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A car writer's year in new vehicles [w/video]

Christmas is only a week away. The New Year is just around the corner. As 2014 draws to a close, I'm not the only one taking stock of the year that's we're almost shut of. Depending on who you are or what you do, the end of the year can bring to mind tax bills, school semesters or scheduling dental appointments. For me, for the last eight or nine years, at least a small part of this transitory time is occupied with recalling the cars I've driven over the preceding 12 months. Since I started writing about and reviewing cars in 2006, I've done an uneven job of tracking every vehicle I've been in, each year. Last year I made a resolution to be better about it, and the result is a spreadsheet with model names, dates, notes and some basic facts and figures. Armed with this basic data and a yen for year-end stories, I figured it would be interesting to parse the figures and quantify my year in cars in a way I'd never done before. The results are, well, they're a little bizarre, honestly. And I think they'll affect how I approach this gig in 2015. {C} My tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015 it'll be as high as 73. Let me give you a tiny bit of background about how automotive journalists typically get cars to test. There are basically two pools of vehicles I drive on a regular basis: media fleet vehicles and those available on "first drive" programs. The latter group is pretty self-explanatory. Journalists are gathered in one location (sometimes local, sometimes far-flung) with a new model(s), there's usually a day of driving, then we report back to you with our impressions. Media fleet vehicles are different. These are distributed to publications and individual journalists far and wide, and the test period goes from a few days to a week or more. Whereas first drives almost always result in a piece of review content, fleet loans only sometimes do. Other times they serve to give context about brands, segments, technology and the like, to editors and writers. So, adding up the loans I've had out of the press fleet and things I've driven at events, my tally for the year is 68 cars, as of this writing. Before the calendar flips to 2015, it'll be as high as 73. At one of the buff books like Car and Driver or Motor Trend, reviewers might rotate through five cars a week, or more. I know that number sounds high, but as best I can tell, it's pretty average for the full-time professionals in this business.

Jaguar Land Rover reveals Bond cars [w/video]

We interrupt your regularly scheduled Frankfurt Motor Show coverage to bring you something far cooler. Jaguar Land Rover has officially introduced the cars it's lending to the latest James Bond film, Spectre. There's not much that wasn't previously covered as part JLR's February 2015 release, although there are some comments from the stars, as well as a pair of behind-the-scenes videos. At the very forefront of the British brand's charge is the Jaguar C-X75, the stillborn concept that set hearts aflutter with its handsome looks and its innovative turbine-powered drivetrain. According to Jaguar Land Rover, the orange supercar will be piloted by baddie Dave Bautista as part of an enormous chase scene throughout Rome. Meanwhile, Eve Moneypenny, played by Naomie Harris in her second Bond flick, will pilot the blacked-out Defender. For those that remember Skyfall, Miss Moneypenny spent most of the film's pre-title sequence tearing through Istanbul, Turkey behind the wheel of a silver Defender. Joining the Defender is the most powerful vehicle Land Rover has ever produced. The new Range Rover Sport SVR will show up wearing a menacing black paint job and featuring some extra lighting on both its roof and in its bumper. It's not clear who will be driving the 550-horsepower SVR, but in the photos released by JLR, it's shown trading places with a pair of Defenders as they rampage through the Austrian snow. Check out the photos of the vehicles below. You'll find both studio stuff and some set photos. There's also a full press release from JLR, as well as a pair of behind-the-scenes videos. Show full PR text Jaguar and Land Rover stunt vehicles Jaguar C-X75, Range Rover Sport SVR and Land Rover Defender make international debut in Frankfurt, Germany ? SPECTRE cast members Naomie Harris and David Bautista attend star-studded event ahead of reveal at motor show ? Guests entertained by British singer and musician John Newman ? Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations [SVO] as well as Jaguar and Land Rover Design worked with filmmakers on the conception and creation of the Bond ? SVO is responsible for the most luxurious and highest performing cars that Jaguar Land Rover makes ? Jaguar and Land Rover to release exclusive and interactive behind-the-scenes SPECTRE content on www.JaguarUSA.com and www.LandRoverUSA.com (FRANKFURT, GERMANY) – September 15, 2015 - Today, Jaguar Land Rover celebrated their vehicles appearing in the new Bond adventure, SPECTRE.

Jaguar tests autonomous vehicle technology with 100-car fleet

Jaguar Land Rover is exploring how to take autonomous vehicle technology off the paved path. But the company has plans for technology on tarmac, too. The company announced that the Jaguar division will have a fleet of 100 cars testing autonomous technologies on public roads. The testing process will cover a period of four years and begin with vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems, along with a stereo camera system and autonomous vehicle software. These systems will work together to provide a variety of features that could make their way into future Jaguars and Land Rovers. The first feature in development is called "Roadwork Assist." The system relies on the stereo camera to create a 3D image the car's software can analyze. The software can identify road cones and other barriers associated with construction sites. The car will then alert the driver about entering the construction zone and provide some steering assistance to keep the car centered in its lane. Tony Harper, Jaguar's head of research, said that this system can reduce stress on the driver, and the technology could eventually be used to allow the car to pilot itself through construction zones. Another of Jaguar's proposed features is "Safe Pullaway," which also relies on cameras and software. The Safe Pullaway feature is designed to prevent close-proximity collisions in traffic jams and even in the garage. To do this, the car watches the area immediately ahead of it for obstacles. If the car detects something nearby while the driver adds throttle or shifts into gear, it will apply the brakes to prevent driving into the object. The final project on Jaguar's plate is its "Over the Horizon Warning" system. This will be one of the first features to rely on Jaguar's vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology. The idea is that connected cars in constant communication will give drivers additional warning of upcoming hazards, such as out-of-sight animals and slowed or stopped cars. In Jaguar's example of a stopped car, the stationary vehicle would send a signal alerting approaching cars of the situation. In turn, the approaching vehicles would trigger audible and visual warnings to drivers about the hidden car. Jaguar says that the system could also be applied to emergency vehicles. Emergency vehicles would broadcast a signal to alert drivers well before the lights and sirens get their attention. This would give emergency vehicles a faster, safer path through traffic.