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Jaguar Land Rover to drop supercharged V8 for turbocharged BMW power

There are few things that sound as good as Jaguar's 5.0 liter supercharged V8. As great as it is when the supercharger whines or the exhaust cracks and pops on throttle lift-off as the air pressure equalizes, the basic design dates back to the '90s. Plainly, the engine isn't as efficient as it needs to be, but designing a new V8 from the ground up is an expensive proposition. Instead, Automobile reports that Jaguar Land Rover is set to use a twin-turbocharged V8s supplied by BMW. Scalable architecture is all the rage as automakers streamline designs in order to save costs. For example, Jaguar's current supercharged V6 is quite literally a V8 with two holes missing. They didn't even change the length of the block. It seems both of those designs are on their way out, with the V6 being replaced by a inline-six closely related to the company's inline four. It seems that rather than designing an new and expensive V8 for their top of the line models JLR, is sourcing from BMW. From 1994 to 2000, BMW owned Land Rover. A few models, including the Land Rover Range Rover, used BMW engines then and in the initial years of Ford's JLR stewardship. It seems things have now come full circle. BMW currently makes a twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 that produces anywhere from 440 to 600 horsepower, depending on the application. Automobile says that a new 4.0 liter V8 is in the works and that it will most likely be the engine that JLR uses. Expect it to be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and lighter than what both BMW and JLR currently offer. This seems like a win for both companies. BMW gets to offset the cost of a new motor while JLR, a smaller company, doesn't have to invest in a whole new architecture. As automakers search for ways to cut costs, expect collaborations like this to continue. Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz both share a four-cylinder engine. Ford and GM have worked together to design a shared 10-speed automatic. While we may lament the loss of that wonderful Jaguar Land Rover engine, we can still be happy that they haven't abandoned the V8. Related Video: News Source: Automobile Rumormill BMW Jaguar Land Rover

BMW is the US auto industry's leading exporter

Which automaker do you think ships the most cars out of North America, one of the Detroit Three or perhaps one of the Japanese automakers? Nope. It turns out the BMW's Spartanburg, SC, factory is the biggest automotive exporter from the continent in the United States. According to a recent profile by Bloomberg looking at the plant's 20th anniversary, Bimmer's southern ops sends out more vehicles than all of Michigan combined.
When the Spartanburg factory opened up in 1994, its success was hardly assured, largely because of South Carolina's relatively small economy at the time. However, BMW picked the site because of its proximity to East Coast shipping that made it easier to move engines and transmission in from Germany and export vehicles back to Europe, according to Bloomberg. The Bavarians clearly made the right choice.
Today, the plant has developed into an absolute powerhouse. The factory currently assembles the X3, X4, X5 and X6 and exports about 70 percent of the vehicles built there. Things are only getting better. BMW is investing $1 billion through 2016 to boost annual production from the current 300,000 units up to 450,000 and to build a new flagship crossover called X7. The expansion also adds a further 800 jobs there to take total employment up to about 8,800. Including the latest financing, BMW has put over $7.3 billion into the factory since it opened, notes Bloomberg.

BMW Concept X5 eDrive plug-in hybrid headed to Frankfurt

With six confirmed public debuts scheduled for the upcoming Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW is definitely going to have its hands full. While we've already driven models like the 4 Series and the i3, one of the more interesting introductions is a "concept" plug-in hybrid version of the new F15 BMW X5 called the BMW Concept X5 eDrive.
As the second concept to wear the eDrive name, this X5 combines a 95-horsepower electric motor with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine to balance performance and efficiency. On the green side of things, BMW says that the eDrive system allows the X5 to reach speeds of 75 miles per hour and a range of 19 miles (although we're guessing not at the same time) under electric power only, to go with fuel consumption of about 62 miles per gallon US (3.8 liters per 100 kilometers). For performance, this plug-in can still accelerate from 0-60 in under seven seconds, and drivers can select from three PHEV modes: one that operates the system automatically, an all-electric mode and a Save Battery mode to preserve the battery's current state of charge.
Aside from the obvious plug port on the left front fender, the X5 eDrive is differentiated from the 2014 X5 with slightly restyled front and rear fascias, subtle blue accents tying in with the BMW i line and lightweight, aero-tuned 21-inch alloy wheels. There is no definitive word on whether the Concept X5 eDrive will make it to production, but judging by BMW's recent commitment to plug-in vehicles, we wouldn't be surprised to see an X5 PHEV on the roads within the next couple of years. We'll see the Concept X5 in just a few weeks in Frankfurt, but until then, scroll down for the official press release.