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Jaguar prices 2020 F-Pace range, starting at $46,225

The 2020 Jaguar F-Pace lineup includes two new limited-edition models, and every model comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay standard. The crossover has finally acquired its most crucial numbers, the MSRPs. Starting price for the entry-level F-Pace 25T, powered by the lesser 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder Ingenium engine begins at $45,200. Add the unchanged $1,025 destination charge and the total comes to $46,225, which is $400 more than the 2019 model. The Premium, Prestige, and R-Sport trims go up by the same amount for both the 25T and the 30T models — the 30T powered by the 296-hp version of the 2.0-liter Ingenium turbo four. Premium increases by $550, Prestige by $350, and R-Sport by $300. That makes the least-dear 25T Premium a $48,825 affair. The 30T Portfolio model costs $64,625 for 2020, a $300 bump over 2019. The S raises the stakes by the same amount, to $63,125. The flagship F-Pace SVR with its 5.0-liter supercharged V8 and 550 hp tacks on the largest price jump of $620, for a total of $81,625. The limited edition trims are the previously announced 300 Sport and Checkered Flag. In the U.S., the 300 Sport comes exclusively with the 296-hp 2.0-liter Ingenium four-cylinder, and exterior revisions like dark satin gray trim on the grille and window surrounds, side vents, mirror caps, rear fascia and door finishers. Inside, yellow contrast stitching on the instrument panel and seats marks the beast, plus embossed logos on the front headrests. The full-fat Touch Pro navigation with Connect Pro comes standard. The crossover sits on 22-inch gray wheels and wears plenty of 300 Sport badges throughout. Three colors are available: Yulong White, Indus Silver and Santorini Black. It takes $63,025 to start the bidding. The Checkered Flag Special Edition is based on the R-Sport and adds plenty of gloss black, including 20-inch gloss black wheels. Color choices here are Yulong White, Eiger Grey and Santorini Black. The 247-hp four-cylinder get the nod, along with 18-way adjustable front seats, the Touch Pro navigation without Connect Pro but with the Meridian audio. It costs $59,4258

New Audi design chief Massimo Frascella shaped cars for Jaguar Land Rover

At the Audi brand, style and design have long been a high priority; think the super sleek and sexy A7 sedan, the Bauhaus-inspired TT coupe, the single-frame grille that instantly identified the marque with its down-the-road graphics. So when the Bavarians install a new head of design, that’s also worth a look. Massimo Frascella is that person, a 52-year-old Italian designer who this summer will succeed Marc Lichte. Lichte ran Audi design since 2014 and will take up a new role within the Volkswagen Group. Frascella, a student at the Istituto d`Arte Applicata & Design in Turin, ignited his career at Stile Bertone, and his resume after that evolves impressively. He subsequently held positions at Ford Motor Company and Kia, and since 2011, Frascella has held senior positions at Jaguar Land Rover. He was responsible for the creation of several models: Discovery Vision Concept (2014), Discovery Sport (2014), Discovery (2016), Velar (2017), Evoque (2019) and Defender. In 2019 he became creative director of Land Rover and in 2020 design director. He was also instrumental in the development of the range of new electric Jaguars that are in the works. “Joining Audi is a very special moment for me,” Frascella said. “I am deeply honored to assume the role of chief creative officer and to guide such a talented team in shaping the future of the brand to new heights of innovation and distinction. I believe in the emotional power of design to inspire, connect, and drive change, and I am here to nurture and promote creativity as the beating heart of our brand.” Looking back a couple of decades, it was one of FrascellaÂ’s predecessors who helped to cement AudiÂ’s reputation in automobile design: Walter de Silva. De Silva was appointed head of Audi design in 2002. From 2007 to 2015, he supervised the design strategy for the entire Volkswagen group, including the TT, the Scirocco, the Passat and the Golf. Not a bad list of achievements, but in a interview several years ago, de Silva said that he considered the 2007 Audi A5 coupe the pinnacle of his automotive design art, citing its “sex appeal, the shape of the lights, the architecture.” Design/Style Audi Jaguar Land Rover Volkswagen Automotive History

Our love of SUVs is killing people in the streets

Americans are fond of supersized fast-food meals and colossal convenience-store fountain drinks, even though they're clearly bad for our health and U.S. adults keep getting fatter. We also like large vehicles, and our love affair with SUVs is killing people in the streets. According to a recent investigation by the Detroit Free Press/USA Today, the increase in SUV sales over the past several years coincides with a sharp rise in pedestrian deaths in the U.S. — up 46 percent since 2009, with nearly 6,000 people killed in 2016 alone. With SUV sales surpassing sedans in 2014 and pickups and SUVs currently accounting for 60 percent of new vehicle sales, it's no wonder Ford announced in April plans to cease U.S. sales of almost all passenger cars. And this followed Fiat Chrysler's move to virtually an all-truck, -SUV and -crossover lineup. While the Freep/USA Today investigation found that the simultaneous surge in SUV sales and pedestrian deaths comes down to vehicle size, it also points to a lack of action on the part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), even though it knew of the dangers SUVs pose to pedestrians. Also blamed are automakers dragging their feet on implementing active safety features. Using federal accident data, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) determined that there was an 81 percent increase in single-vehicle pedestrian fatalities involving SUVs between 2009 and 2016. Freep/USA Today's analysis of the same data by counting vehicles that struck and killed pedestrians instead of the number of people killed showed a 69 percent increase in SUV involvement. As far back as 2001, researchers at Rowan University forecasted a rise in pedestrian deaths as Americans began switching to SUVs. "In the United States, passenger vehicles are shifting from a fleet populated primarily by cars to a fleet dominated by light trucks and vans," the researchers wrote, with light trucks comprising SUVs.