1994 Land Rover Defender 110 Convertible - Restored on 2040-cars

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Jaguar Land Rover launches Pivotal subscription service

Two years ago, Jaguar Land Rover launched a subscription service in the UK dubbed Carpe. The program was effectively a 12-month lease with no deposit and no mileage limit, and an all-inclusive monthly payment covering insurance, tax, service, and repairs. For GBP910 ($1,134 U.S.) plus the cost of fuel every month, a subscriber could secure a Jaguar E-Pace at the bottom end, a payment of GBP2,200 ($2,741 U.S.) per month opening the doors to a Range Rover Sport. In between, the Range Rover Evoque cost GBP980, the Jaguar XE GBP1,200, the Range Rover Velar GBP1,255, and Land Rover Discovery GBP1,550. The numbers and customer feedback have encouraged JLR to turn Carpe into Pivotal, with new lease levels, terms, and restrictions. Instead of keeping a vehicle for 12 months, Pivotal subscribers pay GBP550 to join, then swap out every six months. Changing cars early incurs a GBP250 fee, or customers can request to stick with the vehicle they have beyond six months, but JLR reserves the right to switch out cars when necessary. Pivotal keeps tabs to the odometer, too — instead of unlimited driving, the program caps fee-free travel at 1,500 miles per month, 20 pence per mile after that. However, the FAQ section explains that "mileage is accumulative so do not worry if you do not use your full mileage allowance, the first month can be carried on into the next within a given vehicle."  Carpe's six levels have been reduced to four Pivotal tiers. Blue costs GBP750 ($934 U.S.) per month and offers access to the Jaguar F-Pace, Land Rover Discovery Sport, or Range Rover Evoque, clearly a much better deal than GBP910 for an E-Pace (and we like the E-Pace). Indigo runs GBP1,150 ($1,433 U.S.) for the choice of a Jaguar I-Pace, Range Rover Velar, or Land Rover Discovery. Violet, costing GBP1,350 ($1,682 U.S.), comes with just one vehicle for now, the Range Rover Sport. Same goes for Ultraviolet at GBP1,600 ($1,993 U.S.), which gets the Range Rover. The brand already has plans to expand the fleet with the new Defender, and plug-in hybrid versions of the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque The only noted repair item not covered is windshield replacement, which carries a GBP150 deductible. The splashy rework in England comes shortly after Mercedes-Benz shuttered its Collection service here in the U.S. On trial for two years in Nashville, Philadelphia, and Atlanta, Collection couldn't get the traction Mercedes wanted.

Jaguar Land Rover opens winter testing facility in Minnesota

As it begins the rollout of the all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ and XF models, Jaguar Land Rover has just announced that it has opened a new facility in northern Minnesota for winter testing. Located in International Falls, MN (on the US and Canadian border), the British automaker says it is one of the coldest locations in the Continental US. Jaguar's new Instinctive All Wheel Drive system was developed primarily to help sell more cars in the northern US, so it only makes sense to open a testing area in the US as well.
With temperatures that can drop to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit, International Falls was chosen to mimic some of the worst weather a Jaguar or Land Rover will ever see. The grounds house testing chambers, various road surfaces and even a frozen lake. This new facility complements the hot-weather testing grounds in Phoenix, AZ.
The official press release is posted below.

Jaguar Land Rover gets to work on new university R&D center

Jaguar Land Rover has a raft of new products in the pipeline, from the new Defender to the next-generation XF sedan. But new product isn't the only thing the British automaker is investing in: it's also opening new facilities around the world, including what it's calling the National Automotive Innovation Centre back home in the UK. Based at the University of Warwick, the new $220-million R&D center is the result of a joint effort between JLR, its parent company Tata, the manufacturing arm of the university and the British government. The facility will bring together professionals from the automaker as well as its suppliers with academics to encourage, as the name suggests, innovation in the automotive sector. Its 355,000 square feet are earmarked to become the hub for Jaguar Land Rover's advanced research activities, including "workshops, laboratories, virtual engineering suites and advanced powertrain facilities, equipped to enable a full range of design, visualisation and prototyping activities." The cornerstore was just laid in a ceremony this week, but the facility isn't due to open until the Spring of 2017 when it will encompass some 1,000 employees, including 600 relocated by JLR to the new location from other sites in the UK. Related Video: Construction Begins On New UK Automotive Innovation Centre For Jaguar Land Rover - GBP150 million National Automotive Innovation Centre (NAIC) will open in Spring 2017, providing a state-of-the-art technology hub for Jaguar Land Rover's advanced research team and collaborative partners from the supply chain and academia - To keep the UK and Jaguar Land Rover at the forefront of global innovation, the team will develop the vehicles and personal mobility solutions of the future - The NAIC will focus on inspiring the next generation of engineers - from schoolchildren to undergraduates.