Jaguar

One year after its first showing at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Jaguar I-PACE Concept returned to the city as a production prototype for its final range and durability tests ahead of its global reveal and start of sale in 2018. Thousands of potential customers around the world have pressed the ‘I want one’ button on the Jaguar site to register their interest for the hotly anticipated electric SUV. Not only will these customers be at the front of the queue when order books officially open globally in March, but a lucky few have been chosen to accompany Jaguar’s engineers as prototype vehicles complete final validation tests.

Jaguar’s SVO-developed XE SV Project 8 is now the world’s fastest four-door car, following a production-intent prototype’s record lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The incredible time of 7min 21.23sec is nearly 11 seconds quicker than the previous fastest sedan around the legendary 12.9-mile German circuit and puts the 600PS Project 8 ahead of some of the world’s fastest two-door coupés and supercars.

Jaguar Racing announced the first Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race team for its new global electric racing series. Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing, led by Team Principal Bobby Rahal – three-time IndyCar Champion and Indianapolis 500 winner – will join the grid in the world’s first production-based electric vehicle race series, starting in December 2018. The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY is a support series to the FIA Formula E Championship and the first to be based on a street-legal production battery electric vehicle. Races will take place the same weekend, and on the same city street circuits, throughout the 2018-19 season. The series, which will exclusively feature 20 Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY race cars, offers teams the chance to showcase driving talent and electric performance while competing on the world stage in zero-emissions motorsport.

Panasonic Jaguar Racing are heading to Hong Kong for the start of their second season in the FIA Formula E Championship. The season opener takes place on 2 – 3 December in Asia’s first ever double-header race weekend and will be the first-time drivers Nelson Piquet Jr. and Mitch Evans line up on the grid together in the new British team. At the Hong Kong E-Prix drivers will complete 45 laps of the 1.86km street race circuit in the new Jaguar I-TYPE 2 on city’s iconic Harbor front. With ten turns and two hairpin bends, Panasonic Jaguar Racing are ready to electrify the city’s streets.

As an update to our story last week on the sale of Jaguar parts retailer XK’s Unlimited to Moss Motors, we would like to announce and make clear that Jason Len, proprietor of XKs Unlimited, has only sold the parts department. Jason’s has retained the restoration department which is now known as XKs Motorsport. Jason and XKs have been in business for 45 years offering classic Jaguar and British car restoration and expertise. To quote Jason: XKs Motorsport is dedicated to quality repairs and restorations on all classic British and European cars. We have restored an amazing variety of cars for collectors all over the world. We have also been racing these cars for over 45 years. Unlike other so-called restoration shops, we do most all aspects of the restoration in-house. We have our own machine shop, engine building room, […]

Jaguar Land Rover’s top technicians from around the world gathered at the company’s Learning Academy last week putting their skills to the test in the annual Global Technician of The Year event, and Jan Olivier landed on top. The best of the best from retailers in 27 countries were put through a grueling three-day challenge to see who could demonstrate the best technical knowledge, skill and customer service.

Jaguar Land Rover was today honored to welcome The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to its Solihull manufacturing plant. The Royal visitors witnessed first-hand the £2.5bn invested in the site which has seen production and employment more than double since 2008.

Jaguar Land Rover is taking part in the UK’s first road tests for autonomous and connected vehicles. Real-world testing takes Jaguar Land Rover another step closer to bringing an intelligent vehicle to reality. As part of the £20m UK Autodrive project, Jaguar Land Rover is testing a range of research technologies that will allow cars to talk to each other as well as roadside infrastructure, such as traffic lights on the roads of Coventry. The trials will explore how future connected and autonomous vehicles can replicate human behavior and reactions when driving.

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled the Jaguar XE Long-wheelbase (XEL), the second Jaguar vehicle to be manufactured in China, at the Guangzhou Auto Show. As part of its RMB 10.9 billion joint venture with Chery Automobile Ltd, the Jaguar XEL will be manufactured at the state-of-the-art Changshu factory. Developed solely for the Chinese market the Jaguar is the fourth vehicle to be built at the company’s joint venture, in less than three years.

Jaguar Land Rover Classic enjoyed a double victory at the 2017 Octane Awards, held in London this week. The ‘Legends Continued’ Jaguar XKSS continuation was crowned 2017 Car of the Year and Jaguar Land Rover Classic also received the Manufacturer Heritage Collection of the Year accolade. Dubbed the ‘original supercar’, the XKSS was introduced by Jaguar in 1957 as a road-going conversion of the Le Mans-winning D-type racing car. Nine original XKSSs were earmarked for export to North America in 1957 but were sadly lost in a fire at Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory in Coventry that same year; meaning only 16 of the planned 25 examples were completed – until this year when Jaguar Classic set about completing the missing nine cars.

A 1952 Jaguar C-Type, chassis no. XKC 007, that was once raced by Phil Hill is set to be auctioned by RM Sotheby at their December 6 auction in Manhatten. Combining robust engineering with beautiful aerodynamic coachwork, three factory C-Types debuted at Le Mans in 1951, with one of the cars becoming the first British car to win the race in nearly two decades. Jaguar reprised the win with a second Le Mans victory two years later, and in the meantime, approximately 43 customer cars were built, with XKC 007 being the seventh. Believed to be the very first C-Type to reach the U.S., XKC 007 was delivered new to Charles Hornburg’s West Coast distributorship and was retained for competition and promotional purposes, most notably in the hands of the legendary Phil Hill.

Moss Motors, Ltd. has announced the acquisition of well-known Jaguar parts specialists, XKs Unlimited of San Luis Obispo, CA. XKs Unlimited specializes in parts for a wide range of Jaguars including the iconic and desirable Jaguar XKs and E-Types. Serving the Jaguar enthusiasts since 1973, XKs Unlimited has always prided itself on its selection of parts, great customer service and dedication to the Jaguar community. This legacy of commitment to supplying Jaguar owners with the parts they need to restore and maintain their classic cats will now continue with the support and guidance of Moss Motor’s nearly 70 years of experience in the British car parts and restoration business.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced the appointment of Felix Bräutigam as Chief Marketing Officer and member of the Board of Management. Mr Bräutigam joins the business immediately but takes full responsibility on 1 January 2018, and reports directly to Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer. Mr Bräutigam replaces Gerd Mäuser, who is retiring from the business at the end of the year but will continue as Chairman of Jaguar Racing to lead next season’s Formula E campaign.

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc reported a global 38% increase in second-quarter pre-tax profits to £385 million in the three months to September 30, 2017. Revenues were up 11.5% to £6.3 billion with an increase in margin (EBIT) of 1% to 5.2%. Higher sales and profits reflect the continuing ramp-up of new models such as the Range Rover Velar, Land Rover Discovery, Jaguar XF Sportbrake, Jaguar F-PACE and, in China, the Jaguar XFL. Retail sales grew 5.1% to 149,690, with increases in China (27.4%) and the US (5.1%) offsetting lower sales in the UK and Europe.

Globally as a whole, Jaguar Land Rover sold 46,418 vehicles in October, up 0.2% year on year. Solid sales of all models, including the new Range Rover Velar and the Jaguar F-PACE, continue to bring new customers to the brand each month. China continues to perform well with sales up 12%, while overseas markets were up 16% compared to the same period in 2016. But difficult market conditions have led to retail sales being down 18% in the UK, and 3% down in Europe and the US.

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a 35-foot high Jaguar F-TYPE emblazoned with a bespoke poppy design to mark Remembrance Sunday in partnership with forces’ motorsport charity Mission Motorsport and the Royal British Legion. The F-TYPE, clearly visible to motorists on the M6 motorway, fittingly faces the Sentinel sculpture which depicts the Spitfires Castle Bromwich was famous for building during World War Two between 1938 and 1945.

David Townsend of Sports Car Art has announced a new collection of prints featuring the evolution of different models of classic British sports cars. These works are available either as prints for framing or as backlit or unlit box displays. Currently available titles include:    • Triumph TR3 • Triumph TR4-TR6 • Jaguar XK • Jaguar E-Type • MGA • MGB • Austin-Healey 100 • MG T-Type 

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC has reported October 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 2,891 units, a 10 percent decrease from 3,219 units in October 2016; Land Rover sales decreased 1 percent to 5,477 units from 5,532 in October 2016; Jaguar Land Rover October U.S. sales for both brands hit 8,368 units, a 4 percent decrease from 8,751 units in October 2016. Year to date, Jaguar Land Rover is up 11% percent in the United States, building on 2016’s record year sales pace. October proved to be a challenging month for U.S. sales resulting in Jaguar Land Rover coming down slightly from our record pace in 2016. We continue to be very encouraged by growing sales for the year and in particular growth of our newest SUV models, the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Velar which are bringing new customers […]