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Jaguar may join the FWD, small-car parade

Was it right for Chevrolet to detune the 1975 Corvette's base engine to 165 horsepower? Was Aston Martin wrong to make the Toyota iQ-based Cygnet? Is BMW crazy to be testing the new 1 Series with three-cylinder engines and front-wheel drive? It seems now, just as in the 1970s and 1980s, that emissions regulations and social considerations are driving some automakers to adopt unbefitting practices to maintain acceptance in the eyes of governments and consumers. Jaguar has jumped on the bandwagon, and is considering development of small, frugal, front-wheel-drive cars to help lower Jaguar Land Rover's average vehicle CO2 levels in light of tightening European emissions regulations, Autocar reports.
By 2020, the European Union expects the model range of every manufacturer to average 95 grams per kilometer, which is a new law passed by the European Parliament in April. Manufacturers who make more than 300,000 vehicles per year must meet these targets, and JLR is expected to be producing up to 700,000 vehicles per year by then. CO2 regulations after 2020 will only get stricter, as EU politicians already are talking about lowering CO2 levels to between 68 g/km and 78 g/km. (To put that in perspective, Autocar posits that driving a fully charged electric vehicle in Europe produces about 75 g/km when factoring in the power-generation infrastructure.)
Jaguar has some choices here, but so far they all have drawbacks. It could develop a new, compact chassis architecture for a line of compact vehicles, but the investment required for such a project could be prohibitively expensive. Jaguar has been looking into using the Land Rover Evoque platform for a small SUV, Autocar reports, but Land Rover brand manager John Edwards raises issue with such a plan, saying it may not be financially feasible.

Stirling Moss' Jaguar C-Type could bring $7.5M in Monaco

With little over 50 examples made and a decorated racing history, the Jaguar C-Type is one of the most sought-after models ever made by the famous British marque. Bonhams has a very special one coming up for auction – one that Sir Stiling Moss drove at Le Mans in 1952. Jaguar built chassis number XKC 011 for its works racing team in 1952. It made its debut at Silverstone at the hands of pre-war racing legend Peter Walker. Then the factory outfitted with specially elongated bodywork for Le Mans, where Moss teamed up with Walker to split driving duties. Sadly it didn't make it to the finish line thanks to an engine failure, marking the second of eight DNFs that Moss would suffer in ten campaigns at the French endurance race. Moss drove this C-Type in several more races after it was converted back to its standard bodywork. It was then raced by Ecurie Francorchamps before being sold to run in British club racing. The current owner acquired it in 1963, and has held onto it until now. XKC 011 is scheduled to highlight the upcoming Bonhams event at the Fairmont Monte Carlo during the Monaco Grand Prix Historique next May. Bonhams has not published a pre-sale estimate for how much it expects this example to sell for. However in correspondence with Autoblog, the company's auction specialist James Knight revealed: "We certainly feel the car will exceed GBP5m and has the potential to achieve much more." That base estimate works out to over $7.5 million at current exchange rates. We'll be watching to see whether the final sale price comes closer to the $3.7 million for which - according to the Sports Car Market database - Gooding sold one C-Type in 2012, or to the $13.2 million which RM Sotheby's raised for another this past August. Related Video: BONHAMS RETURNS TO MONACO WITH EX-STIRLING MOSS JAGUAR C-TYPE THE MONACO SALE 'LES GRANDES MARQUES A MONACO' 13 May 2016 Monte Carlo In 2016, Bonhams will return to Monaco to present an exclusive sale of just 40 hand-picked, exceptional motor cars. Timed to coincide with the Monaco Grand Prix Historique, the sale will take place on 13 May 2016. "Already renowned in motorsport circles for its annual Monaco Grand Prix and Monte Carlo Rally, the glittering Mediterranean Principality is now to host the Bonhams Monaco Sale," said James Knight, Bonhams Group Motoring Director. "The auction will be carefully curated, tailored to offer only the most desirable models to the market.

Jaguar Land Rover might buy another luxury brand that it doesn't need

It seems that Jaguar Land Rover may be getting bigger in the near future. According to Bloomberg, the company is looking at acquiring some tech companies, and possibly yet another luxury car brand, provided that it fits with the current lineup of cars. On the surface, this makes some sense since Bloomberg reports that a whopping 78 percent of Tata Motors' revenue comes from luxury brands. And of course, any kind of tech acquisition could be useful considering the rapid development of electric and autonomous vehicles. But dig a little deeper, and a possible luxury brand acquisition just doesn't make sense for Jaguar Land Rover. The main reason for this is that the Jaguar and Land Rover brands have the luxury market thoroughly covered. Both brands offer full luxury lines from entry-level to high-end ( Discovery Sport to Range Rover on the Land Rover side, and XE to XJ on the Jaguar side). They also cater to every kind of luxury, from sporty vehicles such as the F-Type and SVR Land Rovers, to cushy luxury machines such as the XJ and Range Rover. So whether the company is competing with BMW or Mercedes, Jaguar and Land Rover have the bases covered. There aren't any other typical luxury brands that would actually add anything to the current lineup. In fact, adding another conventional luxury brand could actually result in the new brand poaching existing Jaguar and Land Rover buyers, rather than picking up new ones. What would make more sense for Jaguar Land Rover would be to pick up either a more mainstream brand, or an ultra-luxury marque. Neither Jaguar nor Land Rover has something that competes directly with the likes of Ford or Toyota in the mainstream game, or Rolls-Royce or Bentley at the top of the luxury heap. Picking up a brand in one of these segments would allow JLR and Tata Motors to actually expand offerings and pick up more sales, rather than having an internal competitor. What path would be ideal? Probably going even farther upmarket. Supercar makers and ultra-luxury brands continue to sell well, and there's the potential for significant profit by layering on features and content to existing platforms. Perhaps the best possibility for a high-end complement to Jaguar Land Rover would be Aston Martin. Not only does it have a strong reputation and line-up, it also could handle both supercars and luxury sedans, thanks to its Lagonda sub brand. Of course it would require Aston Martin to be receptive to a purchase.