1999 Jaguar Xk8 Convertible *** No Reserve *** on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations could build standalone models

Jaguar Land Rover may be set to turn its Special Vehicle Operations division into something much bigger than a mere in-house tuner. Bloomberg spoke to the head of JLR's high-performance, customization outfit, John Edwards, who hinted that his team may move beyond simply modifying F-Types, Range Rovers and the like. "We're certainly looking at that, and we've got the capability to do that," Edwards told AN. "Is there an opportunity for us to do a completely standalone car? Maybe." Such a move into full-scale, standalone models would be a big step, particularly for a division that's still kind of in its infancy. Bloomberg references the success of Mercedes-AMG, but the German division has had the benefit of decades of growth. AMG spent years and years building high-performance versions of all manner of mainstream Mercedes vehicles, before moving onto cars like the SLS AMG and AMG GT, which have no mainstream analog. In other words, AMG had a long time to develop a reputation building high-performance vehicles that people know and recognize before it moved into building vehicles of its own. We aren't entirely convinced that SpecOps wouldn't benefit from taking a similar approach, delivering additional SVR vehicles, like the rumored XE SVR, before striking out on its own. We'd like to know what you think, though. Is it already time for Special Vehicle Operations to build standalone models, or should it learn to walk before it runs by modifying more of Jaguar Land Rover's existing product. Have your say in Comments. Related Video:

Ian Callum says Jaguar could do new wagon after all

Just the other day we brought you a report from Automotive News Europe that indicated that Jaguar was getting out of the wagon market. Now it turns out that may not actually be the case. Following the ANE report, Jaguar design boss Ian Callum tweeted out that he had been misquoted. "I said there would be no XE Sportbrake," wrote Callum. "Nothing more!" While stopping short of spelling out what the British automaker has in the pipeline, Callum's implication (by process of elimination of other Jaguar models) is that the new XF could still breed a wagon version. The previous XF Sportbrake, which also came in XFR-S performance spec, was only the second wagon Jaguar had ever made. The first was based on the X-Type that preceded the new XE; offering a long-roof version of that new sports sedan is apparently off the table, but even with the new F-Pace crossover ostensibly filling the role, a new XF Sportbrake could yet become a reality. Of course none of that means that such a wagon would make its way to North America. But we take a great deal of stock in what Callum has to say on the subject, seeing as how he designed every one of the models in question. The X-Type Sportwagon was offered Stateside, however the XF Sportbrake never was, and in addition the F-Pace promises to be a big player for the automaker on this side of the Atlantic. Do you think Jaguar should make a wagon out of the new XF, and bring that wagon to these United States? This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Related Video:

Jaguar Land Rover recalls Takata airbag-equipped cars

In the latest chapter of what feels like the never-ending recall, Jaguar Land Rover announced that it's calling back 2009-2011 Jaguar XFs and 2007-2011 Land Rover Range Rovers for defective Takata airbags on the front passenger side. These Takata airbags have propellant that may have degraded and, if activated, could release metal shrapnel. The company is breaking up the recall into four phases, since currently there are not enough parts to do a full recall. Since the airbags can be more seriously affected by high heat and humidity, the first phase will cover vehicles that were sold and/or registered in regions with high temperatures and humidity. The regions included are as follows: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands. Other phases will begin as parts become available, and priority will be given to regions at greater risk of having defective equipment. Jaguar Land Rover encourages owners of affected vehicles to go to www.SaferCar.gov to check if their vehicle is included in the current recall. The first phase includes 54,000 of 108,000 affected vehicles. The company is also notifying owners of the issue, who will eventually get a second notification when parts are available so they can schedule a time to have the airbags replaced. Related Video: