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Watch the Jaguar F-Pace set a Guinness World Record for looping

On a chilly gray night in Germany, Jaguar officially leapt into the crossover segment. But it also reminded everyone its brand of grocery-getter will be anything but conventional. The 2017 F-Pace, which will launch next spring in the United States, debuted Monday evening at a glitzy event before the Frankfurt Motor Show. Rather than simply tear the cover off the car (you can watch that below), Jaguar sent a specially-prepped F-Pace blasting up a 63-foot-tall loop, setting a Guinness World Record in the process. Driven by British stunt driver Terry Grant, Jaguar said the F-Pace stood up against 6.5 Gs of gravity during the display. The stunt was meant to illustrate the F-Pace's poise, agility, and athletic nature. In fact, Jaguar is calling the vehicle the "ultimate practical sports car," instead of dwelling on the fact it's an SUV. Based on Jaguar's lightweight aluminum architecture, the F-Pace will arrive in America next year with two V6 engines rated at 340 horsepower or 380 hp. A new 2.0-liter diesel engine will join the lineup next fall, and serve as the entry-level model. It starts at $41,985. Related Video:

Jaguar opens new engine plant in the UK

The heads of Jaguar Land Rover are having a busy couple of weeks opening factories. Just days after inaugurating the company's first overseas plant in China, the automaker's new Engine Manufacturing Center in the UK is being inaugurated, as well. The plant near Wolverhampton, England, marks the first time in decades that JLR is building its own powerplants in-house. Further signaling the importance of this launch for the business, Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were on hand and even tweeted about it.
The factory's first major project is to build JLR's latest Ingenium four-cylinders, starting with the 2.0-liter diesel version. "Our new Engine Manufacturing Centre is an important step in advancing the competitiveness and capability of the UK automotive sector. The production of in-house engines will support the expansion of the UK supply chain providing critical mass for inward investment," said Trevor Leeks, plant operations director in the automaker's announcement.
Opening the doors to the Engine Manufacturing Center has been years in the making for JLR. The plant was first announced in September 2011 and broke ground in June 2012. Building it cost the company 500 million pounds ($800 million) and created 1,400 new jobs. Of course, being a state-of-the-art factory, considerations were made to make the place as energy efficient as possible. That meant installing the UK's largest solar array with 21,000 panels to produce about 30 percent of the site's electricity needs.

2018 Jaguar XJ stars in 'Game of Drones'

Looking for a fun way to put the its 2018 XJ in the spotlight, Jaguar turned to a fresh form of racing. The automaker placed three of the long-wheelbase XJL models in a studio, and surrounded them with illuminated, door-shaped gates. Then Jaguar brought in a pair of professional drone racers to compete in the glowing circuit, which includes pass-through of the rear of the XJL cabins. The drone pilots, donning VR headsets, sat in the rear of the 575-horsepower version of the XJL, the Jaguar XJR575, and launched the drones from the trunk of the car. They raced the drones through the gates and through the cars at speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. "The course was a great test, but the fact we were able to go at such speeds proves how much space the doors of the Jaguar XJL gave us," said the winning drone pilot, Brett Collis. "Despite having to fly through the cabin, we were still pushing the drones to their top speeds." The "Game of Drones," as Jaguar dubbed the race, took place at Alexandra Palace in London, but the automaker is bringing similar experiences to more locations. Jaguar plans to go on an "Art of Performance Tour," where it will bring drone and Smart Cone driving challenges to the public, free of charge.