front seats and twin individual rear bucket seats. Running in between the seats is a tall, central transmission tunnel that gives the occupants a sense of sitting deep within a futuristic cockpit. In addition, a brushed aluminum fascia wraps around the cabin, producing a dynamic linear graphic that instills a sense of velocity. Design Director Ian Callum describes the cabin of the all-new C-XF concept car as "one of the most exciting interiors Jaguar has ever done."





Enhancing the cabin experience is the introduction of the vehicle's new technologies that blend simplicity of design with practical innovation. JaguarSense, a prototype technology which employs motion detecting sensors to activate certain vehicle features, reacts to the sweep of a hand, making it advance yet intuitive. Also, the C-XF has a jewel-like Power button that pulses like a heartbeat on the center console and once pushed, aluminum rings lower from the center console to reveal the gear shift knob. As the engine starts, a blue light sweeps around the cabin, the entire roofline illuminates with a muted blue light and a final blue light shines from the front grille, signifying the car's ignition.



The C-XF is not just another concept car – it is much more than that. Its dynamic styling and modern design offer a glimpse to the future for Jaguar. The exterior is pure and athletic, the interior striking and contemporary while the technology innovative and practical. The C-XF is the new direction of Jaguar design.



From its beginning as a manufacturer of motorcycle sidecars in 1922, Jaguar Cars has grown to become one of the world's premier manufacturers of luxury sedans and sports cars and with that, one of the most recognized commercial brands. The company's vision is simple: To produce beautiful fast cars that are desired the world over. The company operates two manufacturing plants in the United Kingdom and is fully engaged in environmental programs, community work and brand awareness exercises such as motorsports.