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Autoblog Podcast #396

Episode #396 of the Autoblog Podcast is here, and this week, Dan Roth, Steven Ewing, and Chris Paukert talk about the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata, the 2016 Jaguar XE, and the 2015 Lexus RC. We start with what's in the garage and finish up with some of your questions, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. Check out the rundown below with times for topics, and you can follow along down below with our Q&A. Thanks for listening!
Autoblog Podcast #396:
Topics:

Automotive Grade Linux will be the backbone of your connected car

Creating a backend for a secure, reliable, and expandable infotainment system is costly and time consuming. The Linux Foundation, a non-profit organization, has set out to promote and advance the Linux operating system in commercial products. Automotive Grade Linux, or AGL, is a group within the Foundation that seeks to apply a Linux backend to a number of automotive applications in a variety of vehicles from various suppliers and manufacturers. AGL's goal is to create a common, unifying framework that allows developers and manufacturers to easily implement applications across platforms. Currently, the focus is on infotainment systems, but AGL has plans for instrument clusters, heads-up displays, and eventually active safety software. At CES, a display from Panasonic showed a completely digital and customizable dashboard that allows information and apps to be moved from the gauge cluster to the infotainment screen and back, all through the use of gesture and touch controls. Although the organization has been around for five years, it's really only been in the past three that the group has been working hand in hand with automakers and suppliers. The first two OEMs to participate, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover, have since been joined by Mazda, Suzuki, Ford, and, as of this week, Daimler. The latter is important as until now most of AGL's partner's have been based in Japan or the US. Other partners include suppliers Denso, Renesas, Continental, Qualcomm, and Intel. AGL want's to supply roughly 80 percent of the backend, allowing partners to then finish and refine the Linux system for each individual application. Think of how the Android operating system is refined and customized for individual smartphones from Samsung, LG, and Motorola. While the final product looks different, developers can have an application that will work across all AGL systems. Because it is open source, anyone can use and develop for AGL. You can even go onto the group's website and download a copy right now. There is also a software development kit available that helps facilitate app creation on the platform. Vehicle development cycles take roughly five years, so there currently are no cars that run an AGL backbone available for consumers. AGL Executive Director Dan Cauchy says products should be hitting the market later this year, with even more coming in 2018. Right now, the industry is relatively fragmented when it comes to infotainment and related systems.

Jaguar flagship J-Pace crossover due in 2021

We've been talking about a Jaguar J-Pace crossover for four years. In 2016, the large luxury SUV version of the XJ sedan was expected to arrive this year and challenge the Audi Q8, BMW X7, and Mercedes GLS. More recent information from Autocar put the J-Pace's length at roughly 4.9 meters (193 inches), putting the English offering in a bracket with the Mercedes-Benz GLE and the Porsche Cayenne. Dynamics will be the priority, with the J-Pace intended to "beat the Porsche Cayenne at its own game." The Jaguar will supposedly do this with a novel hybrid powertrain arrangement on the launch vehicle. The new Ingenium turbocharged inline-six, expected to be the "mainstream" engine, will turn the front wheels, the rear axle turned by an electric motor. That setup will provide more interior room thanks to the lack of a center tunnel, as well as finer control of torque to the rear wheels for better bad-weather and soft-roading character. Autocar said electric and four-cylinder versions were possible although not confirmed. The magazine said traditional gasoline and diesel versions without the electric motor out back would likely come only in two-wheel drive. However, not only is the phrase "front-wheel drive Jaguar" a terrifically un-sexy string of words, but the Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) platform has supposedly been developed for rear-wheel- and all-wheel-drive cars. The Premium Transverse Architecture (PTA), an evolution of the aged D8 platform, supports the Range Rover Evoque, but all JLR products are planned to migrate to the MLA by 2025. The MLA will come in high-rise, mid-height, and low-rise versions. Products like the coming Range Rover and Defender will utilize the high-rise version. The J-Pace will use the mid-height MLA, along with the rumored Road Rover. The Jaguar F-Pace and Range Rover Velar take the low-rise PLA. These tiers would put a J-Pace roofline beneath the six-foot-two-inch-tall Range Rover and make for a sleeker appearance. Autocar also says that the J-Pace will have more luggage capacity than the Range Rover, quite the trick since the Jaguar won't be as tall and will be around six inches shorter. If it arrives in 2021, the shape could define the next stage in Jaguar design; the next-generation F-Pace has been predicted for 2022, so it could fall into line established by the big brother.