2006 Jaguar X-type Base Sedan 4-door 3.0l on 2040-cars

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Jaguar refreshes the 2018 F-Type lineup and adds a high-performance V6 model

Jaguar is giving the F-Type line a refresh for 2018 and adding two new variants. All new F-Types feature LED headlights and slightly darker taillights. Every model except the SVR also gets updated front bumpers. The most noticeable change is the side vents, which morph from the double slots to single openings in most cases. The F-Type R's large side vents are bisected horizontally. The two new F-Type models are the R Dynamic and the limited edition 400 Sport. The R Dynamic isn't particularly exciting, since it's pretty much just a dress-up package for the entry level 340- and 380-horsepower F-Types. All the model adds are 19- and 20-inch wheel options, as well gloss black-painted hood vents, splitter, side sills, and rear diffuser. The 400 Sport, on the other hand, comes with much more. It's only available for one year, and comes with a modified supercharged V6 producing 400 horsepower. The 400 Sport can be ordered with either rear- or all-wheel-drive, but the 8-speed automatic is the only available transmission. The car also benefits from larger 15-inch brakes at each corner. Owners of the 400 Sport can personalize their driving settings as well, thanks to the car's Configurable Dynamics system. Inside and out, the 400 Sport gets some visual upgrades, too. It includes the Sport Design Pack, which adds a deeper front spoiler, larger side sills, and a rear diffuser. A flat-bottom steering wheel, yellow contrast stitching, and black brushed aluminum accents finish off the interior. There are also plenty of 400 Sport badges on the car. View 12 Photos The two other major changes for the F-Type line involve infotainment. One of which is that every model now comes standard with Jaguar's Touch Pro infotainment system and its 8-inch touchscreen with which the driver can interact. The other is a cool new app the company developed with GoPro. It's called ReRun, and it allows the driver to connect a GoPro camera to the car, and download footage to the phone. The reason for connecting the camera to the car, is so that it can add telemetry data including speed, gear, g force, and steering and brake inputs to the video footage. After a spirited drive in the country or on a racetrack, the footage can be downloaded to the phone to be reviewed and shared. The app even generates "highlights" automatically. The new F-Type range will go on sale in the first quarter of 2017.

Rising aluminum costs cut into Ford's profit

When Ford reports fourth-quarter results on Wednesday afternoon, it is expected to fret that rising metals costs have cut into profits, even as rivals say they have the problem under control. Aluminum prices have risen 20 percent in the last year and nearly 11 percent since Dec. 11. Steel prices have risen just over 9 percent in the last year. Ford uses more aluminum in its vehicles than its rivals. Aluminum is lighter but far more expensive than steel, closing at $2,229 per tonne on Tuesday. U.S. steel futures closed at $677 per ton (0.91 metric tonnes). Republican U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is weighing whether to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, which could push prices even higher. Ford gave a disappointing earnings estimate for 2017 and 2018 last week, saying the higher costs for steel, aluminum and other metals, as well as currency volatility, could cost the company $1.6 billion in 2018. Ford shares took a dive after the announcement. Ford Chief Financial Officer Bob Shanks told analysts at a conference in Detroit last week that while the company benefited from low commodity prices in 2016, rising steel prices were now the main cause of higher costs, followed by aluminum. Shanks said the automaker at times relies on foreign currencies as a "natural hedge" for some commodities but those are now going in the opposite direction, so they are not working. A Ford spokesman added that the automaker also uses a mix of contracts, hedges and indexed buying. Industry analysts point to the spike in aluminum versus steel prices as a plausible reason for Ford's problems, especially since it uses far more of the expensive metal than other major automakers. "When you look at Ford in the context of the other automakers, aluminum drives a lot of their volume and I think that is the cause" of their rising costs, said Jeff Schuster, senior vice president of forecasting at auto consultancy LMC Automotive. Other major automakers say rising commodity costs are not much of a problem. At last week's Detroit auto show, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne reiterated its earnings guidance for 2018 and held forth on a number of topics, but did not mention metals prices. General Motors Co gave a well-received profit outlook last week and did not mention the subject. "We view changes in raw material costs as something that is manageable," a GM spokesman said in an email.

Jaguar working on 600-hp F-Type SVR

Thinking about buying a new Jaguar F-Type? You've got a number of supercharged engine options to choose from... and soon you'll have one more. According to Motor Trend, Jaguar and its Special Vehicle Operations unit are working on a new SVR version of the F-Type, and it's tipped to pack 600 or more horsepower. That's more than anything Jaguar (or for that matter Land Rover) has offered for public consumption to date, but follows a delineated progression of output. As it is, the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 offered at launch in the F-Type convertible was already churning out 500 metric horsepower. Then came the F-Type R coupe that bumped output up to 550, followed by the limited-edition Project 7 roadster with 575. Topping 600 would only follow naturally, then, but would give the F-Type a broad range of outputs, starting at 335 hp and nearly doubling once it hits the top. It would also handsomely eclipse the Mercedes-AMG GT S (503 hp) and Porsche 911 Turbo S (552 hp), rival the Aston Martin Vantage GT12 (592 hp), and give even the new Audi R8 V10 Plus (610 hp) a run for its money. The bigger question is what form the SVR model will take, and with what other equipment. Coupe or convertible, rear-drive or all-wheel drive, automatic or manual... it's too early to say at this point. But we can probably expect much of the equipment from Project 7 – active diff, carbon-ceramic brakes... the works – to reappear in the SVR as well.