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Jaguar's famed design director Ian Callum is quitting

Jaguar's director of design Ian Callum is officially stepping down. Callum has been with the company for over 20 years, leading numerous important and legendary designs. To name a few, Callum is responsible for recent cars like the Jaguar F-Type, XF and I-Pace. He also designed the C-X75, which was a concept hypercar that Jaguar absolutely should have made. "I have had an incredible career at Jaguar," Callum says. "One of my biggest highlights was creating XF because it represented the beginning of a new era moving Jaguar from tradition to contemporary design — it was a significant turning point in our story." Callum also says he isn't done designing cars — he's even going to continue to act as a consultant for Jaguar after his departure. It's unclear what his main project will be after he leaves in July, but he's left the door open for himself. "I came into this role with a mission to take Jaguar design back to where it deserved to be. It has taken 20 years, but I believe I have achieved what I set out to do. Given the strength of both our products and the design team I feel that now is the right time to move on, both personally and professionally, and explore other design projects," Callum says. In addition to slick sports cars and sultry sedans, Callum is also responsible for leading Jaguar into the era of SUVs and crossovers. He headed up the design for the F-Pace and E-Pace. We found both of those to be some of the better looking crossovers on sale today, so props to Callum for finding and implementing the Jaguar style in the inherently unstylish crossover format. Callum has designed plenty of great cars outside of Jaguar, too. A few examples include the Aston Martin DB7, DB9, Vanquish and Ford Escort Cosworth. Our big question is, what's next for Callum? Whatever car he decides to design is probably going to look the business, so we're excited for any projects he gets involved in after Jaguar. Taking his place at Jaguar is current creative design director Julian Thomson. He's been with the company since 2000, and has previously worked with Ford, Lotus and Volkswagen.

Automakers want to stop the EPA's fuel economy rules change, and why that's a shortsighted move

With a Trump Administration looming, the EPA moved quickly after the election to propose finalizing future fuel economy rules last week. The auto industry doesn't like that (surprise), and has started making moves to stop the EPA. Ford CEO Mark Fields said he wanted to lobby Trump to lower the standards, and now the Auto Alliance, a manufacturer group, is saying it will join the fight against cleaner cars. The Alliance represents 12 automakers: BMW, Fiat Chrysler, Ford, GM, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Toyota, VW, and Volvo. Gloria Bergquist, a spokesperson for the Alliance, told Automotive News that the "EPA's sudden and controversial move to propose auto regulations eight months early - even after Congress warned agencies about taking such steps while political appointees were packing their bags - calls out for congressional action to pause this rulemaking until a thoughtful policy review can occur." The EPA was going to consider public comments through April 2017, but then said it would move the deadline to the end of December. That means that it can finalize the rules before President Obama leaves office. The director of public affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, Jack Gillis, said on a conference call with reporters last week when the EPA originally announced its decision that it is unlikely that President Trump will be able to roll back these changes. Gillis also said on the same call that any attempt by the automakers to prevent these changes would be history repeating itself. "These are the same companies that fought airbags, and now promoting the fact that every car has multiple airbags," he said. "These are the same companies that fought the crash-test program, and now are promoting the crash-test ratings published by the government. So, it's clear that they're misperceiving the needs of the American consumer." There are more reasons the Allliance's pushback is flawed. Carol Lee Rawn, the transportation program director for Ceres, said on that call that the automotive industry is a global one, and many automakers are moving to global platforms to help them meet strict fuel economy rules around the world.

Jaguar XE to start at $35,895, XF at $52,895

Jaguar has announced pricing for two of its most anticipated models, the new, entry-level XE sedan and the second-generation XF. The British marque also released price changes across its range and unveiled a new customer service pack called EliteCare. As you can see from the headline, the new XE starts at $35,895. That'll score you the base model, the so-called 25t, and its 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder engine. That puts the baby Jag right in the meat of a very competitive segment. It'll be undercut by the Cadillac ATS, BMW 320i, and Acura TLX, but it's a good bit more affordable than the Mercedes-Benz C-Class, Infiniti Q50, or Lexus IS. If you like your fuel extra smelly and your torque to be offered by the bucket-full, be prepared to shell out $37,395. The 340-horsepower, 3.0-liter, supercharged-V6-powered XE 35t will require at least $42,695. The XE's big brother, meanwhile, is subject to a significant price drop. The new base model, the 340-horsepower 35t, rings up at just $52,895, or over $5,200 less than the entry level V6-powered 2015 XF. Once again, Jag has parked itself in the middle of a popular segment, although unlike the XE, the vehicles that undercut the XF – the Infiniti Q70 and Acura RLX – are old or not particularly popular among consumers. That's good news for JLR, since the new sedan easily undercuts the BMW 5 Series and Audi A6, while sneaking in just below the likes of the Mercedes E-Class or Cadillac CTS. And if you're in mourning for the 2.0-liter, turbocharged XF, don't be – the new 35t is only $2,000 more expensive, is lighter, and has 100 more horsepower. Finally, we have Jaguar's new EliteCare program. Essentially, should you purchase anything from model year 2016 and beyond, your car will be subject to a limited warranty, free scheduled service, and 24/7 roadside assistance for five years or the first 60,000 miles of ownership. Owners will also have access to Jaguar's InControl Remote and Protect services for the first 60 months. According to the Brits, the warranty is the best in the class, while the free maintenance lasts longer than the competition. Read on for the full press release from Jaguar, which includes details and other small pricing tweaks for the company's range.