2006 Land Rover Range Rover Sport Hse Navigation One Owner Serviced Cold Climate on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar to sell all-electric cars by 2030, and six electric Land Rovers coming in next five years

Jaguar is making a big transition to become an electric-only car company. The switchover is meant to kickoff in 2025, and by 2030, Jaguar says 100% of its vehicle sales will be of electric models. Land Rover is taking a similar route, but to a lesser extent. The British off-roading brand says that it will introduce six pure electric variants in the next five years, with eyes on 60% of its sales being of electric models by 2030. Its first all-electric model will arrive in 2024, JLR said. An Automotive News report cites CEO Thierry Bollore, saying he expects "almost zero" production of cars with internal combustion engines by 2039, making that the theoretical end date of Land Rover vehicles with ICEs.  JLR, owned by India's Tata Motors, said on Monday the Jaguar brand will lead the way with a fully-electric model range built on a brand-new electric platform. The Land Rover EVs are to be built on a separate electric vehicle architecture to provide for "two clear unique personalities." The Land Rover EVs are said to be finding homes on both the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) and Electric Modular Architecture (EMA). Both support combustion engine layouts and full EV layouts, but the latter is said to be more biased toward EVs and to exclusively support "advanced electrified ICE." Both brands will be taking advantage of technology from within the Tata Group (JLR's owners) to make this transition happen. There's limited information on the future of certain models for the time being, but Jaguar did say that its previously-planned XJ replacement will no longer have a place in the brand's lineup. That said, Jaguar says the nameplate might stick around, with the assumption it could be used on an all-new future EV. Additionally, Automotive News reports that Jaguar will transition away from SUV-style vehicles, citing Bollore — the theory being that Land Rover takes over and completely fills that space in the future. We'll be wondering about what will become of the F-Pace and E-Pace. Our biggest Jaguar question concerns the F-Type, though. Will we get a fully electric version of the sports car in the future? Jaguar didn't address it, but we certainly hope so. JLR said that as it electrifies its model range, it will keep all three of its British plants open. But Bollore, who took over as chief executive in September, said the carmaker's Castle Bromwich plant in central England would focus on "non-production" activities in the long term.

European automakers gear up for Brazilian production

Brazil is the place to be, apparently. Toyota has been investing in the South American country, as has BMW, which announced a $261 million investment in October 2012, on the heels of an Audi factory announcement in San José Chiapa. The high-end immigration is only set to continue, as Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar-Land Rover have both announced plans to set up manufacturing operations there.
Mercedes is the big news here, as its new facility will see the German manufacturer invest 170-million euros for production of its next-generation C-Class and upcoming GLA-Class. "Brazil is an important future market. With our local production we accept the challenge and take on the competition," noted Andreas Renschler, Management Board member for Production and Procurement at Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans. Production is expected to begin by 2016.
Jaguar-Land Rover, meanwhile, isn't so concrete in its plans. The news of its investment in South America comes from a job posting for a plant quality manager in Brazil that was picked up by the UK's AutoCar. "Portuguese language skills will be definite advantage" for interested candidates, according to the job listing. The want ad follows on the heels of remarks by Jaguar Land Rover's Dr. Ralph Speth, who said there are "very intensive discussions" with Brazil's government. Unlike Mercedes, there's no mention of which vehicles will be produced in South America, although AutoCar thinks the Freelander, sold in the US as the LR2, is a leading contender.

Autoblog's ultimate holiday rides

Over the hills and through the woods, it's the time of year when many of us visit family and friends for the holidays. But getting there can be a chore. It's cold and snowy across much of the United States, and even if the climate is favorable, the drive to grandmother's house often is not. Think back to holiday road trips of yore: They probably included crying babies, antsy children, hungover adults and frequent bathrooms stops all around. Now, we're all at different life stages here at Autoblog, and the perfect car for one staffer might be as useful as a team of Budweiser Clydesdales to another. Some of us bounce from family event to family event with children and a labrador in tow, while others prefer a quieter, simpler holiday. But whatever the endeavor, we all need wheels. With that in mind, here is the unofficial Autoblog list of the ultimate cars in which to tackle the holiday season. 2015 Ferrari FF To borrow a chestnut from Top Gear presenter James May, "As you'd expect, I've done this properly." That oddly voluptuous ruby bolide in the photo above? It's a 2015 Ferrari FF – all 652 all-wheel-driven horsepower of it. What makes a Ferrari the ideal for holiday time in PaukertLand? My Midwestern winter breaks are wonderful, but they're typically frenetic and slushy, involving a lot of schlepping from house to house and even city to city, not to mention inevitable last-minute runs for forgotten presents and dinner ingredients. Needless to say, a powerful V12 is a welcome ally for such duties. And this one isn't just a friend when the road is clear. The FF has been gifted Ferrari's novel 4RM AWD system, and despite sitting lower to the ground than, say, an SUV, it's a pretty effective tool for real winter driving, especially when outfitted with a set of snow tires. Unlike other Ferraris, it's also a rather practical thing, with legitimate seating for four adults and 15.9 cubic feet of cargo space – that's precisely as much room as a Mercedes E-Class – and you can fold the rear chairs and cram 28.2 cubes-worth of holiday cheer in the back. Okay, so it's far from cheap and fuel economy isn't that great, but who cares? Just drop a paddle-shifted gear or two, bury the throttle and Repeat The Sounding Joy. Ain't the holidays grand? – Chris Paukert Executive Editor 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe My Mom gives out more presents than any other human being I've ever encountered.