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Jaguar Land Rover to drop supercharged V8 for turbocharged BMW power

There are few things that sound as good as Jaguar's 5.0 liter supercharged V8. As great as it is when the supercharger whines or the exhaust cracks and pops on throttle lift-off as the air pressure equalizes, the basic design dates back to the '90s. Plainly, the engine isn't as efficient as it needs to be, but designing a new V8 from the ground up is an expensive proposition. Instead, Automobile reports that Jaguar Land Rover is set to use a twin-turbocharged V8s supplied by BMW. Scalable architecture is all the rage as automakers streamline designs in order to save costs. For example, Jaguar's current supercharged V6 is quite literally a V8 with two holes missing. They didn't even change the length of the block. It seems both of those designs are on their way out, with the V6 being replaced by a inline-six closely related to the company's inline four. It seems that rather than designing an new and expensive V8 for their top of the line models JLR, is sourcing from BMW. From 1994 to 2000, BMW owned Land Rover. A few models, including the Land Rover Range Rover, used BMW engines then and in the initial years of Ford's JLR stewardship. It seems things have now come full circle. BMW currently makes a twin-turbo 4.4 liter V8 that produces anywhere from 440 to 600 horsepower, depending on the application. Automobile says that a new 4.0 liter V8 is in the works and that it will most likely be the engine that JLR uses. Expect it to be more powerful, more fuel efficient, and lighter than what both BMW and JLR currently offer. This seems like a win for both companies. BMW gets to offset the cost of a new motor while JLR, a smaller company, doesn't have to invest in a whole new architecture. As automakers search for ways to cut costs, expect collaborations like this to continue. Infiniti and Mercedes-Benz both share a four-cylinder engine. Ford and GM have worked together to design a shared 10-speed automatic. While we may lament the loss of that wonderful Jaguar Land Rover engine, we can still be happy that they haven't abandoned the V8. Related Video: News Source: Automobile Rumormill BMW Jaguar Land Rover

Recharge Wrap-up: E15 could help smog woes, MPG average at all-time high

A new study shows that using an E15 blend instead of regular gasoline would reduce smog in Chicago. Increasing the availability of the 15-percent ethanol blend could help reduce carcinogenic air pollution and improve air quality, particularly on the city's South Side. The study found that E15 reduces the risk of cancer by 6.6 percent. It also reduces greenhouse gas emissions 1.5 percent compared to a 10-percent ethanol blend. Read more at Domestic Fuel. Fairmont Beijing is offering hotel guests a chance to experience BMW's i cars. For the next three months, guests needing airport transfers will be picked up in one of the German automakers electric vehicles. Also, those who choose the hotel's "Passion Package," which includes transportation in one of the cars or on a BMW bike, and a private guided tour of the 789 Arts District and the Peking opera house as well as tickets to an opera performance. Learn more in the press release below. Formula E will host motor shows at the circuits during its race weekends. Visitors will learn about the technology behind the all-electric race series and the racecars, including the safety and performance aspects. The goal of the four-day shows is not only to entertain and educate people, but also to generate interest in electric and hybrid vehicles in hopes that drivers will consider adopting electric cars themselves. Read more at Formula E's website. The average fuel economy of new vehicles has reached a new high of 25.8 miles per gallon, according to the University of Michigan. The school's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) used the window sticker ratings of the vehicles to reach that number for the month of August. That's 0.2 mpg higher than July, and 5.7 mpg higher than October 2007, when UMTRI began recording the data. The group also found that average emissions per driver are down by 22 percent since October 2007. Read more at Green Car Congress. The United States Advanced Battery Consortium has awarded a $667,452 development contract to battery maker Xerion. The contract - a 50-percent cost share co-funded by the US Department of Energy - is for a 15-month program to develop next-generation batteries for plug-in hybrids. Read more in the press release below. Fairmont Beijing Introduces Eco-friendly Partnership with BMW's New Electric i Series BEIJING, Sept. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Fairmont Beijing is partnering with BMW in a showcase of the luxury carmaker's new electric, environment-friendly i Series.

Watch Emily Blunt and John Krasinski prank Jimmy Kimmel's SUV

Jimmy Kimmel has a bit of a rivalry going with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. Not like the "I'm on television, you're on the radio" one he has with his former Man Show co-host Adam Carolla (who of course has more to do with cars than the last name he almost shares with a Toyota economy sedan). With Blunt and Krasinski, it's more of a prank rivalry. The Hollywood couple, you see, live across the street from Kimmel, and they're all good friends. But come the holiday season, things get a little competitive. One year they broke into Jimmy's house and left an illuminated snowman and some sort of santa bear in his foyer. Jimmy retaliated, the Krasinskis escalated, and up and up things went until Jimmy had their entire house wrapped like a gift. John and Emily weren't going to leave it at that, though, and took things in a decidedly more automotive direction. They gift-wrapped the host's BMW X5 and filled it with balls. But they didn't stop there. You'll want to watch the footage above to see how things ended, just take note of the roll cage visible as Krasinski-Clause stumbles out of the car in that last scene and remember that, while we couldn't say no vehicles were actually harmed in the making of this segment, at least it doesn't appear to have actually been Kimmel's.