1995 Jaguar Xjs Convertible on 2040-cars

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Environmental group accuses BMW, JLR of link to deforestation in Paraguay

ASUNCION, Paraguay — Environmental group Earthsight said on Wednesday it has linked some of Europe's largest carmakers to the deforestation of the Chaco, a dry forest region of Paraguay home to jaguars and one of the last uncontacted indigenous groups in the world. The group said in a report that livestock companies have illegally logged lands of the Ayoreo Totobiegosode indigenous ethnic group, some of whose members live in voluntary isolation. The livestock skin is used in leather upholstery of luxury vehicles sold by high-end European auto brands including BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover, the group said. UK-based Earthsight said it had made covert visits to tanneries that bragged about supplying the raw material to the luxury car brands. "BMW is using hides sourced from two slaughterhouses processing cows from ranches responsible for illegal [logging] in the Ayoreo Totobiegosode's forests. Jaguar Land Rover didn't dispute sourcing from a Paraguayan tannery that processes hides from another slaughterhouse doing the same," the report said. Jaguar Land Rover said in a statement to Reuters it had found no evidence to verify Earthsight's claims. It said its European suppliers assured sustainability. "We continue  our drive for further transparency and, in this case, the leather supplier in Europe verifies with each raw material supplier that no rural property that directly supplies it is involved in illegal deforestation," the automaker said. BMW did not respond to a request for comment on the Earthsight investigation. Paraguay exports about 50,000 tons of wet-blue leather (tanned, but not dried, dyed or finished) a year, and almost two-thirds of those shipments are bound for Europe, according to the report. Automakers say that leather is a byproduct of the far larger meat industry and high-end cars constitute a comparatively small market niche. But indigenous leaders say deforestation driven by growth in beef and leather exports is encroaching on their territory and destroying their way of life. "As deforestation advances with extensive cattle ranching, they are being imprisoned, they are disappearing," Taguide Picanerai, a spokesman for the Ayoreo community in the Alto Paraguay department, northwest of Asuncion, told Reuters. The region is home to some of the world's highest rates of deforestation, Earthsight said.   Green BMW Jaguar Land Rover

2014 Jaguar F-Type, Project 7 Concept snarl in Jay Leno's Garage

Jay Leno gets to drive a lot of nice cars, and the Jaguar F-Type V8 S he pilots in the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage is no exception. Eric Johnson, vice president of Jaguar Western Region brought the car to Leno's garage, which impresses the comedian with its 5.0-liter V8 that makes 495 horsepower, 460 pound-feet of torque and a muscle car-like roar.
But there's a surprise this episode: Leno secured a drive in the Project 7 Concept at Pebble Beach this year, and the experience was caught on video. Based on the F-Type, the Project 7 is a functional concept car that nods to Jaguar's seven wins at Le Mans and features bespoke styling cues, a special exhaust system and, perhaps most importantly, 50 more horsepower from the supercharged V8.
Watch the latest episode of Jay Leno's Garage in the video below. You'll need a little over 23 minutes to see the whole thing.

Is the Jaguar XFR-S really worth $17k more than the XFR? [w/poll]

Adding performance to a car is rarely cheap - whether you're looking to do it yourself or rely on the factory to do it for you. In the case of the new Jaguar XFR-S, the cost differential over an already-impressive (and somewhat expensive) XFR is a stout $16,800. Auto Express recently got a hold of both cars to see whether that price pays off on the track.
For that price, Jaguar gives the XFR-S an extra 40 horsepower and 41 pound-feet of torque - for a total of 550 hp and 502 lb-ft - to go with a stiffer suspension, beefed-up differential and, of course, meaner styling. We don't want to ruin the results of the AE video, but right off the bat, the host says that you can feel the extra power of the XFR-S, but that it's not a "night-and-day difference."
Scroll down to see what happens when two high-powered Jags go head-to-head on a track. And then be sure to let us know whether or not you think the added money is worth it for the XFR-S in the completely informal poll below.