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GM, Audi, Jaguar halt Russian sales amidst ruble's collapse

The value of Russia's ruble currency has sunk like a stone tossed in the Volga for much of the year, losing over 40 percent of its worth since June. The change is having bizarre effects on the auto industry there and leaving some automakers scrambling to adjust. According to Bloomberg, Russians are buying up luxury goods including automobiles at the moment to have a physical investment in case the ruble sinks further. However, with the money worth so little, the companies aren't making much from these transactions. Things are so dire that several automakers are temporarily ending deliveries until the situation stabilizes. According to Bloomberg, General Motors stopped sales on December 16 with no set date to start again. Audi did the same thing but with the intention to resume once it has adjusted model pricing. Jaguar Land Rover terminated business until December 19 to see how things changed. Toyota is increasing its pricing, as well, but keeping business open at the same time. Some automakers have subtly been reacting to the slumping Russian auto market all year. The moves have included Volkswagen cutting production by 30,000 units from its factory in Kaluga. Ford also got rid of 950 workers from two plants due to low demand. Some analysts have even speculated that the contracting industry and possibility of lower import duties into the country could cause companies to end their manufacturing in Russia completely.

Stolen Jaguar E-Type reunited with owner after 46 years

Barely six months into owning it, Ivan Schneider had his Jaguar E-Type stolen from outside of his Manhattan apartment in 1968. Now, 46 years later, the somewhat beat-up convertible has been recovered just before it was about to be shipped to a new owner in The Netherlands.
US Customs agents at the Port of Los Angeles found the car during a routine check, and they contacted Schneider to arrange returning it to him. When the feds found it, the E-Type was already in a shipping container ready to go to its new owner. The condition is hardly perfect today, including rough paint and a replacement door, but Schneider is ecstatic to get his classic back.
Understandably, the now 82-year-old never thought he would see his droptop Jaguar again. Schneider told the LA Times that he bought the E-Type for $5,000 after winning a case as a lawyer, and it was originally painted gray. Now, he plans to have to have the vintage convertible restored to its former glory in New York.

Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV ups the performance of the virtual sports car

Last year, Jaguar created its very first concept car made specifically for the Gran Turismo video game series, and this year it's following it up with an even faster racing variant. It's called the Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo SV, and it has some pretty wild specifications. This virtual racing machine no longer uses three motors, but four, with the extra motor being fitted to the front and allowing torque vectoring at all four wheels. Output has increased substantially to 1,877 horsepower and 2,478 pound-feet of torque. The regular Jaguar Vision Gran Turismo "only" made 1,005 horsepower and 885 pound-feet of torque. Jaguar claims a 0-60 mph time for the SV of 1.65 seconds and a top speed of 255 mph. That top speed might be higher if it weren't for the various aerodynamic aids adding downforce. It has a huge splitter, diffuser and long adaptive rear wing. The car can create up to 1,000 pounds of downforce at 200 mph. One other wild performance feature is the cooling system for the lithium-ion battery pack. It has a coolant circuit with liquid nitrogen that ensures the battery doesn't overheat when discharging the massive amount of electricity to run the powerful motors. Though Jaguar will likely never actually produce a functional version of this car in real life, the company did at least create a full-size model of it. It should be impressive in person given its extraordinarily low, wide and long shape. We're hoping it shows up at car shows when the pandemic subsides. The virtual car is due to be available in 2021. Jaguar didn't specifically say which version of Gran Turismo is will be featured in. The regular car can be driven in "Gran Turismo Sport." The racing version could be added to "Gran Turismo Sport," but the launch date of 2021 has us wondering if it will instead show up in "Gran Turismo 7" for PlayStation 5. Related Video: