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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

How Jaguar optimized the Ingenium gas engine for the F-Type

At the 2017 New York Auto Show, Jaguar showed off the new entry-level F-Type, packing a 2.0-liter, turbocharged, gasoline-fueled inline-four that produces 296 horsepower, which is built in-house in the UK. It's the debut of this branch of the Ingenium engine series, and it's also the top of the Ingenium gas range; most JLR vehicles will offer a less powerful 247-hp version. We caught up with Jaguar's engineers to figure out exactly how this high-output Ingenium engine differs, and what Jaguar had to do to fit it in the F-Type's engine bay. While all Ingenium 2.0-liter gas fours share major architecture – the aluminum block and heads, as well as the bore and stroke – there are some internal differences. The most important are the low-compression pistons, which allow for more boost without detonation. The new compression ratio is 9.5:1, compared to the 10.5:1 ratio in the 247-hp spec engines. To make the most out of more boost, you need new plumbing and a way to get more fuel into the combustion chamber. So Jaguar fitted a larger twin-scroll turbocharger that's unique to this application. It features low-friction ceramic ball bearings – Jaguar says this improves transient response. There are also new fuel injectors and a fuel pump to accommodate the increased demand for gas in the high-output engine. On the back end, there's a unique exhaust system with active flaps to give it a louder bark when called for. Of course, some new hardware and more boost means the various electronic systems that control the engine needed changes. For one, Jaguar's changed the cam timing and valve lift mapping, as well as the ignition timing. The throttle mapping and transmission calibration have also been optimized for the new engine. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. As far as the driver's concerned, the biggest change from the 247-hp engine to the 296-hp one – other than increased scoot – will be where the power peak is. The 296-hp engine makes peak power at a higher point in the rev range, which should reward drivers who generously prod the throttle and hold gears in manual mode. Remember, F-Types equipped with this engine will only be available with an automatic transmission. You should also remember that it's an excellent gearbox overall, with rapid, smooth shift characteristics, if the other 8-speed Jaguars are anything to go by.

2016 Jaguar XE pounces on the Parisian port

It's been about five years since Jaguar discontinued the misguided X-Type and exited the compact luxury sedan market, but today marks the British automaker's re-entry into the segment with the public debut of the all-new XE.
Pitted against the likes of the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class, the new Jaguar XE is based on an all-new aluminum architecture that will underpin many new felines to follow, and packs a new family of four-cylinder engines. That is, aside from the range-topping XE S pictured above, with the super-six borrowed from the F-Type.
Conservatively styled but elegant and uniquely Jaguar, the XE isn't set to arrive Stateside until 2016. So unless you're planning a trip overseas (with a stop at a Jaguar showroom on the itinerary), our gallery of live shots from the floor of the Paris Motor Show here at the Porte de Versailles may be the best look you'll be getting at Coventry's latest for the next couple of years.