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Weekly Recap: Takeaways from the Frankfurt Motor Show

We obsessively covered the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and naturally, we selected our favorites from this fall's biggest automotive event. Now that the dust has settled, we're looking ahead to what it all means. Here are three takeaways from the floor in Frankfurt. The Germans are serious about electric vehicles: It's a bit cliche to say BMW, Mercedes, and Audi have downplayed electrics in favor of other technologies, like diesels. For a time that may have been true, but those three companies, along with Porsche and Volkswagen, are emerging as leaders in EV development. That was on display in Frankfurt, when all of them revealed either all-electric or plug-in hybrid models. Gas prices are relatively low in the United States, but clearly the Germans are thinking long-term and globally. Everyone is serious about SUVs: You gotta have one, even if you're Bentley or Jaguar. It's 2015 and it's what consumers want. As Jaguar design director Ian Callum put it, "Not to be in the sector would be a little naive for the sake of purity." It's not just the flashy exotic luxury makers. Nissan showed the Gripz concept, which is rakish, radical, and meant to blend traits of SUVs and sports cars into a vehicle that really crosses over. Look for more, especially in the luxury sector, as Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin ramp up their own SUV efforts. There's no ceiling to the luxury market: Speaking of high-end cars, companies are continuing to invest in extravagant wares beyond just SUVs. Even during the recession, ultra-luxury makers remained relevant, and now they're back at full stride. In Frankfurt, that was illustrated by yet another S-Class model, the cabriolet, which will come in S550 and S63 AMG variants in the United States. Ferrari also showed off the 488 Spider, and Lamborghini opened up the Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder. Meanwhile, Bugatti's Vision Grand Turismo concept reminded enthusiasts that it's plotting life after the Veyron. European auto shows always draw the glitziest reveals from luxury makers, and this year didn't disappoint. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Honda Civic redesigned with snazzier style, turbo power The 10th-generation of the Honda Civic debuted this week at events in Los Angeles and Detroit ahead of its launch in the United States this fall as a 2016 model. Honda fortified the Civic with LED lights, an available turbo engine, and a more tech-laden cabin.

2019 Jaguar I-Pace First Drive Review | A taste of Jag's EV crossover

This is literally our first drive of the 2019 Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover. It lasted about 2 minutes and occurred on a tiny autocross in a frigid parking lot in New Jersey, but if we're to split hairs, it is indeed the first time we've piloted this revolutionary EV SUV-ish vehicle from a company better known for barking exhausts and slinky sport coupes. While the rest of the automotive press was gallivanting about Manhattan prior to the New York Auto Show, a select few were bused out to Jaguar-Land Rover's new corporate headquarters in Mahwah, N.J. It was there we saw the world debut of the new F-Pace SVR, the North American debut of the Range Rover SV Coupe, and got our first real taste of the I-Pace. The chief impression is that it feels much smaller than its exterior dimensions would indicate, maneuvering quickly and effortlessly without a hint of roll. Credit the wheels pushed out to the absolute corners and a low center of gravity, both the result of Jaguar's decision to fully embrace the packaging and engineering possibilities of an electric powertrain. The steering was perhaps not as feelsome as other Jaguars, but again, who really knows? Two minutes, parking lot, etc. In terms of power, it sure is an electric car. Smooth, quick and quiet, but with so little space to work with, there would've been little noticeable difference between the 394-horsepower I-Pace and the 147-hp Nissan Leaf currently sitting in my driveway. Its estimated range of 240 miles on the EPA cycle? Uh, it was good enough for an afternoon of journalists driving in circles. What I can definitively declare, however, is that the 2019 I-Pace boasts far superior interior quality than every Tesla I've driven. It's also, just as important, a considerable leap forward in terms of materials quality and design from the rather dull and disappointing current Jaguar litter of F-Pace, XF and XE. For instance, leather or leatherette always cover the dash (versus the rubbery stuff found in lower F-Pace, XF and XE trim levels), while there was clearly an effort made to visually spruce things up. The dual-screen center console controls first seen on the Range Rover Velar also appear for the first time in a Jaguar, as does a unique push-button shifter ( though I still prefer a properly utilized rotary). This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jaguar shows the face of its upcoming XE S sports sedan

Jaguar has a bunch of projects in the hopper, from the replacements for the XJ sedan and XK coupe/convertible to its very first crossover. But arguably the most important among them is the XE - the British automaker's upcoming new sports sedan. Coventry has given us all sorts of peeks at what to expect from the new XE, from a shadowy rendering of the front end to a photo of a camo-wrapped prototype. But this is our best look yet.
As part of an announcement of a planned audio-visual spectacle scheduled to herald the arrival of the XE, Jaguar has released the image you see above, showing the undisguised XE in apparent S specification. From what we can see, it sports a fascia that looks pretty much exactly as we'd expect, though that's no bad thing. The XE is set to introduce the new Ingenium family of 2.0-liter four-cylinder engines. Whether the XE S shown here would carry a version of that (with a potential supercharger) or transplant the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 from the F-Type S remains to be seen, but whatever's under the hood, we'd expect it to hold the top end of the XE range - at least for the car's introduction before a potential R, R-S or SVR version might come along to supplant it.
One way or another, don't be surprised if you see some BMW 3 Series sedans pacing down the street nervously for the next little while. In the meantime, you can scope out all the glorious details of Jaguar's planned collaborations with the likes of Emeli Sandé, Stella McCartney and Idris Elba as part of the FEEL XE campaign in the press release below.