A MAJOR drive for higher efficiency is taking place at Jaguar dealerships as the luxury car firm prepares to seize a dramatically bigger stake in the corporate car market. Retailers are being subjected to an exhaustive appraisal just 12 months before the new X400 executive saloon sweeps into the sector dominated by the BMW 3-series.

Consultants have been appointed to oversee a series of probes into the way each of the Coventry company's 96 outlets operates, revealed corporate sales manager Christine Downton. 'We are poised to launch a product that takes Jaguar into a completely fresh area of activity. The X400 will be the last of a series of steps designed to quadruple our output, and we need to ensure our network is fully prepared to meet the challenges presented by significantly higher volumes.

'Under a programme called Scaleshift, we're helping them make a thorough evaluation of every aspect of their businesses,' she said. Downton said the bulk of the £60 million dealer investment in infrastructure to handle higher sales volumes had been completed prior to the launch of the S-type. In the run-up to the launch, a dedicated X400 specialist is also being appointed at each dealership.