Jaguar X-type Sedan Autmatic Moonroof Leather 3.0 V6 Engine British Racing Green on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar says F-Type sales off to flying start

As we noted in our recent first drive, Jaguar's luscious new F-Type roadster is a bit of a tweener in both size and cost, lining up in between rival Porsche's Boxster and 911. That one-for-two-segment strategy is showing early signs of paying off, with Automotive News reporting that half of the car's 2014 production allotment is already sold. We're not talking huge numbers - sports cars in this segment only "have a global annual volume of about 75,000 units and a market share of 0.1 percent," notes Jaguar brand director Adrian Hallmark. Yet the company figures the F-Type will work out to about 15 to 20 percent of its total volume of around 60,000 units.
From where we sit, this is all very encouraging news, but it's way too early to call the F-Type a smash hit. The sports car segment is known for its fickleness and its front-loaded sales curve, so the real measure of success will be how it fares over the next few years after early adopters get their cars. Jaguar will have to work to keep the F-Type fresh with new variants, and we hear it's prepared to do just that. The British luxury marque hasn't confirmed a hardtop coupe variant yet, but patent images and spy shots suggest one is on the way shortly, and it ought to extend the model's appeal greatly. A four-cylinder option and a manual transmission have also been rumored, and presumably Jaguar will eventually launch higher-performance R and R-S variants as it has done with various model lines, including its other sporty two door, the XK grand tourer.

Jaguar Land Rover's InMotion takes a stab at carsharing

Jaguar Land Rover's new InMotion mobility business aims to capitalize on the growing carsharing boom and develop other forms of alternative transportation. The first pilot programs kick off in the coming months in North America, Europe, and Asia. JLR owns InMotion, but the company acts independently from the automaker. "As a start-up business, InMotion combines the flexibility and pace needed to compete in the ever-changing mobility sector. It allows us to react quickly to new tech and ever-changing customer demands," Adrian Hallmark, JLR's Group Strategy Director, said in a statement. The 30-person firm intends to develop its own answers to upcoming transport problems and also invest in entrepreneurs to develop those solutions. InMotion isn't yet providing many details about what projects the firm expects to tackle, but the Website mentions carsharing and on-demand delivery services. Establishing InMotion shows that JLR doesn't want to fall behind the current trends in the auto industry. Practically every major automaker is currently pursuing future transportation ideas. For example, Ford recently took a very similar approach when it spun off Smart Mobility into a separate startup. BMW also rebranded its DriveNow carsharing service into ReachNow to also add a future ridesharing service. Related Video: JAGUAR LAND ROVER LAUNCHES NEW TECHNOLOGY START-UP InMotion launched to create innovative solutions, helping customers to overcome travel and transport issues Independent business with the agility and independence to react quickly in mobility sector InMotion will create apps and on-demand services Whitley, 11th April 2016: Jaguar Land Rover has launched InMotion, a new technology business that builds apps and on-demand services to overcome modern travel and transport challenges. Next month InMotion will begin real-world testing of a number of different services such as car sharing and car ownership solutions, across North America, Europe and Asia in the coming months. Adrian Hallmark, Group Strategy Director, Jaguar Land Rover said:"With the development of new apps and on-demand services, InMotion provides us with an opportunity to provide engaging and invaluable experiences to both new and existing customers globally." "As a start-up business, InMotion combines the flexibility and pace needed to compete in the ever-changing mobility sector.

1955 Jaguar D-Type that won Le Mans sets $21.78 million record price at auction

There's simply no denying that the Jaguar D-Type is one of the most noteworthy race cars ever devised. Jaguar pioneered the use of the monocoque chassis design, and D-Types won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1955, 1956, and 1957. And with its bodywork pulled taught over the wheels, engine, and passenger compartment, not to mention the massive fin behind the driver's headrest, the D-Type also one of the most stunning. The car you see above, Jaguar D-Type chassis number XKD 501, won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1956, narrowly defeating a team from Aston Martin. Along the way, this D-Type completed 2,507.19 miles at an average speed of 104.47 miles per hour, and a maximum speed of 156.868 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. It was entered by the non-factory team Ecurie Ecosse, and therefore painted in the team's traditional Scottish blue with a white cross. That kind of provenance, coupled with its pristine original race-winning condition, makes XKD 501 extremely valuable. In fact, it just sold at RM Sotheby's Monterey auction for $21.78 million (a $19.8 million bid plus auction fees), making it the most expensive British automobile ever sold at auction. Take a gander at our high-res image gallery above to soak up all its low-slung goodness. Related Video: