IRVINE, Calif., July 17, 2008 – Maintaining its reputation of providing superior dealer service in the U.S., Jaguar North America is proud to announce its number one ranking in the J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM.

For the second consecutive year, Jaguar claims the number one position in the study which measures customer satisfaction with dealer service during the first three years of ownership.

"I am delighted that Jaguar placed number one in Customer Satisfaction for the second successive year," said Mike O'Driscoll, managing director of Jaguar Cars. "The J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM is the benchmark of customer satisfaction, and Jaguar and its dealers have been recognized once again for providing a level of service that is unparalleled in the auto industry."

"Customer service excellence requires an outstanding team and commitment," said Gary Temple, senior executive vice president North American operations. "Jaguar's number one ranking again in the J.D. Power and Associates Customer Service Index (CSI) StudySM is a reflection of the passion of our employees, our dealers, and their personnel."

"To rank top in customer service, following our recent ranking in the 2008 J.D. Power and Associates APEAL StudySM demonstrates again that Jaguar offers products that customers enjoy and that our dealers are committed to delivering an outstanding customer service experience."

The Study, now in its 28th year, measures the customer satisfaction of vehicle owners who visit the dealer service department for maintenance or repair work during the first three years of ownership. The 2008 CSI Study is based on responses gathered between January and April 2008 from 87,302 owners and lessees of 2005 to 2007 model-year vehicles and measures service initiation, service advisor, in-dealership experience, service delivery, service quality and user-friendly service.

About Jaguar
Since the company was founded in 1922, Jaguar Cars has evolved from the production of motorcycle sidecars to become one of the world's premier manufacturers of luxury saloons and sports cars.

Jaguar designs, engineers and manufactures all its three model lines - the XF and XJ saloons and the XK sports car - in the UK at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham.

Jaguar, which employs some 7,000 people, is a major wealth generator for the UK, exporting 70% of production to 63 countries around the world.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

E-Type, Lost & Found

A PRODIGAL JAGUAR RETURNS

In September, 2007, Cory Schroeder suggested to his father Ron that the two embark on an auto reclamation project. As they discussed which car, Ron remembered a Jaguar he'd owned and loved nearly three decades before. Cory decided that would be the vehicle, if it still existed. And the search was on.

Treasure in a warehouse.

Illinois insurance agent Ron Schroeder was inspecting a commercial building one afternoon in the early 1980s when something caught his eye. Among the boxes and equipment on the building's floor was a car cover thrown over a distinctly automotive shape, and arcs of wire wheels were peeking out the bottom.

Ron loved exotic cars and, in fact, had owned several. So when he lifted that cover and found a Signal Red Jaguar E-Type lurking underneath, he was smitten. He had to have it.

The car was a 1972 E-Type Series 3 V12 2+2, a rare enough find even then. It was fitted with left-hand-drive, a black leather interior, and American market front and rear bumpers. The engine sported four Zenith-Stromberg side-draft carburetors and developed 241 hp. Transmission was a 4-speed manual shift. It wasn't perfect, in fact suffered from a frozen piston and had been sitting for two years. But to Schroeder, it was a wonder.

He located the car's owner on the east coast and purchased it 'as is.' He took it home to Peoria, pulled the engine, repaired it (organizing the many parts into muffin tins), and put it back together. Then, following a vigorous wash-wax-polish finish refurbish conducted by all members of his family, he enjoyed the car, frequently driving it to auto shows, where it was a sensation and won a number of awards.

A trek across the world.

Several years later, in 1989, Ron's oldest son headed off to college. Family finances being what they were, Ron had to sell his prized Jaguar to pay the education bills. He found an interested Jaguar Club member, and made a deal, sad but taking comfort from his belief the car would be cared for. At the time, the red E-Type's odometer read 24,000 miles.

A veritable English odyssey followed. The Jaguar Club member sold and shipped the car to a gentleman in Great Britain, who–after writing to Ron to inquire about work done–stored it for 10 years, never registering or driving it. Then a second English enthusiast bought the car and kept it for 7 years, driving it sparingly (he also wrote to Ron, by the way, asking for service records). And it changed hands yet again, this time purchased by a third chap, who owned it for 2 years.

Re-enter the Schroeders.

When Ron Schroeder and his son Cory embarked on their car restoration project in 2007, and fatefully decided Ron's old E-Type was the one they wanted, the car was in the current owner's garage on the other side of the world. And the Schroeders didn't know he existed. But Cory, in the norm of days, worked as a corporate headhunter, locating people needed by businesses wherever they were. He knew how to use records and numbers (and letters from past owners) to track down the hard-to-find. He went to work.

First, he tried to contact the first buyer. No luck. Then, the second, with an old address and phone number from the service request letter. He began calling, talking to people who'd moved into the flat after the car owner had gone. He checked the British online directory, and found several similar names listed. He went through the list, calling each one and telling his story of the search for the father-and-son E-Type.

On the third call, Cory reached the second buyer's son, who reported they'd indeed owned the car, but had sold it to a friend a couple years prior. He even emailed some current photographs. And there it was...still drivable, still on the road!

The effort to find the third buyer was mercifully brief, and that man was very nice and sent additional pictures. Cory explained the Schroeder's quest to re-purchase and restore the car, and made an offer.
Months went by. Then a message arrived rejecting the offer and indicating the third buyer would instead put it into a rare auto auction.

Cory was so close he wouldn't be denied, so he made another, better offer. This time, it was accepted. When he did, Cory and Ron celebrated with spirit. Their lost car was coming home!

Behold, the prodigal Jaguar.

Next came the task of shipping the car back to the US. Working through a shipping company, the Schroeders had the car picked up, crated and stowed aboard a steamer named the Samantha, bound for Paris. There, it was transferred to a different ship, the Columbia, sailing to New York. Dockside in New York, the still-crated car was loaded on a railroad car and hauled to Chicago.

There were various customs hurdles to overcome–Vacis test, etc.–before the Schroeders finally received notice the shipment was in town. They hurried down to the rail yard, full of anticipation, only to be told the crate had been moved to a docking station, and needed a truck to claim it there.
Cory called a trucking firm fast (telling the people there the whole story, of course) to get some help, and also ensure he'd be able to supervise the unloading.

It was February, 2008. Winter. 10? F outside, freezing cold. Cory and Ron arrived at the docking station with an SUV and an auto trailer to pick up their car. The crate stood there waiting, and with building excitement, the Schroeders carefully opened it.

"What an unbelievable, unforgettable moment that was," Cory reports. "The look on my Dad's face was absolutely priceless. Suddenly, all we'd been through to locate and acquire this car was worth the cost." The two had a little trouble getting the itinerant E-Type started–the battery was dead–but in the end they prevailed and its venerable V-12 roared to life, filling the Schroeders' ears with a music both familiar and long forgotten.

At home that night, they unloaded and garaged the car, toasting its rearrival with mugs of ale. And in the morning, immune to the cold, the two of them washed and waxed it liked they did twenty eight years earlier, noticing at the same time that the odometer read 34,000 miles. The prodigal Jaguar was back.

Then, father and son got in the car, Cory driving and Ron the passenger, and, smiling, took off on a long, long drive.