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2014 Jaguar XKR-S GT takes fiercest feline further [UPDATE]

If there were any car to overshadow the 542-horsepower Jaguar XJR that's coming to the New York Auto Show, this is it. Meet the Jaguar XKR-S GT - a street-legal, higher-performance version of the already hardcore XKR-S that will be headed to North America in very limited quantities. Only 30 will be offered on our continent, with 25 earmarked for the United States and the remaining five going to Canada. The cost of entry? $174,000 when it goes on sale this August.
What that gets you is a coupe that is, without any doubt, ready to attack any racetrack it might encounter. The XKR-S' supercharged 5.0-liter V8 has not been upgraded in terms of power - not that 550 horsepower and 502 pound-feet of torque is anything to sneeze at - but instead, Jaguar focused on tuning the bits of the car that help effectively put all that grunt to the ground. There's a new hood with rows of louvers to aid in engine cooling, and elsewhere on the car's body, you'll find carbon fiber on the redesigned front air splitter, dive planes, extended wheel arch spats, as well as a new rear diffuser, an aluminum front under tray and an absolutely massive wing out back to keep downforce to a maximum.
Underneath that hot body are retuned and height-adjustable adaptive dampers; spring rates have been increased by 68 percent in front and 25 percent at the rear versus a standard XKR-S. Most of the front and rear suspension geometry has been upgraded, larger carbon ceramic brakes have been fitted at all four corners, and wider 20-inch forged alloy wheels are found here, wrapped in Pirelli Corsa tires - 255/35-series rubber in front and 305/30-series stuff out back. There's also a revised active exhaust system, which should only improve the already thunderous roar coming out the back of the Jag coupe, and a faster steering rack has been added for improved agility.

Jaguar Land Rover to skip 2016 Detroit Auto Show

Jaguar Land Rover won't attend the 2016 Detroit Auto Show in January because the automaker will shift its focus to other international shows instead, the company confirmed to Autoblog. "Following a review of our global consumer engagement program, the decision has been made not to exhibit at the Detroit show in 2016," said a company spokesperson told Autoblog. The story was first reported by Automotive News. JLR will continue to attend other US auto shows in Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles; plus those abroad in Geneva, Frankfurt, Paris, Beijing, and Shanghai. "We recognize that the Detroit show is a world-class Tier 1 auto show, however, we have had to make this decision to sharpen our focus as indicated," the spokesperson said. Detroit Auto Show PR Manager Max Muncey told Autoblog that the organizers already knew JLR wouldn't be there. "We are in discussions with other automakers to fill that spot," he said about using the open space. The show expects 70 percent of the floor plan in 2016 to be different from last year. The automaker used the 2015 Detroit Auto Show to announce diesel versions for several models, and it revealed the name for the Jaguar F-Pace there. JLR reportedly now has a plan to cut the equivalent of $6.8 billion in costs without firing workers and increase production to a million annual deliveries by the end of the decade. Related Video:

Jaguar to follow up with larger J-Pace crossover

Jaguar is about to launch its first foray into the crossover market (that's the C-X17 Concept you see above) with the upcoming debut of the F-Pace, but that won't be its last. According to the UK's Car magazine, plans are already underway to launch a bigger J-Pace crossover as well. Just as the F-Pace is set to serve as the high-riding counterpart to the XF sedan, so too would the J-Pace align itself with the upcoming new XJ – in a strategy not unlike what Mercedes is taking with its crossovers, aligning the GLE (nee M-Class) with the E-Class, the upcoming GLS (GL-Class) to the S-Class and so on. That would make the J-Pace a rival to the likes of the aforementioned GLS and Audi Q7. Tipped to launch in 2019, the Jaguar J-Pace is expected to borrow its aluminum underpinnings from the flagship Range Rover, but take a sportier, more dynamic approach than the top-of-the-line Landie. Expect V6 and V8 engines to be offered, alongside diesel and hybrid powertrain options. The J-Pace has reportedly won out over other proposals to expand the XJ family with coupe, convertible and wagon variants, as the crossover is expected to drive higher sales. Here's hoping those revenues could be poured back into those back-burnered projects, too. Related Video: