2011 Land Rover Range Rover on 2040-cars

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Jaguar to sell all-electric cars by 2030, and six electric Land Rovers coming in next five years

Jaguar is making a big transition to become an electric-only car company. The switchover is meant to kickoff in 2025, and by 2030, Jaguar says 100% of its vehicle sales will be of electric models. Land Rover is taking a similar route, but to a lesser extent. The British off-roading brand says that it will introduce six pure electric variants in the next five years, with eyes on 60% of its sales being of electric models by 2030. Its first all-electric model will arrive in 2024, JLR said. An Automotive News report cites CEO Thierry Bollore, saying he expects "almost zero" production of cars with internal combustion engines by 2039, making that the theoretical end date of Land Rover vehicles with ICEs.  JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, said on Monday the Jaguar brand will lead the way with a fully-electric model range built on a brand-new electric platform. The Land Rover EVs are to be built on a separate electric vehicle architecture to provide for "two clear unique personalities." The Land Rover EVs are said to be finding homes on both the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) and Electric Modular Architecture (EMA). Both support combustion engine layouts and full EV layouts, but the latter is said to be more biased toward EVs and to exclusively support "advanced electrified ICE." Both brands will be taking advantage of technology from within the Tata Group (JLR's owners) to make this transition happen. There's limited information on the future of certain models for the time being, but Jaguar did say that its previously-planned XJ replacement will no longer have a place in the brand's lineup. That said, Jaguar says the nameplate might stick around, with the assumption it could be used on an all-new future EV. Additionally, Automotive News reports that Jaguar will transition away from SUV-style vehicles, citing Bollore — the theory being that Land Rover takes over and completely fills that space in the future. We'll be wondering about what will become of the F-Pace and E-Pace. Our biggest Jaguar question concerns the F-Type, though. Will we get a fully electric version of the sports car in the future? Jaguar didn't address it, but we certainly hope so. JLR said that as it electrifies its model range, it will keep all three of its British plants open. But Bollore, who took over as chief executive in September, said the carmaker's Castle Bromwich plant in central England would focus on "non-production" activities in the long term.

Jaguar SUV mule doing Ring testing in Evoque clothes

Jaguar has moved its Range Rover Evoque-bodied tests of the production C-X17 Concept from icy streets to the legendary Nürburgring, as work continues on the brand's first SUV.
Really, there's not a great deal of new stuff here. Based on the number plates, this is a different vehicle from the one we saw back in March, which we originally identified as the upcoming replacement for the Land Rover Freelander/LR2. The details, though, appear largely the same. The biggest distinction we can see between the March tests and this are the US-spec headlights, which add amber reflectors at their sides. Based on these shots, it does seem as if the C-X17 should be a fairly poised road vehicle, as the engineers hustle it around the 'Ring.
Of course, as soon our spies can capture images of a production-bodied C-X17, we'll be sure to pass those on to you. Until then, take a look up top for images of the Range Rover-bodied Jaguar as it tests at Germany's Nürburgring. You can also scroll down for our March images for the C-X17 mules testing on public roads.

NHTSA is investigating FCA shifters for roll-away accidents again, this time the rotary units

It seems FCA's shifter troubles aren't over yet. Now, just a few months after issuing a recall to resolve user-related issues with its monostable shifters, the company is again under investigation by NHTSA. The issue is related to the potential for cars to roll away when the rotary-style shifter is not properly placed in park. Two FCA models are the subject of this investigation: the 2013–2016 Ram 1500 and the 2014–2016 Dodge Durango. NHTSA estimates about 1,000,000 vehicles would be affected if a recall is issued. The investigation was started following 43 complaints of vehicles rolling away while supposedly being in "park." Among the complaints were reports of 25 crashes and 9 injuries. NHTSA does point out that in every incident, the parking brake was not engaged. A representative from FCA also gave us an official statement regarding the investigation: "FCA US is cooperating fully with NHTSA's investigation, the scope of which is limited. Other vehicles equipped with rotary shifters are not included. In accordance with prudent practice, the Company joins NHTSA in urging all drivers to use their vehicles' parking brakes." View 35 Photos As mentioned above, other Chrysler products with rotary shifters, such as the Pacifica minivan and 200 sedan, are not involved in this investigation. One of the key differences, as the representative told us, is that these vehicles have electronic parking brakes that automatically engage if the driver does not select park and then opens the door with the seatbelt unbuckled. The Ram 1500 and Durango feature mechanical, manually operated parking brakes and therefore cannot activate the brake automatically. Because this is currently an investigation, an exact cause for the incidents has yet to be determined, and none of the vehicles have been recalled. It's possible there could be a mechanical defect. However, the issue could be a confusing interface causing user error, as was the case with FCA's monostable shifters, where drivers think they've put the car in park but actually haven't. Something that indicates it could be a case of confused users is that NHTSA also opened an investigation into 2012–2014 Jaguar XF and Land Rover Range Rover Evoques for similar issues. Both vehicles use a rotary shifter and have had roll-away complaints levied as well. Even if it is a case of user error, FCA and Jaguar Land Rover may still have to recall their vehicles.