1969 Jaguar E-type on 2040-cars

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Jaguar F-Pace gets 300 Sport and Checkered Flag special editions

Jaguar has applied the 300 Sport treatment to the F-Pace, as it did with the XE and XF sedans last year, and there's a Checkered Flag treatment for the F-Pace, too. In other markets, the 300 Sport comes with the choice of the 2.0-liter Ingenium four-cylinder gas motor or the 3.0-liter V6 diesel, but we don't get the 3.0-liter diesel in the United States. Exterior tweaks start with dark satin gray trim on the grille and window surrounds, side vents, mirror caps, rear fascia and door finishers. The package wears 22-inch gray wheels and plenty of 300 Sport badges. Three colors are available: Yulong White, Indus Silver and Santorini Black. Inside, yellow contrast stitching on the instrument panel and seats marks the beast, plus embossed logos on the front headrests. The steering wheel, carpet, and sills also get 300 Sport badging. The full-fat Touch Pro navigation with Connect Pro comes standard. Overseas buyers can upgrade with a sliding panoramic roof, but all U.S. F-Pace models come with that. We don't have domestic pricing yet, but UK figures equate to saving almost 50 percent compared to speccing options separately on the gas model, and a savings of about 90 percent on the diesel version. The Checkered Flag Special Edition starts with the R-Sport and adds plenty of gloss black, including 20-inch gloss black wheels. Color choices here are Yulong White, Eiger Grey and Santorini Black. Only the 2.0-liter four-cylinder units get the nod, either the 247-horsepower gas engine or — in other markets — the 237-hp diesel we don't get. Our diesel is a 2.0-liter, 180-hp unit. Spec is a bit reduced compared to the 300 Sport, with 10-way electric front seats instead of 14-way, and the Touch Pro navigation without Connect Pro thrown in standard. A UK buyer would save about 40 percent compared to ordering a la carte.

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.

Is Jaguar testing an electrified XE?

Rumors about Jaguar Land Rover moving further into electrification for its models have been circulating for the last several months. Thanks to some new spy shots, there's even more evidence that the company could have a hybrid or electric model on the way. According to our spies, this rather innocuous looking XE was spied with a group of camouflaged XF and F-Pace prototypes in Spain. Everything about the luxury sedan looks fairly stock until you see the rear end. There, just under the taillight, is a circular blue badge with an "E" in it. That emblem and the vehicle being with other test cars hints at the possibility of Jaguar doing something electrified with the vehicle. Unfortunately, there are no other clues here to determine exactly what is happening underneath the skin. Jaguar Land Rover has been insinuating its intention to build greener models for a while. The company even founded an engineering center partially for them in 2013. A fully electric powertrain is reportedly under development to slot into the F-Pace and maybe also for a Land Rover. Meanwhile, Jag has a trademark on the name EV-Type. With these new photos, the signs of JLR's coming electrification continue to mount.