London  - The restyled Jaguar XJ, borrowing some design cues from the Mk II of the 1960s, will celebrate its world debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September just three months prior to its appearance in European showrooms, the car maker has announced.

"It is a Jaguar for the 21st century inspired by the classic Mk II and the first XJ," says designer Ian Callum.

But the exterior shows little from the Jags of old apart from the gleaming mesh-wire front grille with the Jaguar badge in the centre. The high flanks and narrow stretched side windows give it a "ready- to-pounce" look. Angular rather than classic round headlights are also a radical departure from the past.

The first model released by Jaguar since it was taken over by the Indian car maker Tata, the new XJ is clearly aimed at the luxury market in rivalry with the BMWs and Mercedes.

It not only sports a choice of Italian leathers and wood veneers but all the modern gadgets such as a TFT screen in the central dashboard depicting different images for the driver and passenger.

It is also equipped with air suspension, six-speed automatic gearbox and a Bowers and Wilkins 20-speaker sound system. Standard equipment include six airbags, Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) and Xenon headlights.

The engine line-up is taken from the current XF and XK. Initially the XJ will only be available with the 5-litre V8 direct-injection 283 kW/385 hp and in two supercharged 346 kW/470 hp and 375 kW/510 hp models. The 3-litre diesel model has an output of 202 kW/275 hp. There is speculation that Jaguar is planning a hybrid model and super sport XJR at a later stage. (dpa)