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Weekly Recap: Chrysler forges ahead with new name, same mission

Chrysler is history. Sort of. The 89-year-old automaker was absorbed into the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles conglomerate that officially launched this fall, and now the local operations will no longer use the Chrysler Group name. Instead, it's FCA US LLC. Catchy, eh? Here's what it means: The sign outside Chrysler's Auburn Hills, MI, headquarters says FCA (which it already did) and obviously, all official documents use the new name, rather than Chrysler. That's about it. The executives, brands and location of the headquarters aren't changing. You'll still be able to buy a Chrysler 200. It's just made by FCA US LLC. This reinforces that FCA is one company going forward – the seventh largest automaker in the world – not a Fiat-Chrysler dual kingdom. While the move is symbolic, it is a conflicting moment for Detroiters, though nothing is really changing. Chrysler has been owned by someone else (Daimler, Cerberus) for the better part of two decades, but it still seemed like it was Chrysler in the traditional sense: A Big 3 automaker in Detroit. Now, it's clearly the US division of a multinational industrial empire; that's good thing for its future stability, but bittersweet nonetheless. Undoubtedly, it's an emotion that's also being felt at Fiat's Turin, Italy, headquarters as the company will no longer officially be called Fiat there. Digest that for a moment. What began in 1899 as the Societa Anonima Fabbrica Italiana di Automobili Torino – or FIAT – is now FCA Italy SpA. In a statement, FCA said the move "is intended to emphasize the fact that all group companies worldwide are part of a single organization." The new names are the latest changes orchestrated by CEO Sergio Marchionne, who continues to makeover FCA as an international automaker that has ties to its heritage – but isn't tied down by it. Everything from the planned spinoff of Ferrari, a new FCA headquarters in London and the pending demise of the Dodge Grand Caravan in 2016 has shown that the company is willing to move quickly, even if it's controversial. While renaming the United States and Italian divisions were the moves most likely to spur controversy, FCA said other regions across the globe will undergo similar name changes this year. Despite the mixed emotions, it's worth noting: The name of the merged company that oversees all of these far-flung units is Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Obviously the Chrysler corporate name isn't completely history.

Jaguar gives World Car jurors private viewing of J-Pace, next XJ

The brace of accolades bestowed on the Jaguar I-Pace include three awards given by the 86 jurors on the World Car of the Year panel. They anointed the I-Pace World Car of the Year, World Green Car of the Year, and World Car Design of the Year. Jaguar hosted a get-together for its new WCOTY friends, inviting jurors to the carmaker's Coventry design studios to check out future products. The coming all-electric XJ and flagship J-Pace were the stars of the gathering, this being the first time Jaguar's publicly got behind the range-topping crossover. Ex-head designer Ian Callum hinted about the J-Pace in April, but all he would say is, "We're looking at it." With Jaguar confident enough to show the vehicle to very important outsiders, the J-Pace could be on track for its rumored 2021 launch. Jaguar dropped hints of other new cars, too. The carmaker "gave a firm nod to" two new crossovers that will be "considerably less expensive" than current crossovers in the lineup, to be called A-Pace and B-Pace. We've never heard of these, but based on the brand's naming structure, the A-Pace would slot in at entry-level, the B-Pace just above. It's said that one or both of these will be sized to compete in the World Urban Car Awards sometime in the 2020s. That means subcompact dimensions along the lines of this year's World Urban Car winner the Suzuki Jimny, or the top-three finisher Kia Soul. The jurors also got a look at the imminent replacements for the F-Type and XE. The second-generation F-Type is said to wear an evolutionary design; the big changes will take place under the hood. A V8 could remain in the top tier, but one sourced from BMW instead of Jaguar's own supercharged 5.0-liter V8. The current V6 is expected to give way for an Ingenium inline-six developed in-house. And expect one or both of them to come with hybrid assistance, as Jaguar's made a point of saying that all of its offerings will get "electrified options" in the 2020s. What did Jaguar get out of the open-house? Insider information, apparently: "150 senior Jaguar employees" put questions to the WCOTY jurors about how the panel road-tests cars. Perhaps the WCOTY award will become the new Nurburgring for the next decade. As a final flourish to everyone who'd get the news, Jaguar CEO Ralph Speth informed the audience that his charge and Land Rover "are definitely not for sale to Peugeot-Citroen, Fiat-Chrysler, Hyundai-Kia or any other motor manufacturing companies." So there.

Jaguar to go racing with F-Type GT3?

Most British automakers have some manner of racing program. Aston Martin, Lotus and McLaren race as a matter of course. Bentley recently got back into racing, Morgan has dabbled here and there, even Land Rover has its off-road racing programs. The only one, it seems, that isn't racing these days is Jaguar... but that could be about to change. The latest intel from the UK suggests that Jaguar is closely evaluating the prospect of building a GT3-spec racer based on the F-Type. Like the Bentley Continental GT3 co-developed with M-Sport (not to mention Coventry's own successful partnership with TWR), the Jaguar program would need an established racing outfit to help develop the car and field it, and the automaker is said to be evaluating three potential partners. The development of the GT3 racer would allow Jaguar to compete (or sell cars for others to compete) in a variety of racing series around the world, including the Blancpain Endurance Series, the European Le Mans Series and, if properly adapted, other series like the United SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Jaguar's car would have to compete with such rivals as the Aston Martin Vantage GTE, Audi R8 LMS, Ferrari 458 GT, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 and Porsche 911 GT3 R. Current FIA GT3 regulations use a Balance of Performance equation that allows for a curb weight between 1,200 and 1,300 kilograms (2,645 to 2,866 pounds) and produce between 500 and 600 horsepower. A more cost-effective GT4 racer could follow. But the best part is that Jaguar could, according to the report in Autocar, develop a road-going version as well, even more focused than the Project 7 pictured above and similar to what Bentley did with the Continental GT3-R. Jaguar of course has had a rich history with motor racing, reaching back to its dominance at Le Mans in the 1950s with the C-Type and D-Type, extending through the TWR partnership in touring car and endurance racing in the 1980s and 90s, to the short-lived Formula One team that became Red Bull Racing. It launched a GT2-spec XKR a few years ago and was tipped to be developing a new LMP1 prototype, but neither are on the track today, where Jaguars only compete in vintage racing. Featured Gallery Jaguar F-Type Project 7 View 29 Photos News Source: Autocar Motorsports Jaguar Racing Vehicles gt3