1990 Jaguar Xjs Base Coupe 2-door 5.3l on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar's electric XJ sedan spied playing (again) in the snow

UPDATE: A much better set of spy shots hit our inboxes this morning, so we've updated this story with the new photos. As you can see, we have a pretty complete set of photographs showing the new all-electric Jaguar XJ from pretty much every angle. The first set of spy photos can be seen further down below The original story continues: The image gallery above represents our best look yet of the soon-to-be-reborn Jaguar XJ. Unlike the sedan's first 50 or so years, this one is electric, which makes sense considering the original mission statement for Jag's flagship people hauler was to be an "eXperimental Jaguar." The automaker has already told us that the electrified XJ will ride atop the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform as "the world's first, full-electric luxury sports saloon," as they've apparently forgotten that Tesla and the Porsche Taycan already exist. Unfortunately, the shots we have to share with you today aren't great — the photographer suggests the driver of the big cat was quite adept at eluding his lens — but unlike the last time it's at least moving (quickly) under its own power and we can definitely make out a very slinky four-door shape. This is going to be a very large car, which makes sense considering it'll share its MLA guts with upcoming SUVs from corporate cousin Land Rover. Judging by the cutlines in the camouflage at the rear, it appears to be a five-door hatchback shell, a form it will share with the Tesla Model S. That same camo covers most of the lighting elements, so we're not sure how close they conform to the teaser you can see here. Jaguar has said that vehicles based on the MLA platform will get 90.2-kWh battery packs capable of up to 292 miles of range, though those estimates would be lower on U.S. testing cycles. The chassis has been built to accept internal combustion engines and hybrids, too, a necessary compromise if the next XJ is going to fully compete with Jaguar's German rivals. We can't say if this particular prototype is all electric or if there's an engine resting underhood, but the big covered grille opening suggests cooling won't be an issue either way. Related Video:

Jaguar Land Rover opening its first U.S.-based classic center in Georgia

Jaguar Land Rover Classic currently operates two of its Works Centres, one in Coventry, England and the other in Essen-Kettwig, Germany (pictured). Just in time for Pebble Beach, the English carmaker has announced that it will bring its first facility to the United States next year, having signed a deal to open the latest Works operation in Savannah, Georgia. To be located in the Crossroads Business Park near Gulfstream Aerospace, the facility will engage in the sales, service, and restoration of Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles out of production for at least ten years. The 150,000-square-foot Coventry site opened two years ago and is said to be the largest dedicated factory workshop of its kind (the largest unaffiliated shop is in the Philippines). Jaguar builds its continuation cars there, like the D-Type and XKSS, while Land Rover uses it to build the Defender Works V8. Shoppers can also buy vintage models off the showroom floor, a variation of the Certified Pre-Owned program called Works Legends, that come with a 12-month warranty. Or, Jaguar Land Rover will locate, restore, and maintain one of the classic company products that a buyer chooses. In the UK, a Land Rover Series 1 starts at around $90,000, a Jaguar E-Type starts at around $400,000. The 48,000 Essen-Kettwig center opened last year with the same brief, and the U.S. center can provide those services to the world's largest classic car market. Construction on the 75,000-square-foot complex is scheduled to begin next August, and the facility will include a 42-bay workshop and showroom. The automaker will invest from $10 to $15 million, and predicts more than $45 million in revenue. Savannah Economic Development Authority President and CEO Trip Tollison told The Savannah Morning News that JLR will hire 75 workers at a starting salary of $80,000. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Child cobalt miners: Automakers pledge ethical minerals sourcing for EVs

BERLIN - Leading carmakers including Volkswagen and Toyota pledged on Wednesday to uphold ethical and socially responsible standards in their purchases of minerals for an expected boom in electric vehicle production. Demand for minerals such as cobalt, graphite and lithium is forecast to soar in the coming years as governments crack down on vehicle pollution and carmakers step up their investments in electric models. To cover its plans for more than 80 new models by 2025, Volkswagen alone is looking for partners in China, Europe and North America to provide battery cells and related technology worth more than 50 billion euros ($59 billion). Talks with major cobalt producers, including Glencore, at VW's Wolfsburg headquarters last week ended without a deal. More than half of the world's cobalt comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country racked by political instability and legal opacity, and where child labor is used in mines. On Wednesday, a group of 10 leading passenger-car and truck manufacturers announced an initiative to jointly identify and address ethical, environmental, human and labor rights issues in raw materials sourcing. The partnership dubbed "Drive Sustainability" consists of VW, Toyota Motor Europe, Ford, Daimler, BMW, Honda, Jaguar Land Rover, Volvo Cars and truckmakers Scania and Volvo. The alliance "will assess the risks posed by the top raw materials (such as mica, cobalt, rubber and leather) in the automotive sector," said Stefan Crets of the CSR Europe business network. "This will allow Drive Sustainability to identify the most impactful activities to pursue" to address issues within the supply chain.Reporting by Andreas Cremer.Related Video: Image Credit: Michael Robinson Chavez/The Washington Post via Getty Images Green BMW Ford Honda Jaguar Land Rover Mercedes-Benz Automakers Toyota Volkswagen Volvo Green Automakers Green Culture Electric Scania ethics mining