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Jaguar testing facelifted XJ in UK

Europe's flagship luxury sedans don't go through their lifecycles quite as quickly as other models need to, but with the new Mercedes-Benz S-Class hitting the road, Jaguar must feel it's time for a little update for its XJ sedan. And as these spy shots demonstrate, that's just what it has in store.
Falling firmly in the subtle-facelift category (as opposed to the full refresh), the placement of the camouflage on this new XJ appears to be hiding new fascias front and rear. Reshaped bumpers, trunk lid, grille and air apertures seem to be part of the impending facelift, but for better or worse, those black rear pillars seem to be staying put.
While Jaguar's at it, we can expect some updates to the cabin as well, with upgraded infotainment, ambient lighting and such. But don't go expecting anything radical at this stage. The XJ has been on the market for about four years, and it'll be another few before it demands a complete overhaul.

Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe patent images exposed, 4-cyl coming?

Last year, Jaguar told us that "if you get a convertible right, it's easy to do a coupe" in reference to a coupe version of the Jaguar F-Type, and now we might be seeing our first unofficial look at a hardtop version of the convertible. The German publication Auto Motor und Sport has dug up what it is reporting to be patent images filed by Jaguar showing the lines of the new coupe.
If these are actually patent drawings, they have definitely been enhanced with color and shadowing compared to what we usually see from OEM patent filings. We wouldn't be surprised if they are just altered images of Jaguar's C-X16 Concept, but either way, it's going to be a sharp car. On top of the new coupe, the article also says that the F-Type could be getting the same 240-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine that is currently used in the Jaguar XF, as well as the Land Rover LR2 and Range Rover Evoque.