1966 Jaguar E-type 4.2 Liter Matching Number Roadster on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Next-gen electric Jaguar XJ could pack as much as 800 horsepower

A report in Car magazine puts more meat on rumors about the next-generation Jaguar XJ. As has long been expected, the flagship English sedan is still predicted to move to an all-electric platform. The report says the XJ could be the first to move to Jaguar Land Rover's new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) suitable for ICE, hybrid and battery-electric vehicles. That's the same platform that's supposed to be used for the XJ's twin, a more car-like Land Rover nicknamed the Road Rover by outsiders. The XJ could inherit I-Pace powertrain internals, with a couple of twists. The I-Pace hides a 90-kWh battery sending juice to two electric motors, one on each axle. Total system output comes to 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque. According to Car, the XJ could upgrade battery capacity to 100 kWh, and use it to power four electric motors placed at the wheels. Each of those motors could be rated up to 200 horsepower. This reads like pie-in-the-sky concept spec, but if Jaguar were to do such a thing, the XJ would immediately claim the power trophy among its luxury electric competition. Arguably the bigger question is when are we going to see it? Various corners have predicted a launch in 2019 for at least three years, and most recently just a year ago. Unless spy photographers have decided to ignore Coventry, we haven't seen a single mule or camo'd prototype, making the sedan seem no closer now than in 2016. What's more, Car's use of conditionals makes it sound like Jaguar hasn't nailed down the final specs. We know — or think we know — the XJ exterior will stick with the five-door liftback style. We get the feeling all else, as with so many things at JLR these days, is TBD. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jaguar laying groundwork for a reborn XK

There have been rumors about plans to replace the Jaguar XK since before the gentleman's coupe ended production in 2014. Depending on which rumor you read, a reborn XK could remain compact and offer a 3.0-liter turbodiesel, grow a bit and move upmarket to challenge the Mercedes S-Class Coupe, or grow even more and challenge the Bentley Continental GT as "an elegant four-seater coupe." About the only three consistent details have been that the new XK would ride on a reworked F-Type platform, that the XK would become Jaguar's new flagship, and brand design director Ian Callum providing all the quotes about a potential resurrection. Now Hanno Kirner, the head of product strategy at Jaguar Land Rover, has added quotes that could portend the return of the big two-door cat. Kirner told Autocar that Jaguar "will continue to invest in sports cars," and that "I use the plural quite deliberately." That is, the F-Type won't be left to carry the sports car mantle by itself. Questions remain about the definition of the term "sports car," and whether that really means a return of the XK. Kirner suggested it's possible that a future offering could be "a body variant" of the F-Type. Callum's been fighting for the XK's return ever since Jaguar made the decision to kill it. The designer said the two-seat F-Type wasn't intended to kill the bigger 2+2, and at one point his team had already finished design work on the third-generation XK. However, the F-Type sold so well that the company marketers decided the automaker didn't need both cars. A number of things needs to happen before any XK gets the green light, though. The next-gen F-Type is in the works and could come as soon as next year, and Jaguar will want to make sure the two-seater continues its run of steady sales. The XK spirit lives on in the current F-Type, since the F-Type sits on a reworked version of the XK's aluminum architecture, and the second-generation F-Type will evolve that aluminum platform again. It's said that the platform could morph back into a 2+2 without undue hassle, but any new XK wouldn't likely arrive before 2021 even if approved. Callum remains on the case, saying in October 2017, "I want a two-seater [the F-Type] and a 2+2. We're working on something now." Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Jaguar F-Type squares off against Porsche 911, Aston V8 Vantage with Chris Harris

Chris Harris is back on the job, taking on really really difficult car questions like: Which enormously sexy and good-to-drive, high-performance convertible is the top of the heap? As one of the hottest cars in the luxury space right now, the Jaguar F-Type S is, of course, in on the action. Competition comes in the form of the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster and the Porsche 911 Carrera S Cabriolet. Sun-loving CEOs who despise test-driving need look no further.
Scroll on below for a fully featured (with a running time of more than 20 minutes) comparison video. Harris does his best to entertain - in a typically nitpicky and made-up-British-words fashion - and the moving pictures are lovely to look at. Kick back, pour a pint and get your weekend started off right.