

Journal update
As of May 31, Jaguar had sold 3,500 XFs in the U.S., says Craig Samara, the company's vice president of retail operations, with 700 more ordered. At 1,200 a month, the XF now actually outsells Audi's A6 and Volvo's S80—though not the segment-leading BMW 5 Series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Crucially, almost four times as many XFs sold this May as S-Types sold last May.
More importantly, the XF is bringing new buyers to Jaguar. So-called "conquest buyers" represent 60 percent of the total, far higher than Jaguar had projected. The average age of XF buyers is 48, a full decade younger than Jaguar's average last year.
Dave Leggett, of British industry analyst Just-Auto, says it remains to be seen "whether the car is good enough to get BMW and Mercedes-Benz buyers out of their cars" over the long term. Past the first wave of enthusiasm, Jaguar will find out whether it has overcome its stodgy brand image among enough 35- to 50-year-old buyers.