Jaguar officially unveiled the all-new luxury XJ at the Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea, London at an event hosted by American chat show host Jay Leno.

Jaguar Cars Managing Director, Mike O'Driscoll, commented: "These are truly exciting times for us at Jaguar. The new XJ is truly beautiful, exhilarating to drive, and with its bold, enlightened approach to design, it meets the challenges of our fast-changing world. It re-imagines the ultimate sporting luxury car."

There's no doubt that the new XJ is a departure from the aesthetic design values that the outgoing car held - it looks completely different. However not completely different from the XF - the grille, A and C pillars are all strikingly similar, as is the floor-level coaching line along the flank.

Head of Design, Ian Callum has applied the same design direction to the XJ that made Jaguar's saviour, the XF a success.

A new panoramic glass roof is an integral part of the all-new XJ‘s design concept, Jaguar says that it will enable the car to have "a lower, more streamlined roofline, while dramatically enhancing the feeling of light and space inside".

The new car's cabin promises "contemporary design with the comfort, luxury and unmistakable sporting style of a Jaguar. Chrome and piano black detailing provide an eye-catching contrast to the beautifully-crafted leather and veneer surfaces".

All of Jaguar's new Gen III petrol and diesel engines will be available in the XJ. The 3.0-litre V6 diesel, 5.0-litre naturally aspirated V8 and 5.0-litre supercharged V8 are joined by a 470 horsepower version of the supercharged engine.

The press material goes on a bit about the design, using lots of flowery words so I've condensed it a little - at first glance the new XJ is damn tasty.