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Jaguar spotted testing hardcore F-Type SVR

Jaguar keeps churning out more and more potent versions of the F-Type. And if these latest spy shots are anything to go by, it's got an even more powerful version in the works. Spotted undergoing testing near the Nurburgring is what appears to be a more hardcore variant of Coventry's shapely sports car. Beneath the usual swirly camouflage we can make out a reshaped front end with a deeper splitter and bigger air vents, along with a giant rear wing affixed to the tail atop an enlarged diffuser and quad exhaust tips. The wheels look like they're mounted to a lowered suspension and pack bigger carbon-ceramic brakes as well. Following the Range Rover Sport SVR, Jaguar is likely to label the new F-Type performance flagship as an SVR as well. Jaguar spokesman Richard Agnew confirmed to Autoblog that the R-S badge that previously adorned the most potent Jags is being phased out. That leaves the SVR badge as the most likely to appear on the back of this beast once it reaches production, although that much has yet to be confirmed: "As we stated when Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations was formed," says Agnew, "it is our intention to create a high-performance Jaguar SVR and we are currently evaluating what product to launch first." Nameplates aside, we're more interested in what this amped-up F-Type is packing underneath. We'll likely be looking at an even further enhanced version of the company's signature 5.0-liter supercharged V8 pumping out a good 600 horsepower, which would eclipse both the 550 hp in the F-Type R and the 575 in the Project 7 speedster – potentially driving all four wheels. We'll just have to sit tight to find out, but in the meantime you can scope out the spy shots in the gallery above for a closer look at what Jaguar's Special Vehicle Operations division has got in the cooker. Related Video:

Jaguar envisions future without V8 engines

With tighter emissions and fuel economy regulations looming, Jaguar may have to do more than make a small, fuel-efficient hatchback to lower its model range's consumption figures - it also might give up its venerable V8 power, Drive reports. But not anytime soon, says Steven de Ploey, Jaguar's product and marketing director, who recognizes that the V8 can be replaced only by something that offers the same, or better, performance. But he has a word of caution: "We are not wedded to V8s."
In the meantime, de Ploey says there are other ways to reduce emissions. One of the first steps Jaguar could take is to shift away from the use of superchargers, which aren't as good as turbochargers at maintaining efficiency and making power. But he adds that supercharging still is "at the heart of Jaguar's performance proposition," and that the company has addressed the current downsizing trend by "replacing our naturally aspirated V8 with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6."
Consider one of de Ploey's comments on the cancelled C-X75 supercar (pictured) for some clue about Jaguar's future: "Some of the stuff we have already exploited to the extreme in the C-X75 is the kind of thinking for us and is an essential test bed to see how we could evolve from today to something that is sustainable in the future."

Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.