It wasn’t that long ago when Tata Motors raised a lot of eyebrows when it purchased Jaguar and Land Rover, two struggling brands that were in bad need of resuscitation. For a while, it seemed like the purchase was going to backfire on the folks from India. It certainly didn’t help when the two British brands reported losses in excess of $1 billion last year while Tata also dealing with losses of over half a billion by themselves.
But now, thanks in part to the strong showing of the Jaguar XF and XJ series and recent news that Land Rover is set to increase production due to forecasts of strong demand for its Discover and Range Rover Sport SUVs, it’s looking like Tata is beginning to show everyone precisely why they bought these two brands in the first place.
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Arden will come at the Oldtimer Grand Prix from 7 to9th August with a customized version of the new Jaguar XKR 5.0L. The car’s design is inspired by the Arden AJ20 Coupe and comes with 9x21’’ sportline alloy wheels, a redesigned chassis, which was developed in collaboration with Bilstein and improves the driving dynamics and agility of the wild cat.
The performance and handling at low speeds are improved thanks to a new performance stainless steel exhaust system rounded-off with the well known AJ20 Wild Cat Heck plus diffuser.
If the 510 hp are not enough for you, Arden adds an extra 30bhp and 50Nm, and also thanks to the new V-Max suspension and a speedometer, top speed is increased to 198 mph.
Now that the Indian automaker, Tata Motors is the new owner of the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, the manufacturer has announced that all future models will use light weight bodies made from aluminum in order to reduce not only their own costs, but it will also increase fuel efficiency because the engines will be pushing around less mass and as a result they will experience a reduced fuel consumption and lowered emissions in their vehicles. In an even more environmentally conscious step, both brands are also preparing a host of hybrid engines.
In a recent interview, Tata Motors Chairman, Ratan Tata said that "Jaguar and Land Rover is planning to have all its future cars constructed with light weight aluminum bodies resulting in considerable savings in weight, and reduction in CO2 emissions."
Just a short reminder, the 2010 Jaguar XJ is the first Jaguar model built on the one time English automaker’s aerospace-inspired aluminum structure technology. Aside from all of the green advantages that come with a light weight body, one very important aspect is that both straight line speed and a vehicle’s ability to go around a corner is greatly increased as well.
Classic sports cars can be tremendous fun to drive, but hell to own. To begin with storage, insurance and maintenance could bankrupt the average person and the old cars don’t drive as well as a modern day vehicle. The engines take a while to come up to operating temperature, the old leaf spring based suspension takes a beating every time you venture onto a less than perfect streets. The car’s just aren’t as reliable as a 21st century automobile, one Jaguar E-Type has statd that he has to leave his car idling in the parking lot when he goes in to get his morning coffee, if he shuts it off, because of the fumes in the carburetors there’s no telling as to when it may start back up again.
Well not every classic English sports car experience has to be that troublesome. The U.K. based craftsman at Eagle have created this modern day feline based on a 1966 Jaguar E-type. The car is the proof that classic cars can be cool, fast and worry free when the new E-Type made its world debut at the Salon Privé prestige motor show in London.
The Eagle E-Type features an aluminum bodyshell, stiffer suspension, upgraded brakes and modern low profile radial tires. Under the hood the car features a 4.7 Liter straight six engine that delivers 300 HP and 340 lb-ft of torque, a 50% power increase over the standard E-type engine from the 1960’s. Weighing in at only 1100 kg, the modern day E-Type will sprint from 0 to 60 MPH in less than 5 seconds and can hit a top speed of 175 MPH.
Jaguar and Land Rover may have turned over new leaves with the recent launch of the new XJ and the strong showing of the Range Rover SUV, but they still couldn’t escape the reality of seeing the staggering amount of money – to the tune of $1.1 billion - they lost in 2008.
It’s a mind-numbing number that can be attributed to the global financial crisis, which has battered the auto industry. In their defense, the two manufacturers aren’t alone in reporting losses from the previous year, but it must be a bitter ----to swallow for both automakers, especially when they reported a profit of $1.05 billion in 2007.
What goes around does indeed, come around.
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Jaguar has unveiled a new image gallery from the XJ’s presentation in London, where our favorite late night funny man Jay Leno played the role of Master of Ceremonies and only looked better standing next to the new XJ and super model Claudia Schiffer.
The 2010 XJ is the first Jaguar model to be built using Jaguar’s aerospace-inspired aluminum body technology. The vehicle will be available with a choice of new ultra-efficient Gen III classification petrol and diesel engines consisting of a 3.0 Liter diesel V6, a 5.0 Liter naturally aspirated V8 as well as the almighty 5.0 Liter supercharged 8 cylinder power plant.
Finally, Jaguar has a reason to smile.
On the heels of one of the most downtrodden time in the company’s history, the launch of the new 2010 Jaguar XJ has given the struggling brand new life, as evidenced by the spike in interest the new car has received since it was launched a week ago.
Jaguar’s not the type to be jumping for joy at the strong buzz created by the 2010 XJ, but considering that the company has been hit hard by the economic crisis, this turn of fortune has is about as good a news for the British carmakers as anything they’ve ever gotten recently.
Since the car was launched, a total of 55 orders for the car have been made, with some coming from the launch itself. That, of course, doesn’t count the number of inquiries Jaguar has received about their latest model from prospective buyers.
The car is scheduled to begin production sometime in September and Jaguar is expecting the first models to be out in showrooms by the turn of the calendar.
If the fanning interest in the car is any indication, then we can expect a Jaguar renaissance to come along any time soon with the 2010 XJ leading the way. For the folks of Jaguar, it couldn’t have come at a better time.
Just because a model is cancelled from an automaker’s lineup doesn’t mean that the vehicle was a complete failure. There are other factors that weigh in on whether or not an automaker will continue to carry extra models in their lineup, sometimes there is just not enough room to give the consumer extra options.
This was the case with the Jaguar X-Type; when the entry level four wheel drive Jaguar sedan was introduced almost 10 years ago, the new car was met with loads of praise from automotive enthusiasts around the world. However with the introduction of the new XF sport sedan and XJ luxury limousine, there just isn’t any more room for the lovable little X-Type. So starting in 2010, the now Indian owned automaker has decided to cease the vehicle’s production worldwide after more than 350,000 examples have found their way into the automotive marketplace.
David Smith, the Jaguar and Land Rover CEO said that "We have taken unprecedented actions to cut costs, including reduced production volumes, significant cuts to investment plans and some 2200 job losses. Ceasing production of the X-Type early, with further redundancies and temporary shutdowns at Halewood, is necessary to protect our other investment plans." So long, X-Type, but with a revitalization of the sporty E-Type on its way it looks like Jaguar will have their sports car category covered.
Jay Leno isn’t the only one lucky enough to get behind the wheel of the 510 HP Jaguar XF-R, thanks to our local Jaguar fleet service Top Speed has just received a brand new Indigo Blue version of the now Indian automaker’s high performance four door. The crown jewel of the XF-R is the new 5.0 Liter supercharged V8 that makes over 500 ground pounding horses and takes the XF from 0 to 60 MPH in as little as 4.7 seconds and can complete the standing quarter mile in just over 13.0 seconds.
The XF-R sets itself apart from lesser XF models thanks to Jaguar’s aero performance design that includes a new lower hanging front bumper with a larger mesh grille and functional cutouts in the hood to allow a little hot air to vent. The sides of the car sit lower to the ground thanks to a set of restyled side skirts and out back the XF-R receives a subtle trunk mounted spoiler to go along with the distinctive R badge. One of the nicest touches included by the Jaguar design team are the 20 inch Nevis alloy wheels that clearly spell out that this XF is something special.
On the inside our XF-R is a step up from the standard model. There is the same familiar wood grain, but this time the seats are much more bolstered and are covered in a combination of London Tan and Charcoal leather that makes a set of seats that are as nice to look at as they are to sit in. Jaguar has kept the familiar dial style gear selector, but we have a hard time imagining it in any other setting aside from Sport. If you have ever been inside of an XF you know just how plush and luxurious the cabin can be, the XF-R takes it a step further and adds in a little taste of sport.
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After the now Indian automaker, Jaguar, unveiled the latest version of their luxury limousine the XJ sedan, the classic English automaker has also announced plans for a two door coupe version based on the same vehicle, in other words, a return of the legendary two-door XJC that was built between 1975 and 1978.
Rumors suggest that the Jaguar design studio is already hard at work creating sketches of the future sports car and the proposed XJC is already looking nice. The future Jaguar coupe should be styled heavily based upon the looks of the current XJ luxury limousine, but that is just speculation. However, what we do know is that the next XJC will feature a full length glass roof, a set of 21 inch rims and the new XJ’s hi-tech cabin.
The 2010 XJ sedan is the first Jaguar car to be built atop the automaker’s all-new aerospace-inspired aluminum unit body technology. The four door version will soon be available with the owner’s choice of new ultra-efficient Gen III gas and diesel burning engines ranging from a 3.0 Liter diesel V6 to a naturally aspirated 5.0 Liter V8 and a supercharged version with the same displacement. No matter which power plant is chosen, the new XJ should carry the same power and handling performance that has made all previous XJ models the automotive icons that they are recognized as today.
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