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Jaguar axes supercar plans, focuses on luxury EVs

Jaguar is abandoning plans to replace the XK coupe and convertible and won't build a production variant of the C-X75 supercar, according to Automobile Magazine. Previous reports indicated that Jaguar could revive the XK line as a grand tourer, but the automaker has turned toward building two electric vehicles (EV). One would be a replacement for the XJ sedan and the other a premium SUV. The large luxury EV, codenamed X590, is reported to be a four-door coupe with a rear hatch that signifies a drastic shift in strategy by Jaguar. The vehicle is said to be a compromise between Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth and Jaguar design chief Ian Callum. According to the report, the X590 will utilize a new electronic architecture that can be adapted to accommodate the software for autonomous driving capability that was developed under former BMW engineer Wolfgang Ziebart. Jaguar looks to take on the Tesla Model S and the slew of electric vehicles from Germany with the X590. While Jaguar hopes the EV will allow the automaker to expand to a new segment, it will continue to sell the current XJ alongside the X590. Meanwhile, an unnamed source claims Jaguar will put an electric SUV on the road shortly after the X590 in 2019. Originally planned as a Range Rover, the ute is reported to have a modern look with a focus on aerodynamics. The SUV will be offered as a rear-wheel-drive model with one motor or an all-wheel-drive version with two motors. Both variants will have a choice of three battery packs based on range, performance, and charge time. Jaguar expects to put 20,000 to 30,000 units of the X590 on the road every year, while the SUV, which should be more affordable, will have a production rate between 30,000 and 50,000 units. With the electric and SUV segment continuing to grow, Jaguar is looking to capitalize with two new vehicles that could set the tone for its future. Related Video:

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.

Jaguar Land Rover puts the freeze on wounded soldier-athletes [w/video]

For athletes, the cold is often a powerful ally in treating injures, with RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) a popular means of treating muscle pulls, bruising and other common forms of discomfort. Did you know, though, that frosty temps are also popular tools for simply recovering from a rough training session?
Well, we're guessing Jaguar Land Rover knew that, as the British company was kind enough to loan out its climactic testing chamber to Jaco van Gass and Luke Darlington, a pair of veterans wounded in their service to Queen and Country. Van Gass, a former private in the Royal Army, and Darlington, a Royal Marine, are attempting to earn a spot on the British Armed Forces cycling team for the upcoming Invictus Games.
The Games, inspired by the Warrior Games held in the United States, are a sporting competition reserved for injured servicemen and women, either active duty or veterans, and is slated to take place from September 10 to 14 in London's former Olympic venues. Van Gass lost his left arm below the elbow after getting hit by a rocket-propelled grenade (he also suffered from a collapsed lung, punctured internal organs, severe shrapnel and blast wounds, a broken tibia and a fractured knee). Darlington, meanwhile, suffered a traumatic brain injury during action in Afghanistan, and he now suffers from weakness in his right side and cognitive issues.