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Jaguar XJ could move to all-electric platform late this year

The Jaguar XJ is getting a little long in the tooth. The current generation of Jaguar's flagship sedan debuted back in 2009, making it one of the oldest vehicles still on the market. This week, Autocar reported that a new XJ could debut late this year and would move to an all-electric platform. That would place the XJ straight against cars like the Tesla Model S and upcoming Porsche Mission E, presumably sharing parts with the upcoming I-Pace electric crossover. While a couple of refreshes have kept the Jaguar competitive, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class and BMW 7 Series and Audi A8 have gone through full redesigns since the XJ debuted. (Two for the Audi). Compared to the Germans, the Jaguar looks and feels dated, especially when it comes to technology, active safety and alternative powertrains. In the U.S., the XJ is only available with either a supercharged gasoline V6 or V8. The competition from Germany, Japan and the U.S. all offer some form of electrification. Moving to an all-electric powertrain would be a huge shift for Jaguar and is sure to spark some debate among enthusiasts. The British automaker has previously stated it plans to electrify all new vehicles after 2020. Look for electrified variants of current models to be available, too. The new XJ is rumored to be co-developed with a new model called the Road Rover, a sort of high-riding sedan or wagon in the vein of the Audi allroad or Volvo V90 Cross Country. Like the XJ, the Road Rover would use a battery electric powertrain. Look for more news on both models later this year. Related Video:

Lister LFT-C brings 666 horsepower to the Jaguar F-Type

Lister just announced a limited run of its LFT-C Jaguar F-Type conversion cars. It made 99 of the coupes in this spec, but now there will be 10 convertibles available for purchase worldwide. The LFT-C name further confuses Lister's naming for this car, which was initially known as the Thunder, then morphed into the LFT-666, and now these new convertibles are called LFT-C. We would've just stuck with Thunder all along and called this one a Thunder convertible. It makes the same 666 horsepower as the Lister F-Types before it, but that's still substantially more than the 575 horsepower out of the F-Type SVR. Lister does a lot of its own work to the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 to eke out the extra horsepower on top of what Jag is able to do with its performance division at the factory. The nice part of this aftermarket work is that it still comes with a seven-year warranty from Lister, so it's similar to a new car powertrain warranty. This should give you some peace of mind when dashing to 62 mph in just over three seconds. Related: Lister Knobbly roadster gets green light for production There's more than just engine work done to the LFT-C, though. Lister has designed its own suspension, exhaust, braking system and wheels to bring the rest of the car up to snuff. Carbon fiber body panels replace everything from Jaguar where possible. Other Lister design touches on the exterior include a new front bumper, front splitter, rear diffuser, rear spoiler, rear wheel arches, a new grille design and lightweight alloy wheels fitted with Michelin tires. Lister is differentiating this 10-car run by adding in a unique interior, but customers can request anything they desire on the customization front. With so few cars available, it's unlikely to see one on this side of the world after being manufactured in the U.K. That said, we asked Lister, and they said you can buy one here. Base price for the LFT-C is a cool $182,995, and that's only where it starts. We're sure customization options will allow it to skyrocket from there. The price for a base F-Type SVR Convertible is $127,725, so you're looking at a hefty premium over the donor car for what Lister has to offer. The LFT-C is available to order now.

Never-was Jaguar C-X75 hybrid supercar driven by Autocar

There's lucky, and then there's "I got to drive the Jaguar C-X75." The crew from Autocar is among the handful of souls who can honestly make the latter statement. Jaguar invited the publication down for a little time in both the passenger and driver seats around the automaker's proving grounds. While there's no end to the jealousy oozing from our pores, the good news is that there were a few cameras on hand to capture the experience. As you may recollect, the C-X75 Concept was a unique hybrid supercar concept built to duke it out with the likes of the Ferrari LaFerrari, Porsche 918 and the McLaren P1. The British automaker put it on track for production, but unfortunately stopped the project about six months ago.
With a twincharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine capable of revving to 10,000 rpm, the C-X75 concept yields 502 horsepower and gets partnered with four electric motors - one at each wheels. A 19kWh lithium-ion battery pack serves up 300kW of power, and combined, the motors and battery are capable of yielding an additional 194 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. Combined, the driveline is good for more than 850 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque. Said another way, the C-X75 will do the 0-60 miles per hour dance in under three seconds.
And Autocar got to drive it. You can watch the video for yourself by scrolling below.