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Jaguar XE to start at $35,895, XF at $52,895

Jaguar has announced pricing for two of its most anticipated models, the new, entry-level XE sedan and the second-generation XF. The British marque also released price changes across its range and unveiled a new customer service pack called EliteCare. As you can see from the headline, the new XE starts at $35,895. That'll score you the base model, the so-called 25t, and its 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. That puts the baby Jag right in the meat of a very competitive segment. It'll be undercut by the Cadillac ATS, BMW 320i, and Acura TLX, but it's a good bit more affordable than the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Infiniti Q50, or Lexus IS. If you like your fuel extra smelly and your torque to be offered by the bucket-full, be prepared to shell out $37,395. The 340-horsepower, 3.0-liter, supercharged-V6-powered XE 35t will require at least $42,695. The XE's big brother, meanwhile, is subject to a significant price drop. The new base model, the 340-horsepower 35t, rings up at just $52,895, or over $5,200 less than the entry level V6-powered 2015 XF. Once again, Jag has parked itself in the middle of a popular segment, although unlike the XE, the vehicles that undercut the XF – the Infiniti Q70 and Acura RLX – are old or not particularly popular among consumers. That's good news for JLR, since the new sedan easily undercuts the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, while sneaking in just below the likes of the Mercedes E-Class or Cadillac CTS. And if you're in mourning for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged XF, don't be – the new 35t is only $2,000 more expensive, is lighter, and has 100 more horsepower. Finally, we have Jaguar's new EliteCare program. Essentially, should you purchase anything from model year 2016 and beyond, your car will be subject to a limited warranty, free scheduled service, and 24/7 roadside assistance for five years or the first 60,000 miles of ownership. Owners will also have access to Jaguar's InControl Remote and Protect services for the first 60 months. According to the Brits, the warranty is the best in the class, while the free maintenance lasts longer than the competition. Read on for the full press release from Jaguar, which includes details and other small pricing tweaks for the company's range.

Jaguar XJ could move to all-electric platform late this year

The Jaguar XJ is getting a little long in the tooth. The current generation of Jaguar's flagship sedan debuted back in 2009, making it one of the oldest vehicles still on the market. This week, Autocar reported that a new XJ could debut late this year and would move to an all-electric platform. That would place the XJ straight against cars like the Tesla Model S and upcoming Porsche Mission E, presumably sharing parts with the upcoming I-Pace electric crossover. While a couple of refreshes have kept the Jaguar competitive, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 have gone through full redesigns since the XJ debuted. (Two for the Audi). Compared to the Germans, the Jaguar looks and feels dated, especially when it comes to technology, active safety and alternative powertrains. In the U.S., the XJ is only available with either a supercharged gasoline V6 or V8. The competition from Germany, Japan and the U.S. all offer some form of electrification. Moving to an all-electric powertrain would be a huge shift for Jaguar and is sure to spark some debate among enthusiasts. The British automaker has previously stated it plans to electrify all new vehicles after 2020. Look for electrified variants of current models to be available, too. The new XJ is rumored to be co-developed with a new model called the Road Rover, a sort of high-riding sedan or wagon in the vein of the Audi allroad or Volvo V90 Cross Country. Like the XJ, the Road Rover would use a battery electric powertrain. Look for more news on both models later this year. Related Video:

Why this could be the perfect time for Apple to make a car play

While the automotive and technology worlds have been pouring billions into autonomous vehicles (AVs) and preparing to bring them to market soon as shared robo-taxis, Apple has mostly sat on the sidelines. Of course, Apple is the last company to ever make its intentions known, and the super-secret tech cult giant hasn't been totally out of the AV game based on the clues that have slipped out of its Cupertino, Calif., citadel over the past few years. Related: Apple self-driving cars are real — one was just in an accident News first broke in 2015 that it had assembled an automotive development team, in part by poaching high-profile talent from car companies, to work on a top-secret self-driving vehicle project code-named Titan. (Thank you very much, Nissan.) Apple also subsequently broke cover by making inquiries into using a Northern California AV testing facility and receiving a permit to test AVs on public roads in California. But then as the AV race started to heat up in the last few years, Apple reportedly began scaling back its car activities by downsizing team Titan. More recently, Apple's car project has shown signs of life with the hiring a high-level engineer away from Waymo and luring one Tesla's top engineers and a former employee back to Apple. It also inked a deal with Volkswagen to provide a technology platform and software to convert the automaker's new T6 Transporter vans into autonomous shuttles for employees at tech company's new campus. That is a far cry from giving rides to Wal-Mart shoppers, like Waymo is doing as part of its AV testing in Phoenix. But this could be the perfect time for Apple to enter the AV market now that ride-sharing is reaching critical mass and automakers and others are planning to deploy fleets of robo-taxis. Apple could easily establish a niche as a high-end ride-sharing service – and charge a premium – given its cult-like brand loyalty and design savvy. The growth of car subscription models could also play in Apple's favor since is already has many people hooked on paying for phones in monthly installments – and eager to upgrade when a new and better model becomes available. To achieve this, some believe Apple will fulfill co-founder and CEO Steve Job's dream of building a car. And as the world's first and only $1 trillion company it's sitting on a mountain of cash that certainly gives it the means. But other tech darlings like Tesla and Google have discovered how difficult it can be to build cars at scale.