All-New Jaguar XF

It made its world debut a few weeks ago in Frankfurt, and now it's making its first appearance here in Tokyo. The all-new XF, the car to which Jaguar's future is so closely allied by anyone who's watching the ongoing saga of will-they or won't-they sell the company.

The answer is probably yes because owners Ford can't afford to do otherwise, but the real question should actually be when they'll sell and to who. But forget that for now, and do as Jaguar would so dearly love us to do - look at the XF in its own right.

When they unveiled it for the second time on two continents, their sense of pride in it is tangible, and what they are justifiably proud of is having developed a car that supports everything the current Jaguar philosophy stands for without abandoning the heritage of the company.

It's a car that perfectly represents both of Jaguar's most important current messages - beautiful, fast cars and new-fashioned luxury. Beautiful? It's in the eye of the beholder, of course, but the XF is sharp, modern, muscular, individualistic - while still having clear Jaguar DNA.

As design boss Ian Callum says, "The main principles in designing a Jaguar are to chase every millimeter to produce the ideal proportions, to create exquisite details that are beautiful both to see and to touch, and to stretch the skin around the packaging to maximum effect." Now look closely at the car in the flesh and you'll see that that's exactly what they've done - it is a very elegant shape indeed.

Fast? We'll drive it soon, but the S V8 version shown here has Jaguar's highly regarded supercharged V8 and 420 bhp; and the level of development that has gone into making the XF's driver-focused driving dynamics live up to its coupe-like styling.

And New-Fashioned Luxury? Its interior design, as Ian Callum suggests, is simple and pure; the materials aren't over-styled and the details are again so neatly considered that they work beautifully. Then there are the big things, like the innovative rotary gearshift and the dashboard air vents that rotate out of sight when they are not in use.

There's so much more to it, too, than just being a new model: for Jaguar, the XF is genuinely a new approach, to styling with respect for the past rather than shackles to it, and for technology for the sake of better functionality rather than technology simply because it's available.

In that respect, it's the philosophy that has always made Jaguar special, and it is no different from how founder Sir William Lyons might have seen the challenge himself. What's different now is simply the way it's evolved - finally, it seems, into a new generation.