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Porsche tops J.D. Power quality index as Korean brands soar

While complaints about infotainment systems remain a thorn in the side of automakers for J.D. Power's annual Initial Quality Study, there's a lot to celebrate this year. The average number of problems reported per 100 vehicles fell to 112 in 2015 – a three-percent improvement compared to 116 in 2014. The results of this year's survey are based on the responses of over 84,000 people about problems within the first 90 days of buying or leasing a 2015 model-year vehicle. For the third consecutive year, Porsche tops the rankings with an average of 80 problems per 100 vehicles. Although, that's slightly more than the 74 the German sportscar maker scored in 2014. "While the Japanese automakers continue to make improvements, we're seeing other brands, most notably Korean makes, really accelerating the rate of improvement," Renee Stephens, vice president of US automotive quality at J.D. Power, said in the study's release. In fact, Kia ranks as one of the biggest movers in this year's list. The Korean brand jumped to second place from seventh last year. The company had an average of 86 problems per 100 vehicles, a 20-point improvement. Third place went to Jaguar with an average of 93 problems reported, versus last year's second-place finish with 87 of them. Fourth place was Hyundai, and fifth-place Infiniti also earned a gold star for improvement with 97 issues per 100 vehicles – 31-points better than last year. Fiat still anchored the bottom of the list. However, its 161 problems this year is a lot better than the 206 in 2014. Ranked by nationality, Korean brands (Hyundai and Kia) are now leading the industry in initial quality with an average of 90 problems reported per 100 vehicles. According to J.D. Power, this is the first time Europe's figure beat Japan with 113 and 114 issues, respectively. The American brands also averaged 114. Whereas General Motors dominated last year, the segment awards are spread out in 2015. GM, Hyundai, Nissan, and Volkswagen Group are all tied with four models each earning prizes. For more information, you can also see all of the graphs, here. J.D.

The 200-mph Jaguar F-Type SVR is coming to Geneva

Jaguar has good news for us: The new F-Type SVR will make its grand debut at March's Geneva Motor Show. Following up on leaked stats from last week, Jag confirms the hardtop F-Type SVR will be capable of hitting 200 miles per hour. The British brand doesn't go much further in confirming other details from last week's report, though. So even though the top end's extra 14 mph has to come from somewhere, we still can't be certain it'll be thanks to a reported 567 horsepower or 516 pound-feet of torque. Jag also won't yet confirm the reported claim of a 3.7-second sprint to 62 mph. What the company is saying, though, is that its first SVR-badged model will be "lighter, faster, and more powerful." JLR's Special Operations boss, John Edwards, calls the new SVR an "all-weather supercar." That lends credence to initial reports that the hottest F-Type will send its power to all four wheels. While the F-Type SVR will hit the Geneva stage on March 1, we won't be waiting that long for all the details – Jaguar will release a complete array of images and details on February 17. We'll have more then. 200MPH JAGUAR F-TYPE SVR TO MAKE GLOBAL DEBUT AT 2016 GENEVA MOTOR SHOW (MAHWAH, N.J.) – January 26, 2016 - The new 2017 Jaguar F-TYPE SVR will make its global debut at the 2016 Geneva Motor Show on March 1, 2016 and will go on sale in summer 2016. Capable of accelerating to 200mph, the new F-TYPE SVR is the first Jaguar to wear the SVR badge and is developed to exploit the two-seat aluminum sports car's full potential while retaining its day-to-day usability. Lighter, faster and more powerful, the new F-TYPE SVR takes performance, dynamics and driver involvement to a new level yet retains the comfort and duality of character inherent to all Jaguar cars. "The new F-TYPE SVR is the first series production Jaguar car to be developed by Special Vehicle Operations and benefits from everything we know about precision engineering, performance and design," said John Edwards, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations. "The result is a 200mph, all-weather supercar that you can drive every day – we even made a Convertible version so that enthusiasts can revel in the sound from the new titanium exhaust system." The new F-TYPE SVR will join the 2017 Model Year F-TYPE Coupe and Convertible range comprising of the F-TYPE, F-TYPE Premium, F-TYPE S, F-TYPE British Design Edition and F-TYPE R.

This Jaguar E-Type is an even longer-legged feline

Paul Branstad loves the shape and purity of the Series 1 Jaguar E-Type, produced from 1961 to 1968, but appreciates the longer length of the Series 3 V12 model, which affords occupants a more comfortable space in which to enjoy long trips. So when Branstad brought his damaged left-hand-drive 1968 roadster from its home in the US to Classic Motor Cars in the UK for a restoration, he had a special request: restore his car, but make it a bit longer.
"This is something that we have never done before. Our client wanted the interior leg room of a Series 3 V12 E-Type but the aesthetics of a Series 1 car," says Nick Goldthorp, managing director of CMC.
For the restoration, CMC added 4.5 inches of length to the floor pan of Branstad's E-Type to create the extra legroom. Goldthorp relates, "The V12 was actually nine inches longer than a Series 1 but a lot of the additional room was behind the seats as storage and was not required on our project." That's because CMC also built a trailer out of two E-Type rear ends that attaches to a custom-made removable tow hitch.