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Jaguar Land Rover output at two UK plants hit by chip shortage

LONDON — Output at two of Jaguar Land Rover's (JLR) British car factories will be temporarily halted from Monday, due to COVID-19 supply chain disruption, including a lack of semi-conductors, the firm said on Thursday. "We have adjusted production schedules for certain vehicles which means that our Castle Bromwich and Halewood manufacturing plants will be operating a limited period of non-production from Monday 26th April," the Tata Motors-owned company said. The COVID-19 pandemic has driven up demand for semiconductor chips for use in electronics like computers, as people worked from home, and suppliers are struggling to adjust, hitting output at many automakers. Trade flows have also been affected. On Wednesday, carmaker Stellantis said it would replace digital speedometers with more old-fashioned analogue ones in one of its Peugeot models, as the fallout continues. Renault's finance chief said on Thursday that car production fell by tens of thousands of vehicles in the first quarter as a result of the shortage. Output at JLR's third British car factory in Solihull, central England, will continue, the company said. "We are working closely with affected suppliers to resolve the issues and minimize the impact on customer orders wherever possible."  

2018 Jaguar updates include a new 247-hp four for XE, XF, and F-Pace

Jaguar has announced changes and updates to its 2018 XE, XF, and F-Pace models, and the big one is a brand-new Ingenium four-cylinder engine. It replaces an older four-cylinder that was available on the 2017 XE line, and it will be the first gasoline four available on both the bigger XF sedan and the F-Pace crossover. This latest Ingenium engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter gasoline four-cylinder like the older Jag engine it replaces; this one has its exhaust manifold integrated into the cylinder head, and it uses a twin-scroll turbocharger. It produces 247 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, which are improvements of 7 hp and 18 lb-ft over the XE's old turbocharged four. Plus, peak torque is also available a bit lower than with the previous engine, at 1,200 rpm versus 1,750. It shares its architecture with the Ingenium diesel four-cylinder. The XE also gets some powertrain love at the top of the range, borrowing an engine from its bigger siblings. Jaguar is introducing a new XE S model with the 380-horsepower supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Previously, the most powerful engine available on the XE was the 340-horsepower version of that V6, which will still be available. The XE gets another upgrade in the form of an available 12.3-inch instrument panel display, when optioned with the Jaguar Touch Pro infotainment system that's also available on the other models. The big news for the XF is that its base price drops ever so slightly now that a four-cylinder model has been added. The rear-drive model with the new Ingenium engine starts at $48,770 as opposed to $49,245 for the cheapest 2017 XF, which had a diesel four-cylinder and rear-wheel drive. The downside is that diesel buyers will be paying $50,270 for the 2018 version of the same car. Some other technology upgrades have permeated the lineup as well. These 2018 Jaguars will be available with a forward cross-traffic alert and a system that will show steering angle and distance to objects on screen during slow forward maneuvering. The latter seems mainly useful for tight parking spaces. These features are available with Jaguar's Surround Camera System. Jaguar also introduced a system that will allow users to pay for gas (or diesel) from the car's touch screen using Apple Pay, Android Pay, or PayPal. The system will be introduced first in the UK and later this year in other markets, and it can only be used at Shell gas stations. Related Video:

Top Gear season 25 opens with a V8 roadtrip through America

Great news for fans of BBC Top Gear: the first episode of season 25 is here. Viewers of BBC America will catch the season opener on March 3, and for the American audience this episode is definitely suitable watching. The episode has been dedicated to V8 sportscars almost in its entirety, as it's been wrapped around a Western roadtrip with a motorsport bias. The three hosts get to choose three V8 sports cars, with the basic idea of finding the best all-rounder. Matt LeBlanc goes for a Hennessey-tuned GT350R, Rory Reid chooses a Jaguar F-Type SVR, and Chris Harris shakes up the pack by selecting a McLaren 570GT. It's a nicely varied trio, with V8 power still showing what it's good for. There are various challenges along the way, just like there should be on a Top Gear roadtrip episode – even if the road surface itself isn't always ideal. But things smoothen out, all the way to a NASCAR oval and an airport runway; the flooded Bonneville salt flats aren't suitable for shenanigans, so substitutes have to be found. The trio also hit dirt roads, and have to evade a buggy-driving Ken Block during a "moonshine run to the border." Fans of Sabine Schmitz will be pleased to find her piloting a chain car racer, which consists of two American junk cars with a Honda CRX chained in the middle. It must make sense to someone. The Star In A Reasonably Priced Car segment has been retained for this season. This time it's the British actor Rob Brydon driving the Toyota GT86, on a very wet lap around the show's Dunsfold Aerodrome track that must be a cult classic by now. All in all, the season 25 opener is exactly what it says on the tin. There's nothing out of the ordinary, but it still has excellent cinematography, V8 roar and some nice landscapes. Classic Top Gear. Cowboy duels, Sabine Schmitz chain car racing, @RobBrydon, a @kblock43 car chase and #TheStig The latest episode of #TopGear is available on @BBCiPlayer now. Outside the UK? See local listings here: https://t.co/HPPhbUErDu pic.twitter.com/87F53C8oYb — Top Gear (@BBC_TopGear) February 26, 2018 Related Video: