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Jaguar tests autonomous vehicle technology with 100-car fleet

Jaguar Land Rover is exploring how to take autonomous vehicle technology off the paved path. But the company has plans for technology on tarmac, too. The company announced that the Jaguar division will have a fleet of 100 cars testing autonomous technologies on public roads. The testing process will cover a period of four years and begin with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems, along with a stereo camera system and autonomous vehicle software. These systems will work together to provide a variety of features that could make their way into future Jaguars and Land Rovers. The first feature in development is called "Roadwork Assist." The system relies on the stereo camera to create a 3D image the car's software can analyze. The software can identify road cones and other barriers associated with construction sites. The car will then alert the driver about entering the construction zone and provide some steering assistance to keep the car centered in its lane. Tony Harper, Jaguar's head of research, said that this system can reduce stress on the driver, and the technology could eventually be used to allow the car to pilot itself through construction zones. Another of Jaguar's proposed features is "Safe Pullaway," which also relies on cameras and software. The Safe Pullaway feature is designed to prevent close-proximity collisions in traffic jams and even in the garage. To do this, the car watches the area immediately ahead of it for obstacles. If the car detects something nearby while the driver adds throttle or shifts into gear, it will apply the brakes to prevent driving into the object. The final project on Jaguar's plate is its "Over the Horizon Warning" system. This will be one of the first features to rely on Jaguar's vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. The idea is that connected cars in constant communication will give drivers additional warning of upcoming hazards, such as out-of-sight animals and slowed or stopped cars. In Jaguar's example of a stopped car, the stationary vehicle would send a signal alerting approaching cars of the situation. In turn, the approaching vehicles would trigger audible and visual warnings to drivers about the hidden car. Jaguar says that the system could also be applied to emergency vehicles. Emergency vehicles would broadcast a signal to alert drivers well before the lights and sirens get their attention. This would give emergency vehicles a faster, safer path through traffic.

Jaguar-Land Rover rules out downsizing into new segments

Jaguar-Land Rover (JLR) will continue expanding its portfolio of models during the 2020s, but the group confirmed it won't chase volume by branching out into smaller segments like its German rivals. The two brands will instead seek partnerships to generate economies of scale. "We should not and will not drive down into segments just to get economies of scale," said Felix Brautigam, Jaguar-Land Rover's chief commercial officer, in an interview with Autocar. He added the second-generation Range Rover Evoque (pictured) released in 2018 is already a relatively small car. It stretches 172 inches from bumper to bumper and 75 inches from side to side, so it's approximately 4 inches longer and 5 inches wider than the eighth-generation Volkswagen Golf. It's about 8 inches taller than the German hatchback, however. While that's small by luxury car standards, Mercedes-Benz and BMW respectively went smaller with their Smart and Mini brands. Audi doesn't have an entry-level sub-brand, but it doesn't need to because it's part of the gigantic Volkswagen Group. Japanese luxury firms like Lexus and Infiniti are also part of bigger companies. Brautigam's comments bury numerous rumors. They confirm Jaguar won't take on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class, the Audi A3, and the BMW 1 Series with a model positioned below the XE, which competes against the C-Class, the A4, and the 3 Series, respectively. They also douse cold water on the born-again Freelander (which ultimately morphed into the LR2 in America), which Land Rover was allegedly developing to slot directly below the aforementioned Evoque. Ironically, JLR might soon have access to platforms capable of underpinning smaller vehicles. Parent company Tata Motors is actively looking for an outside company to link arms with the British brands, according to a separate report. Officials reportedly approached BMW -- which used to own Land Rover, and announced a joint-venture with the group in 2019 -- and Geely, the Chinese giant whose portfolio of brands includes Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Proton, London Taxi Company, Terrafugia, and half of Smart, plus a sizeable, nearly-10% stake in Mercedes-Benz parent company Daimler. Geely told Bloomberg it hasn't heard from Tata or JLR. BMW and Tata remained silent. While a partnership with someone looks likely considering the significant hurdles faced by JLR, its parent company has categorically ruled out selling the duo it purchased from Ford for $2.3 billion in 2008.

Jaguar Land Rover offers (some) detail about new Ingenium engine

Jaguar Land Rover officially announced its Ingenium family of engines with the unveiling of the 2.0-liter version in the Jaguar XE concept at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, but it kept details very thin at the time. All we knew was that the new turbocharged mills could be configured to use gasoline or diesel, and be positioned longitudinally or transversely. Months later, JLR is finally letting some more info slip about its new baby, but there are still some big questions to be answered.
For the Ingenium project, Jaguar Land Rover gave its engineers a clean sheet of paper and told them not to worry about using any previous parts or machinery. In the end, the designers came up with a family of turbocharged, aluminum-block engines based around modular, 500cc cylinders to allow it to grow or shrink as the market demanded. The layout was also made adaptable enough to incorporate hybrid drivetrains, if needed. "Being configurable and flexible are the two key strands of Ingenium's DNA because we have future-proofed our new engines from the outset," said said Ron Lee, the company's director of Powertrain Engineering.
To maximize efficiency, Jaguar promises that all versions of the Ingenium engines come with computer-controlled, variable oil pumps and water pumps to use only as much energy as needed. They also get direct injection, roller bearings for the cams and stop/start. The diesel version alone has 17 percent less internal friction than the mill it replaces, the company claims. JLR is also promising class-leading figures for Ingenium's torque and horsepower too, but it's not giving away those specs just yet.