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Jaguar's futuristic 'Sayer' steering wheel might make your morning coffee

In the not-too-distant future, it would be the only part of the car you'd actually own. If it were the subject of a surrealist painting from 1929, it might feature the tagline, "Ceci n'est pas un volant," the French word for steering wheel. Jaguar calls it Sayer and says it's the steering wheel of the future — the first voice-activated, artificial intelligence steering wheel that will be able to carry out hundreds of tasks and follow you from car to car. "Imagine a future of autonomous, connected and electric cars where you don't own a single car, but instead call upon the vehicle of your choice where and when you need it," the company says. "That's a future vision Jaguar Land Rover is exploring with Sayer, the connected steering wheel that could be the only part of the car you own." Automakers focused on developing autonomous vehicles have proposed doing away with pedals and steering wheels, but this is the first we've heard of that envisions the steering wheel, such as it is, as your veritable car keys in a self-driving, car-sharing world. Jaguar says it could order up a ride to get you where you need to go on time, and it could even advise you when you might enjoy driving part of the journey yourself. No word on whether it can sync with a toaster for breakfast, however. The concept device is named after Malcolm Sayer, a Jaguar designer from 1951 to 1970 who's responsible for the E-Type and D-Type racer, which won the Le Mans 24-hour race three times in a row in the 1950s. It will feature on a Jaguar concept called Future-Type in 2040. In the meantime, it will be unveiled at Tech Fest at Central St. Martins, University of the Arts London on Thursday, Sept. 7, as part of the automaker's "Technology with Heart" presentation. The festival is free to the public Sept. 8-10. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Image Credit: Jaguar Green Weird Car News Jaguar Technology Emerging Technologies artificial intelligence steering wheel voice command

Jaguar details XE for North America

Jaguar is bringing the XE to North America next spring, and in advance of its arrival, the British automaker is giving us more details on its new compact sports sedan. The top engine choice is dubbed the XE 35t, which is a little misleading since its tried-and-tested 3.0-liter V6 is actually supercharged, not turbocharged. Regardless of the manner of forced induction, its 340 horsepower and 332 pound-feet of torque are claimed to propel the XE to 60 miles per hour in 4.9 seconds on its way to an electronically limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. Buyers looking for something more frugal at the pump may be more interested in the other engine option. The XE 20d adopts Jaguar's new Ingenium diesel, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four good for 180 hp and 318 lb-ft of torque. That's quoted for a 0-60 time of 7.4 seconds and a top speed of 140 mph. Both are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. All-wheel drive will also be available on both versions, but come by default in rear-drive form. Buyers will also have the choice among three trim levels, staring with Premium, moving up to Prestige and on to R-Sport with satin chrome and gloss black trim, a rear spoiler and 20-inch alloys. Pricing is set to be announced closer to launch, but for now you can scope out the details in the press release below, and watch this space for our upcoming drive report to follow our earlier report. JAGUAR XE ALL-NEW COMPACT SPORTS SEDAN TO EXPAND JAGUAR U.S. LINEUP IN 2016 - All-new Jaguar XE sports sedan to arrive in U.S.

NHTSA is investigating FCA shifters for roll-away accidents again, this time the rotary units

It seems FCA's shifter troubles aren't over yet. Now, just a few months after issuing a recall to resolve user-related issues with its monostable shifters, the company is again under investigation by NHTSA. The issue is related to the potential for cars to roll away when the rotary-style shifter is not properly placed in park. Two FCA models are the subject of this investigation: the 2013–2016 Ram 1500 and the 2014–2016 Dodge Durango. NHTSA estimates about 1,000,000 vehicles would be affected if a recall is issued. The investigation was started following 43 complaints of vehicles rolling away while supposedly being in "park." Among the complaints were reports of 25 crashes and 9 injuries. NHTSA does point out that in every incident, the parking brake was not engaged. A representative from FCA also gave us an official statement regarding the investigation: "FCA US is cooperating fully with NHTSA's investigation, the scope of which is limited. Other vehicles equipped with rotary shifters are not included. In accordance with prudent practice, the Company joins NHTSA in urging all drivers to use their vehicles' parking brakes." View 35 Photos As mentioned above, other Chrysler products with rotary shifters, such as the Pacifica minivan and 200 sedan, are not involved in this investigation. One of the key differences, as the representative told us, is that these vehicles have electronic parking brakes that automatically engage if the driver does not select park and then opens the door with the seatbelt unbuckled. The Ram 1500 and Durango feature mechanical, manually operated parking brakes and therefore cannot activate the brake automatically. Because this is currently an investigation, an exact cause for the incidents has yet to be determined, and none of the vehicles have been recalled. It's possible there could be a mechanical defect. However, the issue could be a confusing interface causing user error, as was the case with FCA's monostable shifters, where drivers think they've put the car in park but actually haven't. Something that indicates it could be a case of confused users is that NHTSA also opened an investigation into 2012–2014 Jaguar XF and Land Rover Range Rover Evoques for similar issues. Both vehicles use a rotary shifter and have had roll-away complaints levied as well. Even if it is a case of user error, FCA and Jaguar Land Rover may still have to recall their vehicles.