Navigation. Heated And A/c Seats! White/black on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar F-Type greets US, shows off range of personalization

While the debut of the XFR-S is likely fresh on everyone's minds and browser windows, the other big story of late at Jaguar is the F-Type coupe and convertible. Originally unveiled in Paris, the LA show was the first opportunity that the sub-XK performance machine will be seen Stateside. However, it was not just the same news that we first heard in Paris, as Jaguar used LA to showcase its newly available "Black" design pack.
This styling package includes gloss black finishes for the grill surround, side vents, a flat-bottomed sport steering wheel, gloss black interior touches, and instrument panel rings. This package is available with Ultimate Black, Polaris White, Italian Racing Red, Rhodium Silver, Grey and Firesand (seen above) body colors.
The Black pack can be had on either the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 model, or the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 version. Specific additional "Black" tweaks are available based on which derivative you select. Specifically, a gloss-black rear valence is a V6-only modification.

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.

Jaguar XE SVR to challenge M3, C63 with supercharged V8 power

Jaguar has a healthy powertrain range lined up for its new XE, including an array of four-cylinder engines and a supercharged 3.0-liter six that will, for now, serve as the range-topping offering in the XE S. But Car and Driver claims to have it on good authority that an even more powerful eight-cylinder version is in the works, as well. According to C/D, the XE's engine bay has been designed to accommodate the company's ubiquitous 5.0-liter V8 engine, which in the larger XF is offered in several states of tune, including the XF Supercharged with 470 horsepower, the XFR with 510 hp and the flagship XFR-S with 550 hp. Just which version (or versions) would be offered in the XE remains to be seen, but even in its lowest-spec supercharged form, the 470-hp version would already be enough to challenge the 425-hp BMW M3 and the base 469-hp version of the new Mercedes-AMG C63. If Jaguar wants to take on the C63 S, however, it will need to shoehorn in one of the more powerful versions. In the end, Coventry's new Special Vehicle Operations division may opt to offer two versions, like it does with the XFR and XFR-S. Expect the top version, however much muscle it packs, to wear the British automaker's new SVR badge. It just may take a few years before it does so.