2005 Jaguar X-type!! Great Luxury Car!! Excellent Ride Quality And Features!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Jaguar XE First Drive Review | The outlier's unusual charms

ST. TROPEZ, France — It's tough out there for compact sports sedans, even top contenders like the Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, and Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Jaguar resorted to a big-winged, bestial XE Project 8 that toppled a Nurburbring record to try and gain some attention, but the regular 2020 Jaguar XE will have to attain relevance on its unwinged charms against stiff German competition. We piloted the updated underdog through jagged hills above coastal France to see how its improvements stack up. For 2020, the XE receives a few subtle but effective styling tweaks — a resculpted front bumper, a wider and more purposeful grille, and a rear bumper with slimmer LED tail lamps that make the backend appear wider and more aggressive. Aerodynamic efficiency is slightly improved or equal to the previous model, depending on equipment. But the cabin receives more critical updates, specifically a much-needed upgrading of interior materials and trim. While higher-quality materials lend the XE a distinctly more luxurious feel, also welcome is a 12.3-inch driver display screen, Jag's familiar InControl Touch Pro Duo infotainment system (optional), and modern features like a wireless phone charging pad and a new steering wheel with updated illuminated controls. Small touches like wider, softer armrests, posher seat coverings, and more spacious door pockets also elevate the passenger experience — although the rear seats are tight at the knees and head for my 5'11" frame. Speed freaks and diesel fanatics will be disappointed to learn that the XE's engine options have, in Jaguar's words, been "rationalized" for 2020, dropping the 380-horsepower supercharged V6 and 180 hp four-cylinder turbodiesel. The only available engines for 2020 are both carryover units: the turbocharged 247 hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder (dubbed the S / P250), and the R-Dynamic S / P300, which is essentially the same mill with a bigger turbo producing 296 hp. Expect 0-60 mph times of 6.2 and 5.4 seconds, respectively. All-wheel drive is optional in the P250 model ($39,900 or $41,900 with AWD), and mandatory with the P300 ($46,295). Click the gear selector into Drive, and the cabin feels quiet and well insulated as the XE accelerates. There's a noticeable, but not enormous difference between the P250 and P300's acceleration.

California adapts ZEV mandate with PHEVs for smaller automakers

California is the nation's largest market for zero-emissions vehicles with over 100,000 of them estimated to be on the roads there. The state's goal is to keep that number growing every year. To that end, the California Air Resources Board is now tweaking its rules in a way that might not boost ZEVs but could mean more plug-in hybrids for the Golden State. Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Subaru, and Volvo asked for an exemption to the state's zero-emissions vehicle mandate last year due to their relatively small development budgets compared to larger automakers. CARB denied their request but did craft a compromise, according to Automotive News. Rather than being required to offer a ZEV in the state, companies with an annual global revenue of less than $40 billion, like those in this group, may instead sell plug-in hybrids to earn ZEV credits. The companies aren't completely off the hook, though. If these plug-in hybrids don't earn enough credits, the corporations must buy them on the market to make up the difference. Automakers with popular electric models like Nissan and Tesla have made a big business through this trading system by selling their surplus to rivals. Tesla alone pocketed $51 million in the first quarter from this part of its business, according to Automotive News. The changes to the regulations also aren't set in stone, yet. CARB is meeting in 2016 and could adjust things further at that time. Related Video: News Source: Automotive News - sub. req. via Hybrid CarsImage Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images Government/Legal Green Jaguar Land Rover Mazda Mitsubishi Subaru Volvo Emissions Electric Hybrid California zev credits zero emissions vehicle

Jaguar Land Rover to cut thousands of UK jobs

LONDON — Britain's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is set to cut thousands of jobs as the company faces lower demand in China and a slump in sales of diesel cars in Europe. The central English firm builds a higher proportion of its cars in Britain than any other major or medium-sized carmaker and has also spent millions of pounds preparing for Brexit, in case there are tariffs or customs checks. Britain's business minister Greg Clark said on Thursday it is clear why a no-deal Brexit would add to the problems with further costs and disruption. JLR lost 354 million pounds ($450 million) between April and September 2018 and had already cut around 1,000 roles in Britain, shut its Solihull plant for two weeks and announced a three-day week at its Castle Bromwich site. Its Chief Executive Ralf Speth warned in September that the wrong Brexit deal could cost tens of thousands of car jobs and posed a threat to production at the automaker. The Tata Motors-owned company, which employs around 40,000 people in Britain and has boosted its workforce at new plants in China and Slovakia in recent years, unveiled plans to cut costs and improve cash flows by 2.5 billion pounds last year including "reducing employment costs and employment levels." Those cuts will be "substantial" and run into the thousands, the source told Reuters. "The announcement on job losses will be substantial, affecting managerial, research, sales, design," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, not affecting production-line staff "at this stage." The company declined to comment when contacted by Reuters on Thursday. Ford also said on Thursday it will cut thousands of jobs in Europe, exit unprofitable markets and discontinue loss-making vehicle lines as part of a turnaround effort aimed at improving profit margins in the region. Brexit warnings JLR, which became Britain's biggest carmaker in 2016, had been on course to build around 1 million vehicles by the turn of the decade, reported on Thursday a 4.6 percent drop in full-year sales to just under 600,000 vehicles. Demand in China, which had once been one of its strongest countries but has since been hit by a slowdown, fell by 21.6 percent, the biggest drop of any of its markets. "The economic slowdown in China along with ongoing trade tensions is continuing to influence consumer confidence," said Jaguar Land Rover Chief Commercial Officer Felix Brautigam.