1986 Jaguar Xjs Base Coupe 2-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

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Jaguar readying a pop-top F-Type Coupe? [w/poll]

Typically convertibles are spun off of coupes, but sometimes it goes the other way. Like the Porsche Cayman that was based on the Boxster, the Lotus Exige spun off of the Elise, and the Jaguar F-Type, which arrived as a roadster before the coupe debuted. But if the latest reports are to be believed, Jaguar could be planning something in between.
According to Auto Express (which has, mind you, been known to stretch the rumors out some), Jaguar is toying with the idea of offering a partial convertible version of the F-Type - something Porsche would call a Targa (and which we would too if Stuttgart weren't so litigiously protective of the name). The additional roof configuration would give the F-Type three body-styles, giving its customers more choices.
It wouldn't be the only sports car to offer three roof options: There's the Porsche 911, of course. Ferrari once offered GTB, GTS and Spider versions of the 348 and 355. The Chevy Corvette has been offered in all three forms, as was the Pontiac Solstice many moons ago. But that kind of variety in roof configurations has become scarce. Jaguar's decision reportedly depends on whether it can make the business case or not. Do you think there'd be enough demand for a lift-roof F-Type?

Land Rover could build a baby Defender on a platform sourced from BMW

The collaboration between BMW and Jaguar-Land Rover started out small, it was originally limited to motors for electric cars, but it might not stay that way for long. The Tata-owned British sister companies will allegedly rummage through Munich's sizable parts bin to build nearly half a dozen cars scheduled to come out during the 2020s. According to a report by British magazine Autocar, Jaguar has started designing two small cars that will join its growing family of Pace-badged soft-roaders. They'll be new additions to the firm's portfolio, not replacements for existing cars. One will be a regular crossover, while the other will be a swoopier, form-over-function four-door model ostensibly marketed as a coupe. Both will slot at the very bottom of the Jaguar portfolio, below the already pretty small E-Pace, in a growing market segment where the competition is fierce, and profit margins are thinner than an i3's tires. Here's where BMW apparently comes in. Instead of developing a platform from scratch, the two crossovers could ride on the hybrid-ready, front-wheel drive FAAR architecture found under the third-generation 1 Series hatchback and the upcoming 2 Series Gran Coupe. If we believe an earlier report claiming Jaguar and BMW will also share engines, most of the hardware found under the sheet metal will have German genes. All-wheel drive will certainly be available, and it could also come from BMW. The same platform -- and, presumably, the same engines -- would provide the basis for a Land Rover-badged model positioned in the same segment. Autocar learned it will be to the next-generation Defender (pictured) what the Mercedes-Benz GLB is to the G-Class. Some key design cues will carry over, but the two models will share absolutely nothing under the sheet metal. The soft-roader could resurrect the Freelander nameplate when it goes on sale during the 2020s. Looking even further ahead, the front-wheel-drive platform the next Mini Countryman and X1 will utilize could find its way under the replacements for the next Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport. These plans could very well change; the Evoque and the Disco Sport barely entered their second generation, so they're not due for a replacement until the second half of the coming decade. While neither company has confirmed or denied the report, the partnership makes sense from a business standpoint.

Jaguar XE SVR to challenge M3, C63 with supercharged V8 power

Jaguar has a healthy powertrain range lined up for its new XE, including an array of four-cylinder engines and a supercharged 3.0-liter six that will, for now, serve as the range-topping offering in the XE S. But Car and Driver claims to have it on good authority that an even more powerful eight-cylinder version is in the works, as well. According to C/D, the XE's engine bay has been designed to accommodate the company's ubiquitous 5.0-liter V8 engine, which in the larger XF is offered in several states of tune, including the XF Supercharged with 470 horsepower, the XFR with 510 hp and the flagship XFR-S with 550 hp. Just which version (or versions) would be offered in the XE remains to be seen, but even in its lowest-spec supercharged form, the 470-hp version would already be enough to challenge the 425-hp BMW M3 and the base 469-hp version of the new Mercedes-AMG C63. If Jaguar wants to take on the C63 S, however, it will need to shoehorn in one of the more powerful versions. In the end, Coventry's new Special Vehicle Operations division may opt to offer two versions, like it does with the XFR and XFR-S. Expect the top version, however much muscle it packs, to wear the British automaker's new SVR badge. It just may take a few years before it does so.