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.

By Dan Mihalascu

Via Autocar

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Jaguar Rumored to Tease E-type Successor with a New Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Over the past few years, we've heard plenty of rumors concerning Jaguar's plans to build a spiritual successor to the famed E-type of the 1960s and 1970s. The latest word on the grapevine comes from British weekly magazine Autocar that claims Jaguar will release a sporty model in the spirit of the E-type as early as next year.

The magazine says the firm's Indian owner Tata Motors is determined to resurrect the spirit of the iconic Jag. The new model, codenamed XE, is planned as a rival to Porsche’s new Boxster.

Company insiders are cited as saying that the XE will not be a retro interpretation of the classic E-type but a modern roadster that will, however, have some styling similarities with the original like a long bonnet and short tail.

The XE will be based on a new, all-aluminum platform that will also underpin the successor to the current XK, itself due for launch in 2014. It will be smaller than the XK with a length of around 4.3 meters, because its wheelbase will be shortened since it will only accommodate the driver and a passenger.

The report goes on to say that the XE will be revealed as a concept at the forthcoming Frankfurt Motor Show in September, while production of the road version is expected to begin at Castle Bromwich in 2012. It will initially be produced only as a roadster, although there is still talk about a coupe version to battle the next generation of the Cayman.

Under the hood will be V6 engines, both normally aspirated and supercharged for the hotter versions. A more affordable turbocharged four-cylinder with lower emissions has also been considered.

What hasn’t been decided yet is what to call the new model. XE will most likely remain just a code. XE-E would be too close to the original, plus Jaguar has already expressed its desire to change the names of its cars. So the brainstorming continues.

Whatever they decide to name it, we hope that they eventually build it and this is not just another false alert.

*All Photos are of the Jaguar F-Type Concept that was introduced in 2000

PHOTO GALLERY: 2000 JAGUAR F-TYPE CONCEPT

It Came From eBay Hell: 1993 Jaguar XJ6 “Airport Limousine”

In the glory days of air travel – when you could still smoke and fly without the fear of being groped and fondled by security personnel wearing latex gloves– some passengers were lucky enough to commute from the terminal to their hotel in the back of an airport limousine.

These stretched cars, with their multiple rows of seats and doors, were essentially the primitive precursor to the modern day shuttle bus.

So here we have 3.2 L Jaguar XJ6 airport limousine (really, what else would you call it?) with two extra doors and a row of three seat clumsily inserted in the middle that we found for sale on eBay UK.

The seller is eager to point out that this car, “DRIVES WELL DOSE ALL AS IT SHOULD BODY IN GOOD CONDITION FOR ITS YEAR”, though offers precious little other information.

From the odd-looking roof racks, I’d hazard a guess and say this was formerly used by a funeral home to ferry loved ones back and forth. On the plus side, it comes with a cassette player, power steering, central locking and electric windows.

On the downside it’s an extensively modified Jaguar from the early ‘90s based on twenty-year-old mechanicals. Buyers beware, indeed. I suppose its 1,500 GBP (about US$2,400) would still appeal to some if not others.

Check out our full gallery below.

By Tristan Hankins

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Gigantic Jaguar E-Type Sculpture

You can usually spot Gerry Judah's car sculptures from a mile away, not only because they are so distinctly different, but also because they are gigantic in scale and size.

Judah's latest creation is a 91 ft (28 m) high steel sculpture of the Jaguar E-Type car, designed for the Goodwood Festival of Speed which took place in Sussex, UK last weekend. Jaguar was asked to provide a sculpture to commemorate the 50th birthday of the classic sports car.

The impressive piece is made from .62 miles (.5 km) of 4 ft (1200mm) diameter steel tubing. Balancing on its front bumper, the giant Jaguar weighs a massive 193 tons (386,000 lbs), the equivalent of 135 E-types.

“I thought I would like to express the form of the car itself without any embellishments," explains Judah. “Everyone recognizes the E-type, the shape speaks for itself. You can’t compete with it, you can’t digress from it.”

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.

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Plastic is Fantastic: 1:24 Scale Supercar Exotics Encased In Resin

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a 1970's style resin “sculpture” made by an unknown French artist and featuring various 1:24 scale Ferraris.

There’s also a Lamborghini Diablo, Jaguar XJ220 and Bugatti EB110 in there among others. Props to anyone who can help us identify the rest. The unusual item is being sold by Mantiques Modern [sic] of New York.

For details on price, you’ll have to contact the dealer, but something tells us it won’t be cheap… More photos of the artsy piece in the gallery after the break.

Hat Tip to Anthony!

By Tristan Hankins

Source: Mantiques Modern

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