JAGUAR

Jaguar’s Ian Callum Confirms Hot R Edition of Upcoming XF Sport Break 

We already knew that Jaguar was preparing an estate (or, as they prefer to call it, Sport Break) version of the XF. What we were not so sure about was whether the XF Sport Break would get a range-topping R version like its sedan sibling. Up until now, that is, because Ian Callum, Jag’s chief designer, recently told the Dutch publication Autovisie that the company will indeed present and XFR variant of the estate. And it will of course be powered by the same 510-hp turbocharged V8 of the sedan, giving rivals such as Audi’s RS6 something to worry about.
“Originally, a station wagon version wasn’t even on the agenda as part of the XF line-up” admitted Callum. However, once Jaguar decided to green light the estate, they also chose to go the whole way and develop a high-performance version.

New Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel Goes from Birmingham to Munich on One Tank of Fuel 

Jaguar is touting it’s new diesel-powered XF 2.2D saloon as the most fuel-efficient model in its history and to back its claims, the company set out to complete a journey from its factory at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, UK, to Munich, Germany, on a single tank of fuel. The British company manages to achieve its goal, with the four-cylinder XF covering a distance of 816 miles or 1,312 kilometers on 64 liters of diesel fuel, which gives an average fuel economy of 57mpg UK, equal to 4.9 lt/100km and 47.5 mpg US.
David Madgwick, an independent tester, accompanied by navigator Alexander Madgwick, drove the vehicle, which left Jaguar’s facilities with a little over 3,000-miles on the clock.
The crew was met in Munich by Chief Programme Engineer for the XF, Andy Whyman, who commented:
“The entire development team is very proud of what the new XF 2.2 has achieved – this not only proves the efficiency of the new model but underlines that performance and economy can be combined,” said Andy Whyman, Chief Programme Engineer for the XF.
The new Jaguar XF 2.2D is powered by an updated version of the Ford-sourced 2.2-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in the Land Rover Freelander and the European-market Ford Mondeo.
It produces 190-horses and 332 lbs ft of torque allowing the XF to accelerate from naught to 62mph (100km/h)in 8.5-seconds before reaching a top speed of 140mph (225 km/h).
The four-pot is connected to a new eight-speed ZF automatic gearbox and, in a first for Jaguar, a Stop-Start system.
It will join the rest of the facelifted XF range in Europe this September. 

They Should Have Built It: 2000 Jaguar F-Type Concept 

With the E-Type of 1961, Jaguar was back in a big way. Essentially a spiritual successor to the legendary XK120 of the 1940s and ‘50s, the E-Type had everything going for it: looks, performance and price. Since then, much has changed for the brand. The malaise of the 1970s, the reliability woes of the ‘80s and the reheated design language of the ‘90s all placed a burden on the Big Cat.
Then, at the 2000 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), Jaguar unveiled the F-Type Concept to the world. And by God was it a stunner. The lines were simple yet provocative; the interior refreshingly Spartan and functional for a concept car.
It was a design that was both modern yet unmistakably a Jaguar. For years, whenever rumours of an E-Type successor were bandied about, it was 2000’s F-Type concept that was cited as the proof.
Instead, the XK8 – not a bad car but already four years old at the time – was left to struggle on for another six years before being mercifully replaced with the XK in 2006.
And as good as the XK is, there’s still a lot of Jaguar fans out there left pining for the F-Type. It’s just sad that nothing ever came of it. Check out our gallery below of this brilliant one-off concept.

Hot Jaguar XKR-S Rendered as a Convertible 

 

Swayed by recent media reports from Britain, Carscoop reader L il-k Amaru returned to his virtual drawing board and photoshoped a convertible version of the hardcore Jaguar XKR-S, which was unwrapped in coupe format at the 2011 Geneva Salon this past March. If the rumors about the XKR-S Convertible turn out to be true, expect the open top model to feature the same styling and performance modifications as the coupe.
This means aggressive styling upgrades such as the vented front and rear bumpers, side skirts and big rear spoiler, as well as a boosted 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine with 550-horses and 680Nm (501 lb-ft) of peak torque along with a revised and lowered sports suspension plus a beefier braking system.

2011 NYIAS: Jaguar XK Receives Mild Facelift for the 2012MY 

Jaguar’s revised for the 2012 model year XK series in Coupe and Convertible form made its world premiere alongside the refreshed XF and XFR sedans at this week’s 2011 New York International Auto Show. The changes on the XK are more subtle than on the XF and are purely cosmetic. The mild redesign shares many elements with the flagship 550-horsepower XKR-S revealed at the Geneva Motor Show in March.
The most significant changes are found at the front of the XK that gains new and slimmer by 15mm headlamps that incorporate LED signal functions and running lights. There’s also a larger oval grille and new bumper design, while the XKR is distinguished by a black mesh grille.
The power vents along the front wings have been altered from a vertical to horizontal design with a mesh insert and are emblazoned with the Jaguar name. At the rear, the British company tweaked the boot lid design with a slimmer chrome finisher that allows the placement of the Jaguar ‘leaper’ badge, and added LED technology to the tail lamps.
Finally, Jaguar added five new colors to the range and introduced new alloy wheel designs ranging in size from 18 to 20 inches.
Changes to the interior are limited to the new trim finishes that include ebony soft-feel paint for the switches, gloss black finish to the centre console and phosphor blue halo illumination and ambient lighting and, for the first time, the option of sculpted leather sports seats.
The V8 engine range is carried over unchanged from the 2011MY.

Jaguar-Land Rover Opens Assembly Plant in India, Rolls Out its First Model

 

Gone are the times when you knew where cars were made just by looking at the brand, and when luxury carmakers made the manufacturing of their vehicles in their home country one of their top selling points. Nowadays, you have BMWs built in China, India, South Africa and the USA, Mercedes-Benz cars made in Russia, Thailand and Egypt and so on. The latest premium automaker to go global is the Jaguar-Land Rover group, which inaugurated its first Indian factory on Friday. A Land Rover Freelander 2 SUV was the first vehicle to roll out of the assembly plant, which is located just outside Pune in the Maharashtra region of India. We’ll remind you that Ford Motor Co. sold Jaguar and Land Rover to India’s Tata Motors in 2008 after losing some US$15 billion in two years.
Tata Motors believes that the assembly of Land Rover models in India will help the company better compete against rivals such as Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz, all of which already build vehicles in the booming South Asian country.
“We are excited about the prospect of assembling cars in Pune for the Indian market where we have achieved significant growth since we opened our first showroom in 2009,” said Dr Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover. “It is a great time to be expanding our operation in India due to the increasing demand for luxury products and the strength of the Indian economy."
The Pune facility will assemble Land Rover Freelander 2 vehicles supplied in Complete Knock Down (CKD) form sourced from the British firm’s Halewood manufacturing plant in Liverpool, UK. The SUV will be available in India in two variants, the TD4 SE Automatic and the SD4 HSE Automatic, with local prices starting from INR 3.39 million, or around 15 percent lower than the current imported models.
Recent media reports have suggested that Jaguar Land Rover is also looking into building a new engine plant in India, but the company has not yet confirmed the news. 

Eagle Speedster is a Beautiful Tribute to the Classic Jaguar E-Type 

Eagle is a British restoration specialist that dedicates its activity exclusively to the Jaguar E-Type. As the iconic sports car celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2011, Eagle has thought of a very special way to celebrate the occasion: the one of a kind Eagle Speedster, a roadster models that combines the beauty of the classic E-Type with the company's technical expertise and craftsmanship. The car was commissioned by U.S. collector Rick Velaj, who wanted something "a bit special". Eagle designer Paul Brace penned a sketch, Velaj loved it and the rest came naturally. Everything on the E-Type Speedster is custom made. Like the 1960's Jaguar E-Type, Eagle's car sports classic finishing, with every detail being designed and customized, from the unique shape of the all-aluminum body, adapted from an original body by RS Panels, right through to the custom made windshield glass.
Under the beautifully sculpted body, Eagle engineers mounted an in-house developed 4.7-liter straight-six engine, matched to a five-speed gearbox. The six-cylinder produces 340 lb-ft (460 Nm) of torque and is expected to offers sports car performance numbers to Speedster which tips the scales at just under 1,100 kilograms (2,425 lbs). Handling was also an aspect that Eagle improved by fitting an optimized sports suspension and by widening the wheel track.
The lowered floor pan gives the Speedster a low profile, while also dropping the driver seating position for a sportier feel. The car's elegant lines connect with the cockpit through a "waterfall" console that descends between the two seats and is continued with the center tunnel. The dashboard is pure E-Type, with an aluminum fascia, classic instrument panel and wraparound leather upholstery. The custom-designed aluminum wheels fitted with three-eared wheel spinners are another example of Eagle's attention to details. 

Official: Jaguar to Build C-X75 Hypercar with the help of Williams F1, Production Limited to 250 Units 

The super rich automotive collectors of this world will soon have one more choice to add to their list as today, Jaguar officially confirmed the limited production of its flashing C-X75 hypercar that drew much attention at last year’s Paris Motor Show. To be developed in cooperation with Williams F1, the C-X75 will make use of hybrid powertrain with Jaguar aiming to have the car on sale in 2013. The British maker said only 250 examples will be built, each costing between £700,000 - £900,000, or US$1.16 million to US$1.44 million at today’s exchange rates, depending on market and local taxes.
To have it in the market within a considerable timeframe, Jaguar will replace the jet-powered setup of the original concept with a more conventional, yet still innovative for today’s standards, powertrain comprising of a state-of-the-art, small-capacity, highly-boosted internal combustion engine with one powerful electric motor at each axle offering all-wheel drive capability.
Jaguar did not get into any further details, but Williams F1’s involvement hints at a high-tech four-cylinder unit closely related to the 1.6-liter four-pot engine to be used in Formula One after the new regulations come into force in 2013.
We may not have any output figures for now, but Jaguar revealed that the C-X75 will be one of the fastest production cars in the world with a sub-three second 0-60mph (96 km/h) time and a top speed in excess of 200mph (322 km/h). Thanks to its lightweight construction and the use of the electric motors, the C-X75 will also be green emitting less than 99g/km of CO2.
"The engine's compact size allows it to be mounted low in the car for optimum weight distribution and to retain the concept's stunning silhouette,” explained Bob Joyce, Group Engineering Director, Jaguar Land Rover. “This will make the Jaguar C-X75 a bona fide hybrid supercar capable of silent electric running with an extensive EV range in excess of 50km."
Jaguar added that development of the micro-turbine technology that was showcased in the original concept C-X75 continues and will play an important role in the British firm’s future plans.
Williams F1 said it will provide its engineering expertise in various areas including aerodynamics, carbon composite manufacture and hybrid technologies.
"Never before has the company launched such an ambitious, world-beating vehicle programme," said Carl-Peter Forster, CEO Tata Motors. "This is the Jaguar of the future. The opportunity for innovation like this in the UK is part of the reason Tata Motors invested in Jaguar, and it's fantastic that products like the C-X75 can become reality."

Jaguar Confirms Development of New Entry-Level Sedan and All-Wheel Drive XJ 

Jaguar has admitted that it is currently working on a new sedan that will be the entry-level model of the range. Smaller than the XF, the new model is expected to have a starting price of around £28,000 (€31,850/$45,685). According to Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's global brand director, the sub-£30,000 premium car market is four times larger than that of sedans priced above £30,000 (€34,120), so developing a cheaper, smaller Jaguar makes a solid business case. British car magazine Autocar quotes company insiders that say the new car will be smaller than the XF, but without sacrificing interior room, which will still be spacious enough for five passengers. So far, there is no information on whether the car will use an aluminum platform, as the next generation XF will do. According to the same sources, the successor of the XF will also be bigger and will move further upmarket.
Another important move for Jaguar is the all-wheel drive XJ, a more advanced project currently under development. Jaguar's 4WD flagship sedan will be launched within the next two years possibly at the same time with the car's facelift. The all-wheel drive system is necessary for the XJ since the company has strong sales in the US, where 20 percent of all road cars sold are equipped with an all-wheel drive system. In the Northern States, where Jaguar has its strongest sales, the proportion increases to an impressive 70 percent (according to the report at least).
Jaguar also recently announced the upcoming introduction of a 4-cylinder diesel engine on the XF, since 49 percent of sales in the large premium segment are made up of four cylinder models. The company is trying to enter all these new niches in order to increase sales, as it has just five percent of the US luxury market, two percent in the EU and just one percent in China.

Jaguar Recalling More than 6,000 XF Saloons and XK Sports Cars in the USA for Corrosion Problems 

We just got word that Jaguar has released a recall notice today that affects certain 2010MY XF saloons and XK sports cars over a potential issue with the power assist steering system. In a document filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], Jaguar said that the power assist steering (pas) pipes have been assembled with zinc-nickel plating that may not provide corrosion protection. The company added that over time, corrosion of the pas pipes may lead to pin-holing of the pipe allowing pressurized power steering fluid to leak into the under-hood and engine bay area. Jaguar said that aside from causing a loss of power assist steering, the leaked fluid may also ignite if it comes into contact with an ignition source or a hot surface leading to a vehicle fire.
The recall affects a total of 6,085 cars in the USA including 1,540 XKs and 4,545 XFs, manufactured from June 27, 2009, through March 10, 2010.
Under the recall, which is expected to begin on or before April 11, 2011, Jaguar’s technicians at dealerships will replace the power steering fluid pipes with parts manufactured to the required corrosion protection specification free of charge. 

Panzani Design’s Vintage GT is a Scary Looking Jaguar S-Type R 

 

What you see pictured here is the creation of a relatively unknown Italian tuning firm called Panzani Design. Named the Vintage GT, it’s an extreme take on the Jaguar S-Type R, which was the flagship version of the series powered by a 4.2-liter supercharged V8 kicking out 400HP. Whether you like Panzani Design’s styling approach or not, one thing is for sure: there’s no way you can ignore it. The tuning company starts with the exterior of the Jaguar S-Type R by adding a new wide body kit with prominent wheel arches that house 20-inch alloy wheels shod in tires size 255/35 R20 up front and 305/30 R20 at the back.
The car also gets a new front end with a carbon fiber bonnet and bumper trim, and side air vents from the XKR. At the back, Panzani Design eliminated the bumper adding a massive rear diffuser, new circular LED tail lamps and a new carbon fiber boot that incorporates a spoiler. The race-spec mirrors, exposed fuel cap, side skirts and the matte grey paint finish complete the look.
There was a lot of work done in the interior, which is swathed in leather and Alcantara with contrasting seams. The cabin also features a pair of sports seats, carbon fiber trim and a newly styled three-spoke sports steering wheel.
Pangani Design did not say if there are any modifications under the hood nor did it release pricing info on the Vintage GT.