Jaguar

The world’s most economical police pursuit car

By Mike Hanlon

07:06 June 6, 2009 PDT

We’ve seen a few exotic police cars in our time, but this is the first high performance diesel machine created for the constabulary and most likely the most luxurious, comfortable and economical into the bargain. Jaguar UK has launched a high performance Police pursuit vehicle based on its XF Diesel S model. Read More

Tata unveils world standard truck range

By Mike Hanlon

14:45 May 28, 2009 PDT

India's Tata Motors is best known for its US$2500 Nano budget car. More recently, its purchase of the iconic British marques Jaguar and Range Rover, and successful relationships with Daewoo and Fiat underlined the tectonic shifts underway in the global transport industry. Further evidence of the growing Indian powerhouse was presented yesterday when Tata pulled the wraps off a range of trucks comprising multi-axle trucks, tractor-trailers, tippers, mixers, and special application vehicles from 10-to-75 tonne GCW, and 150-to-560 bhp. The power, carrying capacity and operating economy of the range will raise the global bar for performance at a lower life-cycle cost. Read More

The new BMW X5 Security Plus is AK47-proof

By Mike Hanlon

06:38 April 21, 2009 PDT

BMW is extending its range of security vehicles with the new BMW X5 Security Plus, a car that will keep you safe as long as your assailants have nothing more than AK 47 weaponry, and it could just be one of those luxury extras to come into vogue in troubled times. At least occupants will be shielded from unintentional bullets if they stumble across a gun battle and if someone pops up beside your driver's side window with a handgun intent on carjacking you, you can now safely pull faces and show them the bird, providing of course, you've locked the door. Personally, if you're in grave danger and must travel regardless, may we recommend the late Saddam Hussein's favorite wheels, the Rhino Runner. For more on the BMW X5 Security Plus ... Read More

What Diesel Car of the Year Awards 2009

By Mike Hanlon

00:59 April 8, 2009 PDT

The UK's What Diesel magazine is celebrating its 21st year of publication and focuses on one of the few growth areas of the automotive market – the diesel world. Each year its writers and readers vote to award the best diesel car in each category and this year the Car of the Year honour has gone to Ford's new “world car” the Ford Fiesta. Jaguar scored the best executive diesel and second overall with the XF, Volkswagen got three awards (Medium car, coupe and the green award), Citroën grabbed two gongs with the C3 Picasso (best MPV) and C5 Tourer (Best Estate Car) and the Land Rover Freelander 2 won the 4x4 class for the third year running. Read More

Brawn buys Honda F1 team … is this a fairytale in the making?

By Mike Hanlon

22:07 March 22, 2009 PDT

March 23, 2009 The first cars were unloaded onto the pit apron at Albert Park yesterday in preparation for next weekend's first Formula One Grand Prix of the 2009 season. It already shapes up as the most intriguing F1 season ever. Technologically, despite a raft of changes this year, the wild card not yet fathomable is the implementation of the Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS), a fancy name for regenerative braking, and a technology that will ultimately force all F1 cars to use hybrid power sources, most likely during 2009, but not necessarily. Only a few teams will arrive in Melbourne ready to race with electronic KERS systems that offer approximately 80 bhp extra for six seconds a lap, but we're not even sure which teams they will yet be. The biggest intrigue of the weekend though, will be the performance of the newborn Brawn F1 team. Everyone always knew Ross Brawn was a special talent, but no-one saw this one coming. Brawn is poised to deliver one of the greatest motorsport fairy tales ever. Read More

Sentience intelligent cruise control demonstrated: you steer, it works the pedals

By Loz Blain

00:39 March 12, 2009 PDT

The driverless car of the future is getting closer every day, as more and more technologies come along that take critical jobs away from the driver and put them in the hands of lightning-fast, all-seeing computers. One of the latest and most ambitious of these systems has just been successfully demonstrated in the UK; the Sentience system is a kind of hyper-intelligent cruise control system designed specifically to minimize fuel consumption and emissions. It calculates the best route for you based on traffic, topography, curves, speed limits and a host of other information, and then actually takes over the throttle and brakes for you for the entire journey. It keeps you strictly within speed limits, slows down for corners, speed bumps and roundabouts, and it even knows when the lights ahead are about to turn red, so you don't waste petrol accelerating towards a stop point. Fuel savings in testing have been between 5% and 24% - a very significant figure - and Sentience is expected to be available on production cars, for a minimal cost, as soon as 2012. Incredible stuff. Read More

Jaguar and Land Rover moving to virtual 3D vehicle prototyping

By Loz Blain

19:42 January 28, 2008 PST

January 29, 2008 Prototyping and modeling chew up a large amount of time in the automotive design process, which is why Jaguar and Land Rover have decided to invest US$4 million in a state-of-the-art, immersive 360-degree virtual reality 'CAVE' that will allow designers to present their CAD designs in full 3D glory. This virtual prototyping system will allow unprecedented access to the designs, letting viewers experience the cars from all angles, inside and out, trialling colour schemes and switching parts on the fly or making body panels transparent. Overseen by 3D gurus Holovis International, the system promises to significantly reduce development times – and on top of that, it's ridiculously cool. Read More

Jaguar XK 120 C – brand new – US$133,000

By Mike Hanlon

23:34 January 9, 2008 PST

If you’ve ever lusted after a Mercedes 300 SLR, Jaguar XK 120 C or Aston Martin DB3S, no doubt your enthusiasm waned when you checked out the cost. The XK 120 C (C-Type) sold new for US$6000, twice the price of an XK120. A genuine, healthy C-Type will now set you back more than a million, and the 1953 Le Mans winner would be valued in excess of US$4 million if it was for sale (it’s not). Replicas are available from a variety of sources but few come with the heritage of Proteus which has been producing all aluminum bodied sports cars for two decades. Under new management, the company is now in expansion mode and is seeking international distribution for its thoroughly authentic US$133,000 replica. Even better news is the plan to extend the range to include SS100, XKSS, and D-Type Jaguars, Aston Martin DB3S and Mercedes Benz 300SLR. Read More

First Jaguar XF rolls off the production line

By Noel McKeegan

21:27 November 26, 2007 PST

November 27, 2007 Following on from its public debut in August, the first production model of the much anticipated Jaguar XF has rolled off the line at the company's new facility at Castle Bromwich. The first of the luxury four-door sports saloons - a Vapour Grey 4.2 litre SV8 - has been donated to the Jaguar Daimler Heritage Trust collection and will go on display alongside some of the most prestigious members of the marque's stable including the oldest surviving Daimler, the 1897 Grafton Phaeton and the last E-Type, built in 1974. Read More

First look at the new Jaguar XF

By Loz Blain

02:45 August 28, 2007 PDT

One of the most anticipated models in Jaguar’s history makes its public debut today. After a frenzied response to the recent C-XF concept car unveiled at the start of the year, the public can now catch its first glimpse of the new Jaguar XF luxury four-door sports saloon. Packed with nifty technology and kitted out as a proper luxury saloon, the question remains – will this be the start of a new era for the Ford-owned Jaguar brand, or has the production car’s styling been neutered too much from the C-XF concept to tempt buyers? Read More

Very original XK120 Jaguar

By Mike Hanlon

April 21, 2007 Duncan Hamilton was one of Britain's foremost racing drivers and his racing autobiography 'Touch Wood!' became a classic publication. The larger-than-life Hamilton drove Formula One and Two Grand Prix cars for Lago-Talbot, Maserati, HWM and Gordini, and “works” sports cars for Jaguar and Ferrari. His company, which sells elite sports cars (the company has sold more than 60 genuine F1 cars plus thousands of roadgoing exoticars of the highest ilk) has been in operation for over 50 years, and operates to an equally elite clientele. This week the company has a very original Jaguar XK120 Roadster for sale – the XK120 debuted as a concept and test bed car at the 1948 London Motor Show as a test bed and show vehicle to highlight the new Jaguar XK engine. The car caused a sensation, which persuaded William Lyons to put it into production as a standard model. The first 240 cars manufactured had hand built aluminum bodies on an ash frame before moving to mass production in order to meet the demand – the production version had a steel pressed body with alloy doors, bonnet, and trunk skin. The car on offer is as original today as when it the sixth steel body XK120 off the production line, and comes with a full history. See inside for some great period imagery of the XK120 and siblings. Read More

Jaguar C-XF - more than a concept car

By Mike Hanlon

January 3, 2007 Jaguar will be hosting the global debut of its new C-XF concept car at Detroit Auto Show this coming Sunday and is clear that the car signals the onset of a new era for the marque. The four-door sports saloon concept blends design purity with unmistakable dynamism, and the company is making sure that everyone knows that it’s way more than just another concept car - the C-XF is a clear indication of the design direction that the next generations of Jaguar saloons will take. Designed by the same teams that produced the award-winning Jaguar XK sports GT range in 2005 – headed by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum and Head of Advanced Design Julian Thomson – the C-XF concept is a precursor to cars that “will become recognised for their ground-breaking exterior looks and innovative interiors.” "Great Jaguars turn heads in the street,” according to Callum. “They make people stop and pay attention. They evoke instant desire. That’s what the C-XF does and that’s what the next generation of Jaguars will do.” Read More

Jaguar's supercharged 4.2 litre XKR sports car

By Mike Hanlon

July 1, 2006 Jaguar yesterday revealed its new supercharged sports car – the Jaguar XKR. Building on the XK that debuted in 2005, the XKR will be available as a Coupe or Convertible. Like the XK model, the new supercharged XKR makes intelligent use of practical, modern technology such as an industry-leading aluminium monocoque structure that results in a light and yet very stiff body. An uprated 420bhp (SAE) supercharged V8 engine and class-leading calibration of a state-of-the-art, six-speed automatic transmission deliver accessible, real-world, high performance of 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, 50-70mph in just 2.5 seconds and has an (electronically limited) top speed of 155mph. The all-aluminium body construction delivers a lighter, stiffer car, with excellent agility. At 1665kg, the Coupe is 70kg lighter than its predecessor, while the 1715kg Convertible is 100kg lighter than the previous convertible XKR. Read More

Jaguar's new generation XK sports car unveiled

By Mike Hanlon

August 28, 2005 Jaguar has revealed details of its eagerly anticipated new sports car – the all-new 2007 Jaguar XK. Making its world premiere next month at the Frankfurt International Auto Show in Germany, the all-new Jaguar XK will go on sale in North America next spring as a 2007 model year product. The light and agile XK is the first of a new generation of cars. It accelerates faster and stops quicker than the previous generation, steel-bodied XK8 and has exceptional dynamic abilities. Traditional Jaguar craftsmanship elements have been retained on the all-new Jaguar XK, but it's the use of aerospace technologies that have resulted in the most technically advanced Jaguar production car ever created. Read More

2006 Jaguar Super V8 Portfolio

By Mike Hanlon

March 27, 2005 – Jaguar this week showed a new model to top its highly acclaimed XJ luxury sedan range at the forthcoming New York International Auto Show. The Super V8 Portfolio is the production realization of the striking 'Concept Eight' show car introduced by Jaguar at last year's New York International Auto Show. The Super V8 Portfolio is a sporting long wheelbase sedan with attitude both inside and out, that will be built in limited numbers to reach showrooms in August. Read More

Jaguar unveils the XK-RS Concept 550 horsepower convertible

By Mike Hanlon

It's the most powerful road-going Jaguar convertible ever and demonstrates how Jaguar's luxury GT road car can be transformed into a thundering 200-mph supercar. Developed by Michigan-based Rocketsports Racing in cooperation with Jaguar North America, the XK-RS concept is based on the Jaguar XKR sports car which has twice won the Trans-Am Manufacturers' Championship. Read More

Jaguar's striking R-D6 Concept

By Mike Hanlon

Sunday September 14, 2003: The Frankfurt International Motor Show is one very difficult show to steal, but the R-D6 concept from Jaguar, with its distinctive grille, rear-hinging doors, lightweight aluminium and composite structure and twin turbocharged 2.7-litre diesel V6 engine, must come very close. Read More