The Jaguar press conference at Geneva this last week had many luxury car buyers excited. The company, recently under new ownership, successfully introduced the Jaguar XF this last year and had a couple new things on hand to debut at Geneva. Hit the jump for more on the newest from Jaguar.

According to Managing Director Mike O’Driscoll, Jaguar sales actually increased 8% this last year, something I was not aware of. In an effort to increase their sales even more, Jaguar has engineered a few new things for 2009 that are aimed at increasing performance as well as driving dynamics. Powering the Jaguar XKR is a brand new direct-injection supercharged aluminum V8 engine that is capable of pushing the sleek car from zero to 100 kph (0-62 mph) in sub-five second times. As a matter of fact, with a little tuning, the powerplant was able to break an existing Jaguar speed record by rocketing to 225 miles per hour on the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Next in the line of Jaguar improvements is the diesel setup that powers the Jaguar XF Diesel S. The 3.0 L diesel cranks out 600 Nm of torque (roughly 443 lb ft), an amount sure to make that baby move off the line. While providing all that power, the diesel manages about 34.5 miles per gallon (I hate converting from the metric system) and emits a CO2 level of 1.79 grams per kilometer (you do the damn conversion). Even more impressive is the zero to sixty time of 6.0 seconds, a feat not easy for any diesel car.

In closing, O’Driscoll hinted at the release of the updated Jaguar XJ, a car he says will change convention. Well, I for one am waiting to see it when it comes out in a few months. Keep coming here for coverage on the Geneva Show, Big_Blocker out.