2012 Jaguar Xf on 2040-cars

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Jaguar recalling XK Convertible and XF 2.0T sedan for unrelated issues

Jaguar has announced that it will be recalling 1,989 XK Convertibles produced between October 1, 2010 and August 1, 2013. Model years ranging from 2011 to 2014 are part of the recall.
The issue has to do with one of the switches the switch that controls the opening and closing of the convertible top. The switch also has to do with the operation of the power windows. According to the Feds, the switch doesn't move down to close the power windows, meaning that the window could accidentally close on the finger or arm of an inattentive person.
In related news, Jaguar is also recalling 940 2013 XF sedans powered by the 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine for a hose that can detach underhood, which could cause the engine to stall or could leave the driver without power steering or brakes.

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

542-HP Jaguar XJR to debut at New York Auto Show

Jaguar has just announced that a higher-than-ever performance version of its XJ flagship will be coming to this year's New York Auto Show next week. Joining the company's R lineup is this XJR, which will boast a stonking 542 horsepower from its supercharged 5.0-liter V8 engine.
Though details about the new XJ are pretty slim - you can read Jag's teaser of a press release - we are told that the car will ride on a "bespoke chassis" and that some aerodynamics work has been done, as well. The one sultry image we have of the car shows a set of trim-specific wheels, lower sills and unique badging on the front grille.
The new XJR would seem to slot above the current top-dog XJ, the XJ Supersport. With a bump up of 32 hp versus the Supersport, performance should get a meaningful shot in the arm, as well. As for pricing, we'll have to wait for the NYC show to be sure. But other Jaguar models show an increase of between 15- and 20-percent between the R model and the next one down; that would indicate a price tag in the $130k range for a standard wheelbase XJR is in order.