2000 Red Jaguar Xj8 Vanden Plas on 2040-cars

Auto blog

UK car output falls 14% in March, may get worse with no-deal Brexit

LONDON — British car output fell for the 10th month in a row in March, hit by a slowdown in key foreign markets, and the sector stands to suffer a lot more if the country leaves the European Union without a deal, an industry body said on Tuesday. Output tumbled by an annual 14.4 percent to 126,195 cars in March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4 percent. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming London can secure a transition deal with the EU. If Britain has to rely instead on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30 percent to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, the SMMT said. The forecasts were produced for SMMT by AutoAnalysis, a consultancy. Prime Minister Theresa May has secured a delay to the Brexit deadline until Oct. 31, giving her more time to try to break an impasse in parliament over the terms of Britain's departure from the EU. Foreign minister Jeremy Hunt traveled to Japan earlier this month to try to persuade the Japanese government and Toyota, which has a big presence in Britain, that London was determined to avoid a no-deal Brexit. "Just a few years ago, industry was on track to produce 2 million cars by 2020 — a target now impossible with Britain's reputation as stable and attractive business environment undermined," SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said. "All parties must find a compromise urgently so we can set about repairing the damage and diverting energy and investment to the technological challenges that will define the future of the global industry." (Reporting by William Schomberg, editing by David Milliken)

Jaguar may kill supercharged V6 to make way for inline-six

This could be the last year to score a Jaguar with the carmaker's 3.0-liter supercharged V6. Autocar reports that Jaguar deep-sixed the the XE S and XF S in the UK due to poor sales and difficulty coping with European emissions regulation changes taking place this year. The mag expects the XJ and F-Pace to lose the V6, too, but suspects the F-Type might retain the engine. It's possible, however, the bent-six with up to 380 horsepower and 339 pound-feet of torque might finally be retiring for a reason reported on for at least three years: To make way for a 3.0-liter inline-six from the Ingenium line of motors. In 2015, Motor Trend noted the supercharged V6 would die at the end of 2016, succeeded by a "more powerful Ingenium inline-six," likely to be turbocharged. One year later, Car laid out a new family of Ingenium inline-sixes in gasoline and diesel versions. There would be three gas options with 300, 400, and 500 horsepower, plus three diesels with 275, 335, and 400 hp and herds of torque. In Car's report, the engines were meant to be here in 2017. This could be the year it finally happens. A Jaguar spokesman in the UK told Autocar that an uptake of less than 2 percent on the S models, "Coupled with impending emissions regulation changes, it makes sense to remove these variants from sale in the UK." When Jalopnik asked Jaguar U.S. about availability here — we aren't a party to the imminent European emissions changes — the carmaker would only say that the engine remains available in the current XE, XF, XJ, F-Type and F-Pace. No matter the timeline, Jaguar would want a six-cylinder to fill the gap from the 296-hp Ingenium 2.0-liter four-cylinder to the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 that starts at 470 hp. Jaguar expanded an area of its Wolverhampton, UK, engine factory to build the scalable Ingenium line. An inline-six would not only reconnect with Jaguar's past — and the firm's long-hooded cars remain ready to swallow them — the straight-six is lighter, has fewer moving parts, and emits less pollution than the supercharged V6. It is also compatible with front-, rear- and all-wheel drive, longitudinal and transverse mounting, and hybrid applications, so expect to see the motor migrate to the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport, and Land Rover Discovery.

Jaguar XF S Sportbrake vs. Volvo V90 R-Design: A sporty wagon comparison

We had both a XF Sportbrake S and a V90 T6 AWD R-Design come through the office recently, and since they're really close competitors – both fairly large wagons, both luxury vehicles, both have sporting pretenses, and both feature all-wheel-drive. And in the case of our test cars, they're equipped very similarly, but at divergent price points. Is the Jaguar worth the premium? Let's take a closer look. The Jaguar is only available in the top-level S trim, which brings many features, as well as all-wheel-drive and a 380-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6. The final price listed for our Jaguar was a heady $84,815, up from a base price of $71,445. That's thanks to a bunch of options: the $360 black trim package, the $565 metallic paint, the $1,020 20-inch wheels, the $3,495 driver assistance package, $3,265 technology package, $1,805 comfort and convenience package, and $2,860 premium interior package. View 22 Photos The Volvo is available in a variety of configurations. In fact, you can have a V90 R-Design for as little as $50,945, but you'll be making do with the front-wheel-drive T5 model that has just a 250-horsepower turbocharged four-cyinder. To match the Jaguar's feature set and to nearly match its performance, you need to go with the T6 with all-wheel-drive. In addition to powering all four wheels, it also adds the 316-horsepower twin-charged four-cylinder. The engine and drivetrain add about $6,000 to the T5's price tag. The rest of our V90's price increase was made up by a lot of options, including a Convenience Package for $1,900 that came with heated washer nozzles, a surround view camera, grocery bag holder, HomeLink, a compass, and automatic parallel parking. Other options included the upholstered instrument panel and sun shade for $1,150, metallic paint for $595, heads-up display for $900, built-in child seat for $500, carbon fiber trim for $800, Bowers and Wilkens sound system for $3,200, heated steering wheel for $300, rear air suspension for $1,200, 20-inch wheels with summer tires for $300, and the destination charge. All told, it cost $68,290, which is close to the base price of the Jaguar, but a whole lot less than the Jag's as-tested price, making the Volvo a great value. Interior and Technology But value isn't the only reason to buy a car, especially a luxury car. You want it to feel luxurious.