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Jaguar Land Rover reveals EV concepts, details green strategy

While it offers diesel models and even a couple hybrids, Jaguar Land Rover isn't quite as fleshed out on alternative powertrains as its luxurious German rivals. That should change pretty soon. JLR revealed three concepts at the CENEX Low Carbon Vehicle event in Millbrook, England, today. The Concept_e "research demonstrators" all use a new electric drive module, an EV system that the Indian-owned, British-based outfit claims will double the power and torque of today' electric motors. JLR says these modular EDMs can be paired with any of the company's engines or transmissions to create either a mild hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, or a pure EV. So yeah, this is kind of a big deal. Arguably the most exciting offering is a one-of-a-kind research vehicle. Riding on JLR's aluminium aluminum architecture, it ties together two electric motors – an 85-kW unit with a single-speed trans on the front axle and a 145-kW rear motor that's been mated to a two-speed transmission – with a 70-kWh li-ion battery that's mounted in the underbody of the car. There's also the Concept_e MHEV. This is a Range Rover Evoque that's been fitted with a mild hybrid system. Just a refresher, but a mild hybrid is very different than what's found in either a Chevrolet Volt or Toyota Prius, as it uses the electric motor and battery pack to simply assist the internal combustion engine, rather than for an electric driving mode. Reflecting that use, this particular Evoque uses a 15-kilowatt electric motor and a 48-volt, lithium-ion battery pack alongside a 90-metric-horsepower diesel-powered prototype. Finally, we have a Range Rover Sport-based plug-in hybrid. This brute uses a 300-metric-horsepower prototype gas engine and an eight-speed automatic alongside a 150-kilowatt electric motor. Energy is stored in a trunk-mounted, 320-volt, li-ion battery back. Partially funded by the British government, the EDMs are the result of a 16.3-million-pound ($25-million) research-and-development program. They're built in house by JLR, but were developed alongside 12 partners. While these concepts are exciting, don't get your hopes up to see a plug-in Jaguar XF or an all-electric Discovery Sport in your local dealer any time soon. "This is a long-term Jaguar Land Rover research project exploring all aspects of future hybrid and battery electric vehicle technology," JLR research and design boss Dr. Wolfgang Epple said in the attached statement.

Weekly Recap: Ford GT inspires guitar, foosball table, sailboat

Ford design vice president Moray Callum had just wrapped up a briefing on the interior of the Ford GT last month, but something seemed out of place. He grinned and pointed behind him, "You might be wondering why I have a boat behind me," he said mischievously. It was there because Ford set its designers on a mission to stretch and showcase their talents: design non-automotive objects inspired by the interior of the GT supercar. Callum received quite a response, too. His team produced a guitar, a foosball table (yeah bro!), a racing sailboat, a Wi-Fi speaker and some furniture. As the veteran design chief explained, "It's a really great exercise both to highlight our designers' talents, but also to really see how our design philosophy can work and how you can use it and get a common response back from a worldwide design team." Guitar View 25 Photos The objects have been on display this week at the Salone del Mobile furniture and fashion design fair in Milan, Italy, where Ford has had a presence for three years. There's also a light exhibition that apparently was inspired by the GT, as well. While this might seem a little far-fetched for the automaker, Ford said exhibitions like the Salone del Mobile give its designers another way to be creative and ultimately produce striking interior style. Ford wants this to be a differentiator, as research shows consumers are placing emphasis on the layout and features inside when they're making a decision about buying a new car. It's a little light hearted – but it's also potentially big business. Other News & Notes Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for Buick General Motors product chief Mark Reuss said the Cadillac CT6 platform could be used for a large Buick, though "not yet," Automotive News reported. The underpinnings can accommodate rear-wheel or all-wheel drive and would give Buick the large flagship it lacks. The report jibes with comments Reuss made at a roundtable with Autoblog and other reporters at the New York Auto Show. When asked if Buick had space for a large car on the CT6 chassis, he replied, "Yeah, I think it does. Yeah, I think we do." Buick has revamped its lineup in recent years with attractive crossovers and small and midsize sedans, but hasn't added the proverbial flagship that's yearned for by enthusiasts. Buick surprised industry observers with the stylish Avenir concept at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year that raised the possibility of a halo sedan.

Watch thieves dressed like ninjas hit dealership, steal $583,000 worth of Land Rovers

WAUKESHA, Wis. — A group of teenagers believed to be from the Chicago area broke into a luxury car dealership in Wisconsin and drove off with nine vehicles worth more than a half-million dollars, police said. Sunday's heist at a Jaguar-Land Rover dealership in Waukesha was captured on surveillance camera footage showing nine masked suspects filing into the dealership before each drives off in a car in the city about 19 miles (30.5 kilometers) west of Milwaukee. The video also shows one car being backed up and smashed through an overhead service door. Waukesha Police Capt. Dan Baumann said the suspects broke into the dealership about 6 a.m. Sunday, found where its car keys were stored and then activated those key fobs to find the cars they stole. “Nine subjects went out and throughout there looking for keys. One person finds where the keys were hidden and then starts to disseminate those to his friends,” Baumann told WISN-TV. The nine vehicles are valued at more than $583,000, he said. One suspect, a 17-year-old Chicago boy, was arrested Sunday in the southern Wisconsin community of Pleasant Prairie after the stolen vehicle he was driving crashed along Interstate 94 during a police pursuit. He was being held at the Waukesha County Jail on a $50,000 bond and faces burglary, theft and criminal damage to property charges, Baumann said. Police said Sunday that the suspects are believed to be “an organized crime group of teenagers from the Chicago area.” Baumann said Friday that all or most of the teen suspects are known to members of a police task force in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois and police in that two-state region were still searching Friday for the eight other suspects. Six of the nine stolen vehicles have been recovered — four in Chicago, one in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield, and one in Wisconsin after the highway crash that led to the 17-year-old's arrest, he said.