Who says cats hate water ? Jaguar this week launched its new , second-generation XF compact sports saloon with a high-wire drive over water on cables just an inch thick . In a stunt worthy of the latest Bond film Spectre — for which the firm is supplying many of the cars — the XF was revealed in a dramatic stunt in the heart of London 's Docklands . High over the Royal Dock in Canary Wharf , stuntman Jim Dowdell — a veteran of the Bond , Bourne and Indiana Jones films — drove the car 240 metres across wires to demonstrate the car 's lightweight aluminium construction and agility . Do n't look down ! Jaguar 's new XF seen crossing London 's Royal Dock by high wire this week . Excitement aside , Jaguar 's XF sport saloon promises 'business class ' levels of comfort and refinement with a new generation of frugal engines . It 's being built at Jaguar Land Rover 's Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham alongside the allaluminium F-Type sports car and top-of-the-range XJ limousine . Its official global debut is at the New York motor show on April 1 before going on sale in the autumn from £30,000 to £80,000 . Jaguar 's XF sport saloon ( pictured ) promises 'business class ' levels of comfort and refinement with a new generation of frugal engines . The new version is 80kg lighter than its closest competitor . This helps it return more than 70 mpg with CO2 emissions of 104g/km . Engines include 163bhp and 180bhp 2-litre Ingenium diesels linked to six-speed manual and eight-speed automatic gearboxes . The manual 163bhp diesel is 'the lightest , most efficient non-hybrid diesel model in its market segment , ' says Jaguar . All other engines are eightspeed automatics . There is also a powerful 3-litre 300bhp V6 twinturbo diesel and a 3-litre 380 bhp V6 supercharged petrol engine . The proportions have also been tweaked . While 7mm shorter and 3mm lower than its predecessor , its wheelbase is 51mm longer , meaning more back seat space , legroom and headroom . Jaguar is investing £600 million in its manufacturing capacity in Britain , £400million at its Castle Bromwich plant . Great to see Britain 's former 'Motown ' — Coventry , once the capital of our motor industry — getting some bumper good news this week . The city that for decades has built the iconic London taxi is to gain a new factory , costing £250million , creating up to 1,000 jobs and building up to 36,000 vehicles a year . Chinese motor giant Geely , which bought the UK firm outright two years ago after holding a stake since 2006 , said the state-of the-art research , development and assembly plant for the London Taxi Company will be built in the city of Lady Godiva ( and Peeping Tom ) . It is a tenfold increase on the company 's site , which has been home to London taxis for 70 years and heralds the introduction of the next generation electric and ultralow emission London black cab . Coventry 's links with China go back a long way after it had the foresight in the early Eighties to twin itself with the Chinese city of Jinan in Shandong province . What the two cities had in common was silk : Jinan is at the end of the Silk Road and Coventry — before the rise of the motor industry — was a centre for the finest silk-working . The Chinese think long-term and have an important concept called guanxi — or social connections — which help smooth business . Coventry was early to establish these vital connections . Looks like it 's paying off . April should put a spring in the step of outdoor touring types as order books open for the new generation of Audi 's epic seven-seat luxury sport utility vehicle the Q7 . But you 'll have to wait until August for first deliveries . In April order books open for the new generation of Audi 's epic seven-seat luxury sport utility vehicle the Q7 ( pictured ) Priced from £50,340 to £53,835 , it will be available at launch with a 272 bhp V6 TDI engine . A 218bhp 3.0 TDI Quattro is expected to follow in late summer 2015 . And finally ... what possible future could there be for a loud , middle-aged , overweight , motormouth petrolhead who 's originally from 'up North ' , is always behind the wheel of some fancy car or other , divides opinion , drives everyone nuts and is not even that funny ? Wonder if I should apply for that vacant Top Gear slot now that whatsisname 's gone and got the sack ?
The stunt was worthy of the latest Spectre film , James Bond . The car was driven 240 metres above the Royal Dock in Canary Wharf . Jaguar 's new saloon promises 'business class ' levels of comfort . Its official global debut is at the New York motor show on April 1 .