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Jaguar Land Rover moves closer to building Slovakia plant

Jaguar Land Rover has announced its intention to build a new assembly plant in Slovakia. Though it has yet to make the final decision, the British automaker has signed a Letter of Intent with the Slovakian government. Its next step is to launch a feasibility study before committing. If the company does go ahead with plans, it wouldn't be the first automaker – or even the first European luxury automaker for that matter – to start producing in Slovakia. Nor would it be the first Jaguar Land Rover plant outside the UK, either. The Volkswagen Group, PSA Peugeot Citroen, and Kia all manufacture in the Central European country. VW's Bratislava plant in particular handles production of the Touareg, Audi Q7, and Porsche Cayenne. In the past few years, JLR has expanded its production capacity to new locations outside of the UK. It has a new factory in China, one under construction in Brazil, and has been manufacturing in India – home country of its parent company Tata – since 2011. It recently announced a manufacturing contract with Magna Steyr in Austria, and is investing in its facilities back home as well. Though yet to be finalized, the prospect of manufacturing in Slovakia has proven more favorable to JLR than other locations in Europe or in the United States or Mexico – all possibilities that the company says it looked into. It has yet to reveal just what it would produce there, saying only that "the plant would manufacture a range of aluminium Jaguar Land Rover vehicles," that the plant would be earmarked to come online in 2018 and eventually ramp up production to 300,000 vehicles. The prevailing wisdom would seem to indicate, however, that the site is being considered for the next-generation Land Rover Defender. Related Video: JAGUAR LAND ROVER UNVEILS NEXT STAGE OF GLOBAL EXPANSION PLANS - Letter of Intent signed for potential new plant in the Slovak Republic - Indicates the next stage of the Company's expansion plans to support a competitive global business in the future - Jaguar Land Rover's global expansion underpins long-term investment in new vehicles and technologies in the UK Coventry, UK – Jaguar Land Rover has signed a Letter of Intent with the Government of the Slovak Republic for the potential development of a new manufacturing plant in the city of Nitra in western Slovakia. With its established premium automotive industry, Slovakia is an attractive possible development opportunity.

The Jaguar XJR-15 is a 215 mph, barely-legal road car that's for sale

The late 1980s and early 1990s were awash with supercars from automakers across the globe. Classic Driver in the UK is selling one of the rarest of all of these supercars, the road-going racecar that is the Jaguar XJR-15. The XJR-15 is the lesser known sibling of the Jaguar XJ220. Only 27 were ever built. The XJ220 may not have received the same recognition and reverence as the Ferrari F40, the Porsche 959, and the McLaren F1, but for a time it held the record for the fastest road-going automobile, 217.1 mph. All of the XJ220's engineering and prowess is owed to the development of the XJR-15, which in turn owes everything to driver Tom Walkinshaw and his experience in touring and Le Mans racecars. Unlike the twin-turbocharged XJ220, the XJR-15 features a big, naturally-aspirated V12 that turned out 450 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque when new. The engine has a dry sump oil system, a Cosworth forged crankshaft, connecting rods, aluminum pistons, and fuel delivery from a Zytec electronically controlled sequential fuel injection system. The engine is mated to a five-speed transaxle from Tom Walkinshaw Racing, while the suspension - fabricated wishbones and horizontal pushrod-spring dampers at the front and coil springs at the rear - is pulled straight from the XJR-9 racecar. At the time, the car was capable of hitting 60 mph in under four seconds and topped out at 215 mph, just shy of the mark later set by the Jaguar XJ220. The XJR-15 was also the first road car to make extensive use of carbon fiber. In fact, at 2,315 lbs, the car's listed weight is less than that of a new ND Mazda Miata. The body was designed by future McLaren F1 engineer Peter Stevens. While the McLaren and Porsche were more complete and well rounded machines, the XJR-15 was a bare bones, uncompromised track machine. The interior was barely more than a carbon tub fitted with a pair of one-piece seats. The car in this listing is chassis number 21 and only has 1,400 miles on the odometer. Some minor modifications to the hinges allow the hood and engine cover to be quickly and easily opened. The car is listed for GBP450,000, or about $560,000. Not cheap, but what rare, early 1990s supercar is? Related Video: News Source: Classic Driver via Car Buzz Jaguar Coupe Performance ferrari f40 jaguar xj220

Watch new Jaguar XF perform a literal high-wire act

Coming out with a new luxury sedan can be a truly daunting prospect. Make it too edgy and you'll risk disenfranchising what can often be a rather conservative customer base. Make it too conservative and you may fail to attract enough new customers or generate enough interest to make the endeavor worthwhile. Whether Jaguar succeeded in walking that thin line with the new XF is a matter of personal taste, blending as it does elements from the smaller XE and the outgoing XF it replaces. But in launching the new model, Jaguar didn't just pull of a figurative high-wire act – it did quite a literal one. To drum up support for its newest debut, Jaguar undertook the stunt depicted in the video above, stringing a pair of carbon-fiber cables some 60 feet above the River Thames in London. With some guide wires and counterbalance weights to keep it all in check, and a motion-picture stunt crew orchestrating it all, the new XF drove over 780 feet from one bank of the river to the other, setting a new world record in the process. Instead of thinking too hard about the whys (seriously, though... why?) and hows, we suggest you just watch the video above. Related Video: