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Jaguar Land Rover to cut thousands of UK jobs

LONDON — Britain's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to cut thousands of jobs as the company faces lower demand in China and a slump in sales of diesel cars in Europe. The central English firm builds a higher proportion of its cars in Britain than any other major or medium-sized carmaker and has also spent millions of pounds preparing for Brexit, in case there are tariffs or customs checks. Britain's business minister Greg Clark said on Thursday it is clear why a no-deal Brexit would add to the problems with further costs and disruption. JLR lost 354 million pounds ($450 million) between April and September 2018 and had already cut around 1,000 roles in Britain, shut its Solihull plant for two weeks and announced a three-day week at its Castle Bromwich site. Its Chief Executive Ralf Speth warned in September that the wrong Brexit deal could cost tens of thousands of car jobs and posed a threat to production at the automaker. The Tata Motors-owned company, which employs around 40,000 people in Britain and has boosted its workforce at new plants in China and Slovakia in recent years, unveiled plans to cut costs and improve cash flows by 2.5 billion pounds last year including "reducing employment costs and employment levels." Those cuts will be "substantial" and run into the thousands, the source told Reuters. "The announcement on job losses will be substantial, affecting managerial, research, sales, design," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, not affecting production-line staff "at this stage." The company declined to comment when contacted by Reuters on Thursday. Ford also said on Thursday it will cut thousands of jobs in Europe, exit unprofitable markets and discontinue loss-making vehicle lines as part of a turnaround effort aimed at improving profit margins in the region. Brexit warnings JLR, which became Britain's biggest carmaker in 2016, had been on course to build around 1 million vehicles by the turn of the decade, reported on Thursday a 4.6 percent drop in full-year sales to just under 600,000 vehicles. Demand in China, which had once been one of its strongest countries but has since been hit by a slowdown, fell by 21.6 percent, the biggest drop of any of its markets. "The economic slowdown in China along with ongoing trade tensions is continuing to influence consumer confidence," said Jaguar Land Rover Chief Commercial Officer Felix Brautigam.

Jaguar C-X17 rides high into Frankfurt

After enviously watching its competitors rake in piles of crossover-shaped dollars for years, Jaguar is poised to get into the game with a production model based on this C-X17 concept. While the British brand hasn't officially confirmed it will sell a utility vehicle - indeed, brand fans and industry watchers have wondered whether the Leaping Cat even need to get into the game considering its corporate cousins at Land Rover - we would be dumbfounded if it didn't happen in short order.
We've always been concerned that Jaguar's styling language wouldn't translate well to a high-riding shape, but here at its Frankfurt Motor Show debut, the C-X17 comes off as quite handsome (if predictable) in the metal. The same couldn't always be said of Jag's styling DNA, but newer models beginning with the XF and the XJ have introduced design elements like a larger, more vertical grille that suit the C-X17's form factor exceedingly well. Even the rear end successfully borrows its taillamp design from the glorious new F-Type Roadster.
Underneath the concept's two-box shape is a new aluminum unibody that Jag says it is poised to employ on its next-generation models, including the long-expected midsize sedan coming to North America in 2016. Jaguar has long been a leader in aluminum chassis development even as it has struggled to take weight out of some of its vehicles (the F-Type, for instance, isn't exactly lightweight). Thus far, Jaguar isn't talking powertrains other than to say it will employ a new generation of gas and diesel engines.

Petrolicious examines a very special Jaguar C-Type

There are rare Jaguars, and then there's this stunning C-Type Lightweight Le Mans. Built in response to the dominance of the Mercedes-Benz 300SL at the 1952 24 Hours of Le Mans, Jaguar made only three C-Types for 1953 and managed to capture first, second, and fourth. These cars featured four-wheel disc brakes – a rarity at the time even in endurance racing – and a lighter aluminum body. The two SU carburetors were swapped out for three Webers, meaning more power and, according to RM Sotheby's David Swig, better throttle response. Swig would know. In the latest video from Petrolicious, he takes the fourth-place C-Type for a ride, giving us a look at the sleek open-roof racer in action, while our ears enjoy the delicious sound of the 3.4-liter, twin-cam straight-six. "What I love about these cars is how communicative they are on the road," Swig told Petrolicious. "How when you're going through a corner, you feel in the seat of your pants and through the steering wheel every little movement, every little pebble that you drive over." Beyond the driving experience, there's something to be said of the historical seat Swig is occupying. "No less than five Le Mans-winning drivers of this period have sat behind the wheel of this car," Swig said, "which almost give you goosebumps." Should you have the money, you can actually put this iconic racing Jaguar in your garage. RM Sotheby's will offer it for auction as part of its glitzy Monterey Car Week event next month. While you can look forward to our coverage of that event come August, you can enjoy the sight and sound of this iconic C-Type in the latest episode from Petrolicious.