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Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

Jaguar Land Rover's latest tech makes roads safer for bikes [w/video]

Safety in automobiles isn't just about protecting the occupants anymore. It's about protecting pedestrians who might be struck by an automobile, and as Jaguar Land Rover is demonstrating, it's about protecting cyclists as well. The latest experimental safety system from the British automaker is called Bike Sense, and it builds upon technologies the company has demonstrated recently, taking them a step further to make the road safer for those riding on two wheels. The system uses a combination of colors, sounds and vibrations to alert the driver of a potential hazard that might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Demonstrated on an XJ sedan, the system identifies nearby two-wheeled vehicles as pedal-powered or motorized, and alerts the driver accordingly. If a cycle is passing a the vehicle's blind spot, the top of the seat will vibrate to virtually "tap" the driver on the left or right shoulder, prompting him or her to look over that shoulder for the hazard. LEDs inside the cabin will then illuminate amber to red in the direction that the bike is passing. The system will even chime a bicycle bell or motorcycle horn as the two-wheeled vehicle approaches, and vibrate or stiffen the accelerator pedal if the driver keeps moving towards the obstacle. And if an occupant of the parked vehicle starts to open the door into the path of moving vehicle, it'll flash a light, sound an alarm and even vibrate the door handle to warn the occupant of the oncoming hazard. We could imagine the alerts getting a little distracting, but JLR says the system is designed to prioritize potential hazards when their are groups of pedestrians, bicyclists and/or motorcycle riders on a busy urban street. This is, of course, just the latest in a long string of new systems JLR has under development, following such technologies as the Transparent Bonnet, the Smart Assistant, the Virtual Windscreen for track sessions and the 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen for city driving. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2017 Jaguar electric SUV to draw stylistically from C-X75

Jaguar is gearing up to launch its first all-electric model. And given the direction the industry is going – to say nothing of previous reports – it should come as little surprise that it'll be an SUV. And though details are few and far between at this point, some information is beginning to surface. According to British publication Autocar, the forthcoming electric crossover will draw its stylistic inspiration from the C-X75 concept. For those who may not recall (or haven't seen the new Bond flick), the C-X75 was Jaguar's idea for a hybrid hypercar to compete with the likes of the McLaren P1, Porsche 918 Spyder, and LaFerrari. After initial plans for a turbine powertrain were scrapped in favor of a small twin-charged four-cylinder hybrid, plans for production were ultimately shelved. But the vehicle resurfaced for a starring role in the new 007 film Spectre. If the decision to put a defunct concept in a new movie struck you as odd, reports of the electric crossover's design direction may cast it in new light. By putting the C-X75's design in the public spotlight, Jaguar Land Rover could be preparing us for the SUV's arrival. But then that could prove entirely speculative at this point. The model is set to slot in, size-wise, beneath the new F-Pace, and join a new wave of electric crossovers coming to market. The Tesla Model X will be first when it launches next year, and Audi is expected to launch its Q6 E-Tron Quattro in 2018. The Jaguar could split the difference and surface as soon as 2017. Volvo is also tipped to be preparing an electric crossover based on the XC90 to follow in 2019 as well. It may be too early to speculate on the electric powertrain that will motivate the new Jaguar, tipped to be dubbed E-Pace. However reports that parent company Tata is developing lightweight electric in-wheel hub motors could give us an idea of the direction in which Jaguar could head. Expect it to borrow its aluminum platform from the XE and F-Pace, with production potentially to be undertaken by Magna Steyr in Austria. Of course, the E-Pace won't be the company's only EV. It has several prototypes in the works, and we can expect it to roll out additional production models in the coming year.