Jaguar

Land Rover has won the Best Brand Design Language award at the 2017 Car Design Awards for its family of vehicles, recently joined by the new Range Rover Velar. The Jaguar I-PACE Concept electric performance SUV brought more success to Britain’s biggest car manufacturer, winning the Concept Car category award. The awards, held at the Turin Motor Show by Auto & Design magazine, celebrate brands and models that have contributed significantly to the evolution of automotive design. An international panel of journalists chooses winners in three categories: Concept Cars, Production Cars and Brand Design Language (new for 2017).

Note: We published an announcement of this A Life in Car Design – Jaguar, Lotus, TVR by Oliver Winterbottom last month, and now our friend John Clancy has contributed this review. In my opinion, the wedge era of the 1970s and 80s was the high point of automotive styling.  In particular, it was the sports cars from that period that really cut the mustard.  Among the British entries into the market, there was one man who was behind more sports car styles than anyone else, Oliver Winterbottom.  This is the autobiography of his career.  From his apprenticeship with William Lyons’ Jaguar in 1961, working for Colin Chapman at Lotus, TVR, General Motors and his period as a consultant in China, this book gives an insight into what it took to get his designs into production [or not] with an authority that can only be relayed […]

Jaguar Land Rover and ClimateCare today announce a partnership to bring clean solar technology to off-grid communities in Kenya. This innovative social impact program, called ’Lighting up Lives’ supports children like 14-year old Franklin Kishsta, a pupil at Kasooni School, Kalawa, Kenya. Franklin is just one of more than one million people living in isolated or off-grid communities who will benefit from the program. “I finish all of my homework now” said the boy who dreams of becoming an engineer one day, “before I could not do it at home when it was dark. I know my parents are much happier now, and so am I.” Using kerosene light creates hazardous indoor pollutants, one of the biggest causes of premature death in Africa. Jaguar Land Rover believes that renewable solar technology offers an affordable alternative. Education improves as children like […]

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported May 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 3,113 units, a 44 percent increase from 2,164 units in May 2016; Land Rover sales increased slightly to 4,993 units; Jaguar Land Rover May U.S. sales for both brands hit 8,106 units, a 14 percent increase from 7,114 units in May 2016. Year to date, Jaguar Land Rover is up 22 percent in the United States. We are very pleased to see the continued sales growth for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. The Jaguar brand continues its sales momentum driven by the strong performances of the XE and F-PACE and the Land Rover brand with the Range Rover Sport, Discovery Sport and the arrival of the new Discovery, which is in showrooms now. — Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, […]

JD Classics – one of the world’s leading classic car specialists – secured a race victory at Brands Hatch over the weekend, to continue its winning streak three events into the season. The team’s legendary Costin Lister was victorious in the Stirling Moss Trophy, with an XK120 supported by JD Classics finishing second-in-class in the Woodcote Trophy. The Costin first took to the track late on Saturday morning for its 30-minute qualifying session. The hard work of JD Classics’ Competition Department, both back at their Maldon HQ and trackside, shone through as Chris Ward drove the Lister to a blistering 1:43.065 time just five laps in. The time proved to unbeatable, with the nearest competitor – a Lotus 15 – still more than two seconds off the pace. 

Jaguar Land Rover North America has announced that LISNR and PILOT Automotive Labs (PILOT) are the latest start-ups to join its Portland Tech Incubator, which seeks to encourage, promote and support new automotive, mobility and connected car technologies that are being developed by start-ups. LISNR and PILOT bring new expertise to the Incubator team as their research will focus on transmission over audio and Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and connected car services.

Special plans to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the remarkable Jaguar XJ220 at this summer’s Silverstone Classic (28-30 July) have moved up a gear with confirmation that two of the key inspirational figures behind the sensational supercar, Jim Randle and Keith Helfet, will both be joining the silver jubilee festivities. As Engineering Director at Jaguar, Randle was the mastermind behind what is still the fastest, most exciting and most expensive road-going Jaguar ever created. Helfet was Jaguar’s senior sports car designer and the brains behind the XJ220’s stunning – and astonishingly ageless – styling.

Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) today announces the most powerful, agile and extreme performance Jaguar: the new XE SV Project 8. A prototype version of the 600PS Jaguar sports sedan offering supercar performance has now undertaken its debut test at the grueling Nürburgring Nordschleife, adorned with an exclusive camouflage created by SVO Design. 

The CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, Ralf Speth, has been awarded the top prize at the 2017 Autocar Awards, held in Silverstone’s iconic Wing building and headline sponsored by premium tire brand Vredestein. Speth was presented with the Issigonis Trophy, named after the creator of the legendary Mini, in recognition of his contribution to Jaguar Land Rover’s remarkable transformation following the sale of the brands to Tata Motors in 2008.

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc (JLR), the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer, today reported a strong fourth quarter to finish the fiscal year with solid results demonstrating encouraging demand for both new and established models in the period to March 31, 2017. Retail sales were a record 604,009 vehicles, up 16% on the previous year led by the 2017 World Car and World Car Design of the Year award-winning Jaguar F-PACE and continuing strong demand for the Land Rover Discovery Sport and other models in the Jaguar Land Rover portfolio. Retail sales were up year-on-year in China (32%), North America (24%), the UK (16%) and Europe (13%).

Panasonic Jaguar Racing made it a hat-trick of points-scoring races in the center of the French capital today. Drivers Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll finished in P9 and P15 respectively, scoring two championship points in the Qatar Airways Paris ePrix. These valuable points mean the British team leaps to P8 in the team standings at the halfway point of their debut season, with six FIA Formula E races remaining.

Returning for its second year, Simply Jaguar will see some of the most elegant and graceful classics ever built purr their way into Beaulieu on Sunday, July 9th. Open to all Jaguar models, regardless of their age, the rally will celebrate these graceful ‘big cats’ of the motoring world by gathering together an impressive line-up of Jaguar sports cars and sporting saloons. No matter if you own a daily-driven XF or S-Type, an XJ-S or Mk X used for high days and holidays, or a show-winning XK150 or E-type, then you can park up your pride and joy in the stately grounds of the National Motor Museum. Then admire the other Jaguars on display, chat with like-minded owners and enthusiasts, and enjoy a relaxing day out at one of the South’s leading visitor attractions.

Jaguar XK 120: The Remarkable History of JWK 651, second in the publisher’s “Exceptional Car” series, is one of those books that is hard to classify. On the one hand, authors Chas Paker and Philip Porter have done such an amazing job detailing the story of this one particular Jaguar that the book is definitely a history book. On the other hand, this is documentation – documentation of one car, its provenance, and its current state. On on a third hand (we all have three hands right?), this is an art book. The photographs rival any automotive coffee table book on the market today. Regardless, however you classify it, this book is a delight that you can sit and read or just flip through and marvel at the images. The Remarkable History of JWK 651 tells the story of one of the six […]

Sir William Lyons was the founder, director, chairman and guiding force of Jaguar. That seems like such a short and simple sentence to convey the importance of the man known as “Mister Jaguar”. For over 40 years Lyons led the car company through its many iterations and shaped both the cars and the culture through personal determination. For those many years, Lyons simply was Jaguar. He will be inducted into the British Sports Car Hall of Fame in just over two weeks.

Panasonic Jaguar Racing recorded their second consecutive points finish in today’s FIA Formula E Monaco ePrix. Mitch Evans and Adam Carroll survived a testing battle throughout the race to finish in P10 and P14, scoring another valuable championship point for the British team. Jaguar remains P9 in the team standings. Racing in the Mediterranean Principality, Mitch and Adam succeeded in bringing both cars home through an action-packed race, recording the team’s second consecutive top ten finish in only the fifth race since Jaguar returned to international racing. 

More than 1,200 Jaguars kicked off a summer of celebration in style on 6 May, as Windsor Castle opened its gates to some of the world’s rarest and most desirable models in Jaguar’s history for the Royal Windsor Jaguar Festival, in support of The Prince Philip Trust Fund. The Jaguar Classic-supported Festival was organized by the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club following an invitation from the Prince Philip Trust Fund. The event attracted an estimated 6500 visitors from across the world, with cars coming from Germany, Italy, Holland, France, Sweden, and Norway, as well as owners from the US and Canada.

Our video this week features a breed of car that just oozes the charm and style that exemplifies British Sports cars, the Jaguar XK120 and XK150. Along with the timeless E-Type, the XK line is still what flashes through many peoples mind when they think of a Jaguar. And who can blame them? The lines, the sound, the driving experience, are all pure art in motion. The video comes by way of the King Rose Archives.

Jaguar Land Rover has responded to today’s publication of the UK Government’s consultation on improving air quality. Jeremy Hicks, Jaguar Land Rover UK Managing Director, said: We welcome the consultation recognising the fundamental difference between older vehicles which contribute to air pollution and clean, new diesels which are part of the air quality solution. Our latest Eu6 diesel engines are among the cleanest in the world. Highly efficient diesel particulate filters now capture 99.9% of all particles, and we are making further emissions improvements with every new model year vehicle. Pollutant emission levels for new diesels are comparable to the equivalent petrol engines, but with CO2 emissions that are around 20% lower. Our customers demand greater fuel economy all the time, and new diesels deliver that. Customers can be reassured that Jaguar Land Rover is continuing to invest in cleaner […]