1993 Jaguar Vander Plus on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar F-Type meets America in first TV spots

With its new "Your Turn" global ad campaign, Jaguar has introduced its 2014 F-Type to the world of broadcast media. The effort takes aim at the monied 25-54 demographic, which makes sense of Jaguar recently shacking up with the 2013 Playboy Playmate of the Year Raquel Pomplun and San Francisco NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick. You'll also be seeing the new roadster on ESPN's SportsCenter, late night ABC talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live, the USA Network show Covert Affairs, the Sundance Channel and theaters, magazines and everywhere digital. On top of all that, a social media campaign includes a contest called #MyTurnToJag that will reward four winners with a custom drive in the new convertible.
You'll find the first two spots below, along with a press release on the roaring red marketing onslaught headed your way.

Can a Jaguar XKR-S be drifted while blindfolded?

Bring together a 550-horsepower Jaguar XKR-S and a rain-soaked skidpad, and it's almost impossible to not end up in a sideways drift... accidental or on purpose. With that in mind, the gang over at Autocar got a hold of the monstrous XKR-S for the latest installment of "Will it Drift?," only they raised the stakes a little by attempting the feat with a blindfolded driver
We've driven the XKR-S a number of times here at Autoblog (including a First Drive, Review and Quick Spin), so we weren't at all surprised to learn that blind drifting in the car is possible. But what is remarkable is the ease at which it happened. This, of course, can be credited as much to the car as to the driver, Steve Sutcliffe. Check out the impressive video for yourself, which is posted after the jump.

Jaguar design boss admits X-Type was a mistake

History has a way of repeating itself, especially in the auto industry. When Jaguar was owned by Ford, the British brand attempted to field a competitor for the BMW 3 Series, called the X-Type. Based on the bones of a Ford Mondeo, it aped the styling of Jaguar's flagship model, the XJ, while borrowing liberally from the Ford parts bin. That was 2001.
Now, in 2013, Jaguar is planning a new 3 Series challenger based on the platform previewed by the C-X17 Concept, while Ford is attempting to take the latest Mondeo upmarket. The moves have both brands recognizing where, why, and how the X-Type failed. "It didn't look mature or powerful or anything. It was just a car," Jaguar's current head of advanced design, Julian Thomson, told PistonHeads. Basing the X-Type on a front-drive car while giving it styling that was meant for a rear-driver lead to proportions that "were plainly wrong," Thomson told PH. Ford's European head of quality, Gunnar Herrmann, added that the X-Type was "a fake Jaguar, because every piece I touch is Ford."
For what it's worth, the X-Type's successor in the segment will sport rear-drive, with plenty of input from Ian Callum. Thomson described the new model, which would challenge the 3 Series as having, "Big wheels right to the ends of the car, low bonnet, short overhangs, very low cabins." Sounds good to us.