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Recharge Wrap-up: Tesla store reboot, Jaguar "EV-Type" an electric F-Pace?

The Connecticut Hydrogen and Electric Automobile Purchase Rebate (CHEAPR) program is creating demand for EVs. $1 million has been set aside for rebates ranging from $750 to $3,000 per car, depending on battery size (in addition to federal incentives). Dealers also get an incentive of $150 to $300 per vehicle to help motivate them to promote EVs. "This is the type of program that can be a win-win-win for the state, auto manufacturers, dealers and consumers," says Chevrolet dealer Leo Karl, who has seen a jump in demand for the Volt under the CHEAPR program. Karl expects the funds to run out as early as this fall. Read more at Automotive News. The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is scheduled to go on sale in the US in May 2016. As Mitsubishi makes some changes, including plans to ditch its Normal, IL assembly plant, the company's future in the US is being called into question. The new date for the plug-in hybrid version of the Outlander comes after multiple delays. Mitsubishi also plans to offer a 2016 model of the i-MiEV despite slowing sales. Read more at Automotive News. Tesla is overhauling its stores in advance of the Model X going on sale. The revamp includes informative interactive displays and a heavier emphasis on Tesla merchandise sales. The displays provide information about safety, Autopilot technology, the charging network, electric motors and other information to help familiarize customers with Tesla. The Tesla Design Collection - which includes luggage, apparel and other gear - also helps position Tesla as a luxury lifestyle brand, rather than just a mere automaker. Expect the stores to be continually updated over time. "Tesla is able to pivot in their stores the way they release new software," says Cadent Consulting Group's Ken Harris. "This is important to an emerging brand." Learn more from Bloomberg. Could Jaguar be planning an electric F-Pace called the EV-Type to compete with the Tesla Model X? Autocar is reporting that the upcoming SUV from Jaguar could spawn a whole family of vehicles, including an all-electric version. Jaguar has registered the trademark for the EV-Type name, and that vehicle would likely be built at the Magna Steyr factory in Graz, Austria. That would free up capacity to build the traditionally powered F-Pace in the UK. Read more at Green Car Reports, or at Autocar.

Watch the trailer for Jaguar's short film staring the F-Type and Damian Lewis

Jaguar continues to think well outside of the box when it comes to marketing it's new F-Type, now furthering plans for a short film which highlights the sexy roadster. Desire, featuring Damian Lewis (star of the hit series Homeland), Jordi Mollà (unforgettable in Bad Boys II) and Shannyn Sossamon (that girl you had a crush on for like a month in 2002 after you rented A Knight's Tale), Jaguar is clearly pulling out all the stops for this one. Well, nearly all the stops anyway ­- the "Ridley Scott Associates" billing isn't quite the same has having the man himself, if we're splitting hairs.
The short video below is still just a trailer for Desire - the full film will make its debut sometime in April, we're told. The sketched out plotlines tell us that Lewis' character Clark, "...delivers cars for a living, running into trouble after a chance encounter with a mysterious, young woman (Sossamon) in the middle of a lawless desert." The car looks good, at any rate.
Call us crazy, but the Desire trailer feels an awful lot like a spoof on the cool-but-overly-serious short films that BMW has done in this vein, already. Maybe we're just being cynical? Tell us what you think in comments after watching the clip.

Jaguar likely moving HQ to Britain's most iconic racetrack

Jaguar Land Rover looks increasingly likely to make Britain's iconic Silverstone race track the automaker's new headquarters. There isn't a final deal in place yet, but the British Racing Drivers' Club, which owns the circuit, plans to have the membership vote on whether the negotiations should move forward, according to Autosport. BRDC leaders already presented the plan to members, and they were open to the idea. "The response was favorable so we will now set up an EGM for the members to vote and give the board a mandate to proceed with the deal and continue with the negotiations with JLR," BRDC president Derek Warwick told Autosport. There's no guarantee yet that JLR actually completes the deal. "There's still a lot of work to do to get the deal to where both sides are happy and more importantly what's right for the BRDC and its members." Warwick said. Rumors in early December suggested JLR was among the firms submitting bids to purchase the track, and the automaker allegedly offered 22.7 million pounds ($34.1 million at the time) for it. The company would also reportedly invest nearly $80 million to renovate the site, including adding a museum, experience center, hotel, and offices. The track would still be open for motorsport, too. Silverstone has hosted the Formula One British Grand Prix many times over the decades, and organizers signed a 17-year deal in 2009 to keep things that way well into the future. Series like the FIA World Endurance Championship, MotoGP, and British Touring Car Championship also compete there. Related Video: