THE Jaguar F-Type roadster made a sensational debut at the Detroit Show, as the company revealed that its sales in Germany soared by 50% last year. The record performance of 6,090 registrations fuelled speculation that the company is poised to challenge the Mercedes-Benz SLK and the Porsche Boxster with a compact two-seater reminiscent of the classic E-Type of the 1960s.

Managing director Jonathan Browning: 'This model is testing the waters for us and a lot of work remains to be done before a decision is taken on the future of the project.'