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Is this a Jaguar or Land Rover of the future? Yes, the near future

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a concept vehicle, Project Vector, that the company heralds as preview of future urban transport. The Project Vector is an EV, naturally, and is built on a skateboard chassis with all mechanicals under the floor. That provides for maximum space efficiency in the city-sized vehicle—JLR says it's roughly four meters long, which would make it about half a foot longer than today's Mini Cooper hardtop. It also allows for reconfigurability. The interior is accessed via dual center-opening sliding doors on one side. Four individual seats appear to be mounted on tracks and are shown facing in the same direction, but JLR also says the vehicle can be adapted for delivery use (presumably with most of the seats removed). Project Vector is described as "autonomous-ready," but for now it has a steering wheel and pedals. It's also claimed to be optimized for ride-sharing or private use. The vehicle was developed at the UK's National Automotive Innovation Centre, with the intention to make it a part of the "urban mobility solutions" in the "ecosystem of a smart city," according to JLR. The first such smart city will be Coventry, where an "urban mobility service" will be launched in 2021. Related Video:     Featured Gallery Jaguar Land Rover Project Vector Design/Style Green Jaguar Land Rover Transportation Alternatives Future Vehicles

Jaguar Land Rover might buy another luxury brand that it doesn't need

It seems that Jaguar Land Rover may be getting bigger in the near future. According to Bloomberg, the company is looking at acquiring some tech companies, and possibly yet another luxury car brand, provided that it fits with the current lineup of cars. On the surface, this makes some sense since Bloomberg reports that a whopping 78 percent of Tata Motors' revenue comes from luxury brands. And of course, any kind of tech acquisition could be useful considering the rapid development of electric and autonomous vehicles. But dig a little deeper, and a possible luxury brand acquisition just doesn't make sense for Jaguar Land Rover. The main reason for this is that the Jaguar and Land Rover brands have the luxury market thoroughly covered. Both brands offer full luxury lines from entry-level to high-end ( Discovery Sport to Range Rover on the Land Rover side, and XE to XJ on the Jaguar side). They also cater to every kind of luxury, from sporty vehicles such as the F-Type and SVR Land Rovers, to cushy luxury machines such as the XJ and Range Rover. So whether the company is competing with BMW or Mercedes, Jaguar and Land Rover have the bases covered. There aren't any other typical luxury brands that would actually add anything to the current lineup. In fact, adding another conventional luxury brand could actually result in the new brand poaching existing Jaguar and Land Rover buyers, rather than picking up new ones. What would make more sense for Jaguar Land Rover would be to pick up either a more mainstream brand, or an ultra-luxury marque. Neither Jaguar nor Land Rover has something that competes directly with the likes of Ford or Toyota in the mainstream game, or Rolls-Royce or Bentley at the top of the luxury heap. Picking up a brand in one of these segments would allow JLR and Tata Motors to actually expand offerings and pick up more sales, rather than having an internal competitor. What path would be ideal? Probably going even farther upmarket. Supercar makers and ultra-luxury brands continue to sell well, and there's the potential for significant profit by layering on features and content to existing platforms. Perhaps the best possibility for a high-end complement to Jaguar Land Rover would be Aston Martin. Not only does it have a strong reputation and line-up, it also could handle both supercars and luxury sedans, thanks to its Lagonda sub brand. Of course it would require Aston Martin to be receptive to a purchase.

Dodge Viper and Jaguar XK revival | Autoblog Podcast #543

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Green Editor John Beltz Snyder and Consumer Editor Jeremy Korzeniewski. We talk the possible rebirth of the Dodge Viper and Jaguar XK, as well as the recent goings-on at Tesla. Then we share some of our experiences driving in Europe. We also discuss the cars we've been driving, and help spend another listener's hard-earned dough in this week's "Spend My Money" segment. Autoblog Podcast #543 Your browser does not support the audio element. Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Dodge Viper and Jaguar XK to make a return? Tesla Model 3 braking issues and Elon Musk vs. media Driving in Europe Cars we've been driving: Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, Infiniti QX50, Range Rover Velar Spend my money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Auto News Green Podcasts Dodge Infiniti Jaguar Land Rover Porsche Tesla Car Buying Used Car Buying Driving Safety Performance jaguar xk infiniti qx50