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Jaguar might not sell many XF Sportbrakes in the U.S., but here's why it's trying

One of the wonderful surprises of this year was when we learned that the U.S. would receive the XF Sportbrake wagon, and — less of a surprise — it's as much a looker as the previous generation. And while we're never one to look a gift car in the grille, it did seem strange that Jaguar would attempt to bring a wagon to the U.S., especially when it already had a similarly sized F-Pace crossover. So we spoke with Jaguar CEO Joe Eberhardt, Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum, and Jaguar's head of product planning in the U.S. to find out what prompted the company to bring the XF Sportbrake here. There were a few key reasons. One was simply that the folks at Jaguar really like the car, and they know that journalists like wagons. That doesn't exactly pay the bills for a car, but the enthusiasm is good. According to these people at Jaguar, though, they do believe there is a market for the car, and they expect to sell most of them on the coasts. Obviously, even if Jaguar sees a wagon market, it's still going to be much smaller than for crossover SUVs. But no matter how small that market is, Jaguar has an extra advantage for bringing the wagon here. The company knew it was going to make a wagon regardless of whether it would come to America, since the wagon market in Europe is so strong. In fact, Jaguar expects that half of XF sales in Europe will be Sportbrakes. So the majority of the engineering costs will be covered from those sales. The folks at Jaguar also told us that the car wasn't difficult to homologate for the U.S., so the cost of bringing it here was minimal. So in the worst case scenario that has the XF Sportbrake hardly selling in America, Jaguar isn't going to be seriously hurt. And if it's a success, then it's even more of a success. So the XF Sportbrake isn't purely a passion product, but that's OK. It means consumers have one more option to the multitude of crossovers in the U.S., and enthusiasts have the chance to own a super cool wagon. Also, although the XF Sportbrake is currently only available in America in top-level 380-horsepower S trim, Jaguar said lower trim levels and lower-output engines, all at lower prices, will be available here in the coming year or so. Meaning there will be even more ways to satisfy your wagon itch. Related Video:

Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla store reboot, Jaguar "EV-Type" an electric F-Pace?

The Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program is creating demand for EVs. $1 million has been set aside for rebates ranging from $750 to $3,000 per car, depending on battery size (in addition to federal incentives). Dealers also get an incentive of $150 to $300 per vehicle to help motivate them to promote EVs. "This is the type of program that can be a win-win-win for the state, auto manufacturers, dealers and consumers," says Chevrolet dealer Leo Karl, who has seen a jump in demand for the Volt under the CHEAPR program. Karl expects the funds to run out as early as this fall. Read more at Automotive News. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is scheduled to go on sale in the US in May 2016. As Mitsubishi makes some changes, including plans to ditch its Normal, IL assembly plant, the company's future in the US is being called into question. The new date for the plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander comes after multiple delays. Mitsubishi also plans to offer a 2016 model of the i-MiEV despite slowing sales. Read more at Automotive News. Tesla is overhauling its stores in advance of the Model X going on sale. The revamp includes informative interactive displays and a heavier emphasis on Tesla merchandise sales. The displays provide information about safety, Autopilot technology, the charging network, electric motors and other information to help familiarize customers with Tesla. The Tesla Design Collection - which includes luggage, apparel and other gear - also helps position Tesla as a luxury lifestyle brand, rather than just a mere automaker. Expect the stores to be continually updated over time. "Tesla is able to pivot in their stores the way they release new software," says Cadent Consulting Group's Ken Harris. "This is important to an emerging brand." Learn more from Bloomberg. Could Jaguar be planning an electric F-Pace called the EV-Type to compete with the Tesla Model X? Autocar is reporting that the upcoming SUV from Jaguar could spawn a whole family of vehicles, including an all-electric version. Jaguar has registered the trademark for the EV-Type name, and that vehicle would likely be built at the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, Austria. That would free up capacity to build the traditionally powered F-Pace in the UK. Read more at Green Car Reports, or at Autocar.

Who picks car colors and materials? Designers like Hannah Custance

As automotive journalists, we're often asked "how did you get that job?" People usually didn't even know you could do such a thing. In this 7 Questions series, we're highlighting other jobs in the automotive industry that you might not have heard about before. What do they do, how'd they get to do it and other questions about their particular corner of the car world. Slowly but surely, the automotive landscape is becoming more colorful. Look beyond the unrelentingly conservative palette of white, black and gray most buyers opt for and you'll see the increased use of exterior trim types beyond the usual chrome. There's gloss black, of course, but also other metallic finishes like gold or copper. Those can be found inside, too, where there's also an increase in colorful leathers and trims, innovative fabrics, new wood types and finishes, and greater creativity in general. So where is this change coming from? The answer is designers like Hannah Custance, the color and materials design manager for Jaguar Land Rover. Her team's latest effort is also its magnum opus, the 2022 Range Rover. Although saddled with the expectations that comes with one of the automotive industry's classic nameplates, the all-new Range Rover is also a celebration of cutting edge manufacturing and fashion-forward materials selection. We sat down with Hannah at the L.A. Auto Show to find out more about color and materials designers, how she ended up in the industry, and advice she might have for young designers out there. It has been condensed for brevity. Autoblog: What does a color and materials design manager to do?Hannah Custance: I basically look after a team of designers who design finishes for every A surface on the car. So, that could be exterior finishes. It could be interior trim materials, soft materials, hard materials, chromes, metals, woods, ceramic – that's one of the new ones – anything you can kind of touch and see is color material design. Autoblog: How early in the design process does your team become involved.Hannah: Right at the very start. In fact, we look at materials that don't have a product assigned to them or a car assigned to them. So, it takes actually a very long time for us to get materials approved and fully validated. We have to find suppliers that are willing to work in automotive and our test standards are incredibly high, some of the highest in the industry.