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Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.

2019 Jaguar XJ50 is a supercharged birthday present

Jaguar is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its elegant luxury sedan, the XJ, with a stylish and supercharged new model called the XJ50. This nod to eight generations of XJ comes in long-wheelbase format and is powered by either a 340-horsepower supercharged V6, or snarling 470-hp supercharged V8. While the V6 model is available with a choice of rear- or all-wheel drive, the more powerful V8 is offered only in rear-wheel drive form. Revealed for the first time at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show, the XJ50 is visually separated by the standard XJ sedan by having unique front and rear bumpers, a gloss black grille, special badges on the side vents, along with 20-inch alloy wheels with a gloss black diamond turned finish. Four colors will be available: Rosello Red, Santorini Black, Fuji White, and Loire Blue. How something along the lines of British Racing Green didn't make the cut remains a marketing mystery, however. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The XJ50 cabin is fitted with unique touches like an XJ50 logo on the front center armrest, illuminated XJ50-branded treadplates, diamond-quilted seats with the Jaguar leaper logo on the headrests, along with metal pedals and aluminum shift paddles mounted on the steering wheel. "This is a car worth celebrating and the XJ50 pays homage to a giant within the Jaguar brand that we believe is one of the world's most stylish sporting saloons," said Ian Callum, Jaguar Director of Design. While only the most jaded automotive Grinch wouldn't enjoy a birthday celebration -- really, who doesn't like cake with their illuminated treadplates(?) -- there's a sense the XJ50 marks the end of the road for the brand's long-serving luxury sedan. Rumors persist that the XJ will soon migrate to an all-electric platform, to compete directly against cars like the Tesla Model S and upcoming Porsche Mission E. Jaguar did not release an exact price of the 2019 XJ50, though a long-wheelbase XJ with the 340-hp V6 and rear-wheel drive carries a starting price of approximately $84,500.Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Beijing Motor Show Jaguar Luxury Sedan jaguar xj

Jaguar designs Tour de France racing bike [w/video]

Jaguar is known for designing luxury sedans, and it's known for designing GTs. But once in a while it dabbles in a new area of transportation design. It's working on its first crossover at the moment, and even did a speedboat concept a couple of years ago. Now it's turned its attention to bicycles.
While many automakers have designed bikes in the past, Jaguar's project has a bit more of a direct correlation. It's been working with Team Sky - the outfit that has won the Tour de France two years running now - since 2010, furnishing the team with support vehicles for bicycle races around the world. But now it's stepping its collaboration up a notch by redesigning the team's bike.
Working with frame manufacturer Pinarello, Jaguar took the existing Dogma 65.1 racing bike design back to the drawing board. Jaguar's designers and engineers reshaped the frame tubes, seat post, front fork, derailleur and all the components attached to the frame, each part streamlined for aerodynamic efficiency. They ran it through Jaguar's Computational Fluid Dynamics processor 300 times then verified the results in the wind tunnel.