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Jaguar XE SV Project 8 is a 592-horsepower monster

Move over, F-Type, Jaguar has a new performance flagship. The Special Vehicle Operations division of Jaguar Land Rover applied its expertise to the XE sports sedan to create an absolute monster of a car. Named the XE SV Project 8, it features a 5.0-liter supercharged V8 pumping out 592 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. That power goes through an eight-speed automatic and an all-wheel-drive system with an electronically controlled torque-vectoring rear differential. In practice, this will rocket the super sedan to 60 mph in a claimed 3.3 seconds on the way to a 200 mph top speed. The XE SV Project 8 is not only about raw power and speed, though. Lightweight carbon fiber bumpers, front fenders, and hood have been fitted. The fenders are significantly wider, too, which cover 265-mm wide tires up front, and Hellcat Widebody-rivaling 305-mm wide tires in the back. The added grip is supplemented by stiffer springs and retuned anti-roll bars and shocks. The front splitter and rear wing are adjustable, as is the ride height. Carbon ceramic brakes are also included with six-piston front calipers and single-piston rear calipers. All of these pieces should come together to make the XE SV Project 8 just as impressive in the corners as in a straight line. View 12 Photos The interior has undergone an overhaul, too. The standard model has seating for four, featuring front buckets with magnesium frames, and more sculpted rear seats. Carbon fiber and Alcantara can be everywhere throughout the cabin. All of the typical Jaguar comforts are still present, as well, including 4G Wi-Fi, climate control, LCD displays, and a 380-watt sound system. The dial shifter in the regular XE also gives way to an F-Type-style lever allowing for manual shifting via the lever instead of paddles if you so choose. There is an additional interior configuration for the XE SV Project 8 that won't be available in the US and Canada. Called the Track Pack, it completely removes the rear seats, and the front buckets are replaced with carbon fiber units. In place of the rear seats is a roll cage with harness points for fitting the included four-point harnesses. The pack also adds a fire extinguisher system along with a black roof and stripes. The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 will make its full public debut this week at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. Only 300 of the cars will be built, and all of them will be assembled at the Jaguar SVO facility.

Jaguar Land Rover remains bullish on diesels

Despite Volkswagen's recent diesel scandal, Jaguar Land Rover is pushing ahead with ambitious plans to roll out the technology across most of its lineup in the coming years. Jaguar and Land Rover will add diesel engine variants to every model in their lineups, except for the Jaguar F-Type sports car. Land Rover launched the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport with available 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 diesels, and together they have sold more than 330 units so far in September, their first month on sale in the United States. JLA officials say they've seen no fallout from VW's emissions problem and are adamant their diesels meet EPA standards. "That has been our strategy, and it is not changing," Joe Eberhardt, Jaguar Land Rover North America CEO, told the Automotive Press Association on Wednesday in Detroit. "You have to deal with the situations as they arrive. We are confident of diesel." Jaguar will get another diesel next year from its Ingenium engine family, which will initially be sold in the XE sedan and the F-Pace crossover. It's a turbo 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit and makes 180 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. A JLR spokesman said the Ingenium has not yet gone through the EPA certification process, and the diesel-powered models will arrive in the fall. Jaguar also plans to add diesel engines to the flagship XJ and XF sedans. Land Rovers, including the Discovery and Evoque, will also get diesel options, and the company estimates the technology will offer 20- to 30-percent improvements in fuel economy, depending on the vehicle. Eberhardt said it is "too soon to tell" if the diesel market will be weighed down by Volkswagen's situation. The German automaker admitted to cheating on emissions tests to make its diesel-powered cars appear to run cleaner than they actually do in real-world situations. The ensuing outrage forced longtime VW chief executive Martin Winterkorn to step down and prompted a reorganization of the company, which faces legal and regulatory action around the world. Still, Eberhardt maintains JLR is "very confident" in its diesels, which are part of its strategy to grow sales around the world. Land Rover has experienced rapid growth under the ownership of Indian conglomerate, Tata Motors, while Jaguar is set to revitalize its lineup with new entries like the XE and F-Pace to reach a broader market segment.

Jaguar F-Type Project 7 arrives Stateside for $135k*

There are a great many things we love about the Jaguar F-Type, but one of them is that, whatever price point you're looking at, there's an F-Type for you. (Well, not any price point... this is a Jag we're talking about, but pricing varies greatly.) Got $65k to spend? That'll get you into a base F-Type V6 coupe, and you'll likely be happy for it. Eighty grand will get you into an F-Type V6 S, $90k into a V8 S roadster, and a cool hundred grand will get you the top-of-the-line F-Type R coupe. But what if you want to spend more than that? What if you've got more like $165,000 in your pocket and it's burning a hole when it should be burning rubber?
Well we've got good news for you, friend, because that's exactly how much the exclusive F-Type Project 7 will set you back. Making its US debut during Monterey car week, Jaguar has announced that the most exclusive version of its two-seat sports car - revealed in production spec just recently at the Goodwood Festival of Speed - will cost $165k in the US (plus the standard $925 delivery charge). That's roughly the price of an F-Type R and a base F-Type V6.
For all that scratch, you get an open-top roadster with 575 horsepower on tap - more than any production road car Jaguar has ever made before, and that includes the XJ220 and ultra-rare XJR-15 supercars. The most potent version yet of Jaguar's ubiquitous and long-serving 5.0-liter supercharged V8 is enough to send Project 7 to 60 in 3.8 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 186 miles per hour.