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Jaguar's design boss wants to build another sports car model

The global sports car segment is facing a strong, glacial headwind, but Jaguar believes smoother waters are right around the corner. One of the company's top executives predicted the market will recover in the coming years, and he wants his team to be ahead of the curve when that happens. "Jaguar will always build sports cars. I'd love to do more than one," affirmed Julian Thomson, the man who replaced Ian Callum at the head of the brand's design department, in an interview with British magazine Auto Express. The only sports car currently in the Jaguar portfolio is the F-Type. While enthusiasts still love sports cars, the run-of-the-mill buyers that keep automakers profitable have rejected them in favor of crossovers and SUVs. And, requests for cleaner, more efficient cars make developing fun cars considerably more difficult; even Mazda is looking into taking the Miata into hybrid or electric territory. Jaguar faces the same challenges, but Thomson expects the sports car segment will rise up from its ashes when motorists realize they're trapped in a sea of crossovers. "In this day and age of electrification and autonomous technology, a part of me thinks there may be a resurgence of people enjoying transportation for transportation's sake, and driving for driving's sake," he said. "Whether that makes the market bigger I don’t know, but I think there is a threat to volume production cars, and they are going to struggle to find a position on what they do. IÂ’d hope that truly special and luxury cars, sports cars, will find a place where they have the option to be more exotic." He stopped short of confirming a second sports car is under development, so it's far too early to pinpoint the segment it would compete in. In the meantime, Jaguar just gave the F-Type a facelift (pictured), and its vehicle development team has already started working on the model's successor. The rumor mill has started spinning; we've heard reports of the nameplate pulling a Corvette by going mid-engined, adopting BMW's 4.4-liter V8, and getting a battery-electric powertrain. The latter option would slot neatly into Jaguar's electrification push, but Thomson hinted it's easier said than done. He explained making an electric sports car with a huge amount of power, like the 2,000-horsepower Lotus Evija, is not the answer.

Jaguar Land Rover releases a vintage-looking infotainment system for classics

Jaguar and Land Rover have a new option for owners of its older vehicles: a touchscreen infotainment system. Much like the Porsche classic infotainment head unit released a few years ago, this one tries to blend in with its interior surroundings. Five distinct designs of these "Classic Infotainment Systems" are offered in an effort to have an option that fits well with the interior of any particular car offered by Jag or Land Rover over the past few decades. Chrome and black options are available for Jaguars, while brushed aluminum and black are the choices for Land Rovers. The infotainment system has navigation with 2D or 3D maps and Bluetooth audio. Sure, you don't need to stream Spotify in a 1970s Land Rover, but now you can. Jaguar says it'll offer much higher quality sound with a 4 x 45 watt output from the single DIN head unit, but you might need to upgrade those ancient speakers to actually take advantage of it. There's no mention of satellite radio like Porsche's unit offers, unfortunately. It is a radio though, so we get both AM and FM functionality. Jaguar says it's "compatible with negative earth vehicles" (newer vehicles use negative grounding systems) and retails for $1,796 before taxes in the U.S. You can buy and have it professionally fitted at an "authorized" Jaguar or Land Rover dealer if you'd like as well. It's easy to shake your fist at such a device for classic cars, but this head unit tried hard to be an elegant piece — we're still not sure about slotting it into an old E-Type though... Here are U.S. specific model fitments: Jaguar XJ40; XJS; XJ Series 3 Sedan Land Rover Defender 90, 110; Range Rover Classic (93-96); Discovery 1 (94-98); Freelander (97-04) Related Video: Featured Gallery Jaguar Land Rover Classic Infotainment System News Source: Jaguar Jaguar Land Rover Technology Infotainment

2014 Jaguar XJL AWD 3.0

A bit of British nobility floods the senses when piloting the 2014 Jaguar XJ. It's an emotional rush, a perception based on physical surroundings that influence the mind in much the same manner that a stein of pilsner tastes best when consumed in a German beer garden and no sand is softer than that found on a warm Caribbean beach. Jaguar has been assembling cars for nearly 100 years, and few automakers are as equally adept at capturing aristocracy and timelessness within the rich cabins of their luxury offerings.
Jaguar would have no concern if it were the only game in town, but that's far from the truth. The premium full-size luxury segment, which includes vehicles hovering just under or at the six-figure mark, is a contentious grouping that includes the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, Lexus LS, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Porsche Panamera. Each of those brings its own game to the battle, and none are easy to dismiss.
To better understand the British perspective and evaluate its latest offering on a land without royalty, I recently spent a week with a long-wheelbase, all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ in Southern California.