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Jaguar's Callum: 'Huge' opportunities with electric vehicles

Eventually, some brave innovator, with an imagination light years ahead of the rest of us mere mortals, will envision an automotive future that the rest of us can't conceive. This person will step up and tell us how electric vehicles have the potential to change our lives for the better. They'll have the guts to tell us that if we could only open our eyes, we'd see that there's a way to get from one place to another that doesn't pollute the air we breathe. They'll explain that it won't just be globally responsible, it'll be magnificent. Yes, the electric car needs a champion, a figurehead, someone so inspirational that comic book superheroes are modeled after him. Finally, that champion has revealed himself. Saying out loud what the enlightened few of us know but dare not utter for fear of ridicule, our hero has spoken. "Electrification will kickstart the biggest change in automotive design in history," Ian Callum, design director at Jaguar told Autocar. That Jaguar sees the potential for electric vehicles is welcome progress. Sarcasm aside, that Jaguar sees the potential for electric vehicles is welcome progress. Even more appealing is that Callum approaches the potential of EVs from a design angle, where the slate is essentially blank, he feels, and so much is possible. "The opportunities an electric powertrain offers are huge," Callum says, "especially in terms of the space for occupants. By removing so much of the mechanical hardware and placing the batteries in the floor plan you open up all sorts of possibilities with packaging." To peer into Callum's mind when it comes to EV design would be extraordinary to behold. In many ways, his vision truly is something most of us cannot grasp completely, having spent a long career designing some of the most desirable cars of our time for some of the most prestigious automotive brands on the planet. So when he talks about the freedom EVs present from a design standpoint, it's not difficult to get excited. A Jaguar EV isn't as far-fetched as it might seem at first. Plus, a Jaguar EV isn't as far-fetched as it might seem at first, as Callum explains. "I'm clear in my mind that an electric Jaguar would be suitable for the brand," he says. "You have to move with the times and design for the opportunities. Look at the C-X75 concept – that was a car that was designed for an alternative powertrain, and nobody had any complaints about how that looked.

Highlights from the Goodwood Festival of Speed, including the McLaren P1 and a Ford Transit running the hill

The sole purpose of this post is as a time-waster, and since you shouldn't have to work to waste time, we've done it for you. In the numerous videos below you'll find cars that have lately been in the news tramping all over the grounds of Lord March's estate in Goodwood, England.
There's the McLaren P1 heading up the hill, the Jaguar Project 7, then a casually-driven Porsche 917 followed by an even-more-casually-driven Porsche 956, topped off by a Porsche 936 that is anything but casually driven. The next round is the flame-spitting Peugeot 405 T16 Pikes Peak from Climb Dance, a camera mounted on the Peugeot RCZ R after it showing you what the whole, uninterrupted run up the hill looks like. For a real head-turner, we couldn't embed it but there's Andy Reid blasting up the hill in a Ford Transit Supervan with a Cosworth 3000 V6 engine.
The modern racing contingent has Allan McNish doing the hill in the Audi R18 e-tron quattro he used to win Le Mans and Lewis Hamilton making lots of tire smoke in the Mercedes-AMG Petronas MGP-W02. For comparison, that's followed by Nick Heidfeld's record-setting run up the hill in 1999 in the McLaren MP4/14 . The classic racing contingent is headlined by 71-year-old Giacomo Agostini on an MV Agusta.

Jaguar takes evolutionary approach for 2016 XF [w/videos]

One week ahead of its debut at the 2015 New York Auto Show, Jaguar has let loose a slew of images and details on the second-generation 2016 XF Sedan. The release comes alongside a high-profile stunt over London's Canary Wharf. A total of 75 percent of the XF's body is made from aluminum, which trims the big cat's curb weight by 132 pounds on the rear-drive model and 265 pounds on the all-wheel-drive variant. Aside from aiding acceleration, braking and fuel economy, the advanced structure promises an increase in torsional stiffness as well as a 50-50 weight distribution. Beyond that, the new car's dimensions differ only slightly compared to last year's XF. The wheelbase has been stretched by two inches, although the new model is 0.3-inches shorter and 0.1 inches lower. Double wishbones are used in front while an integral-link suspension sits in back with standard traditional dampers and optional adaptive dampers. Jaguar is also promising the Configurable Dynamics system that was pioneered on the F-Type. No surprise here, but an electric power-assisted tiller will be in use, although Jag says it benefits from lessons learned with the XE. Jaguar is mum on its full powertrain lineup, although it does mention that both 340-horsepower and 380-hp versions of Jaguar Land Rover's familiar 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 will be offered, paired with standard eight-speed automatic transmissions (likely the highly regarded ZF autobox). Jaguar's designers, led by design director Ian Callum, didn't rock the boat too much for the new sedan. Clearly inspired by the upcoming XE, the new XF gets a wider, but thinner grille. The headlights are slimmer, but retain a similar shape compared to last year's car, and as is the trend, they're now lined with LED accenting. The S trim, shown above, gets wide, menacing grilles in the front bumper as well as a total lack of chrome trim. The XE influence is most evident on the XF's tail, where the Aston Martin-aping taillights of the first-gen have been ditched, with broader, angled units, complete with an F-Type-inspired LED pattern. As with the current car, a thin chrome strip ties the lights together, while the lower bumper on this sportier model features a gloss black surround for the dual exhausts. Not surprisingly, the XF's profile is pretty classic, with a very long hood and a short deck that terminates in a handsome duckbill spoiler.