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Automotive Grade Linux will be the backbone of your connected car

Creating a backend for a secure, reliable, and expandable infotainment system is costly and time consuming. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization, has set out to promote and advance the Linux operating system in commercial products. Automotive Grade Linux, or AGL, is a group within the Foundation that seeks to apply a Linux backend to a number of automotive applications in a variety of vehicles from various suppliers and manufacturers. AGL's goal is to create a common, unifying framework that allows developers and manufacturers to easily implement applications across platforms. Currently, the focus is on infotainment systems, but AGL has plans for instrument clusters, heads-up displays, and eventually active safety software. At CES, a display from Panasonic showed a completely digital and customizable dashboard that allows information and apps to be moved from the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen and back, all through the use of gesture and touch controls. Although the organization has been around for five years, it's really only been in the past three that the group has been working hand in hand with automakers and suppliers. The first two OEMs to participate, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, have since been joined by Mazda, Suzuki, Ford, and, as of this week, Daimler. The latter is important as until now most of AGL's partner's have been based in Japan or the US. Other partners include suppliers Denso, Renesas, Continental, Qualcomm, and Intel. AGL want's to supply roughly 80 percent of the backend, allowing partners to then finish and refine the Linux system for each individual application. Think of how the Android operating system is refined and customized for individual smartphones from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. While the final product looks different, developers can have an application that will work across all AGL systems. Because it is open source, anyone can use and develop for AGL. You can even go onto the group's website and download a copy right now. There is also a software development kit available that helps facilitate app creation on the platform. Vehicle development cycles take roughly five years, so there currently are no cars that run an AGL backbone available for consumers. AGL Executive Director Dan Cauchy says products should be hitting the market later this year, with even more coming in 2018. Right now, the industry is relatively fragmented when it comes to infotainment and related systems.

2016 Jaguar XJR meets 1988 XJR9-LM at Silverstone

The current Jaguar XJR is not the first Jaguar XJR. Not by a long shot. In fact there's a long and distinguished history of Jaguar production and racing models that have worn those letters over the years. So to highlight its lineage, Jaguar brought the 2016 model together with its nearly 30-year-old racing namesake to Silverstone. And it brought Andy Wallace along for the ride. Wallace won at Le Mans in 1988 driving the XJR9-LM. Designed for the race track and adorned with iconic Silk Cut livery, the XJR9 looks entirely different from the XJR luxury sedan you can buy today. And with a 7.0-liter V12 mounted amidships instead of the modern sedan's 5.0-liter supercharged V8 placed up front, they're mechanically different beasts as well. But it's not the difference in design, powertrain, or performance that Jaguar is highlighting in this video encounter. Instead, Wallace is impressed by the advancement of the lighting technology from the Le Mans racer he drove in the late 1980s to the sedan sold today. To hear him talk about how they used to use the headlights in the nighttime hours of the famously grueling endurance race is harrowing enough all on its own. Hear his story in the video above. NEW JAGUAR XJR MEETS XJR9-LM AT SILVERSTONE WITH LE MANS WINNER ANDY WALLACE AT THE WHEEL - Andy Wallace drives new Jaguar XJR and Le Mans-winning XJ-R9 LM at Silverstone - XJR9-LM – one of one million XJs now built – back on track at night for the first time since it won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1988 - Track session presents benefits of new Jaguar XJ LED headlights in day and night driving conditions - Wallace discusses new XJR headlight technology, which offers drivers more confidence, safety and performance at night - New short film captures all the action https://youtu.be/IgMxSkJb058 (Whitley, Coventry - 16 November 2015): Legendary racing driver and 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Andy Wallace relived his 1988 victory by taking to the Silverstone circuit to drive the Jaguar XJR9-LM during day and night back-to-back with the new 550PS, 5.0-litre Supercharged V8 Jaguar XJR. Wallace discusses his experiences in the XJR9-LM and the new XJR in an exciting new film available to view and share at https://youtu.be/IgMxSkJb058 Driving at night on the Silverstone circuit gave Wallace the opportunity to test the new LED headlights on the new XJ, which are a first for Jaguar. "Driving at Le Mans back in 1988, it was so hard to see at night," said Wallace.

More Jaguar F-Pace details revealed [w/video]

The Jaguar F-Pace will make its full debut on September 15 at the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show. But for folks like us that want every detail about the compact crossover ahead of time, Jaguar is continuing the ongoing tease. This time, the company puts the emphasis on the CUV's suspension development and includes a video to prove that it works. The F-Pace is promising to be quite a crisp handler with a double-wishbone layout for the front suspension and an integral link setup at the rear. Cornering is further enhanced by an all-wheel-drive system that features torque vectoring adapted from the F-Type. Stopping shouldn't be an issue either because the brakes are also based on the units from the sports car. In addition, the company is making the lofty promise that crossover's electric power-assisted power steering offers "greater feedback and control than hydraulic systems." Production of the crossover should get underway at the Solihull, UK, factory soon because the F-Pace hits the market in 2016. The powertrain range is expected to include the new Ingenium four-cylinder engine family and the brand's fantastic sounding, supercharged V6. All the details should be officially revealed in Frankfurt, though. Until then, give the F-Pace a listen in the clip below. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. JAGUAR F-PACE: THE ULTIMATE PRACTICAL JAGUAR SPORTS CAR 26/08/15 Double wishbone front and Integral Link rear suspension enable exceptional handling and ride comfort Outstanding agility delivered by F-TYPE-derived technologies including Torque Vectoring2 Electric power-assisted steering designed to give immediate response and connected feel Debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September On sale in 2016 (MAHWAH, N.J.) - August 25, 2015 - Featuring sports-car derived chassis systems and evaluated on the same demanding roads as all other Jaguar vehicles, the new F-PACE will bring new levels of dynamic ability to the brand when it goes on sale in 2016, after debuting at the Frankfurt Motor Show this September. The new F-PACE will reward drivers and passengers alike with a blend of agility and comfort that is unique to the small performance SUV segment; making it the most practical Jaguar sports car ever.