2001 Jaguar Xjr Base Sedan 4-door 4.0l on 2040-cars

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Ford's J Mays feels vindicated by Fusion reception

It's hard to think back now, but the same man overseeing the design of the 2013 Ford Fusion also presided over a rather lackluster period in Ford design, highlighted by vehicles like the Five Hundred and Freestyle. With the redesigned Fusion receiving high praise, J Mays tells Automotive News that he feels vindicated from criticisms suggesting he's not a daring enough designer.
When Mays took over as lead of design in 1997, he admits to having quite an ego ("My head would barely fit through the door some days. I've long since gotten over myself") and the workload to match. With the Blue Oval's portfolio full of premium brands like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo at that point, along with the bread-and-butter Ford, Lincoln and Mercury models, Mays certainly had quite the challenge.
It was in the mid-2000s that Mays took over just the premium brands, and took on the new title of Chief Creative Officer. At the time, Mays endured some criticism for looking backwards to retro styling, rather than setting a new standard for American car design - criticism that Mays says he is free from with the all-new Fusion.

Jaguar takes bite out of Mercedes' Magic Body Control chicken ad

We were quite impressed by Mercedes-Benz when it aired its Magic Body Control commercial, starring a group suitably funky chickens demonstrating their ability to jive to Diana Ross and the Supremes. Now, Jaguar has taken the opportunity to poke some fun at its German rival, releasing its own take on the Magic Body Control spot, and um, there's a big cat involved.
You'll really want to take a look at this video, which is just another sign that in terms of clever ads, Jaguar is doing quite well. We aren't sure if "Jaguar vs. Chicken" will make it onto TV any time soon, but it's still fun to see the British brand take the mickey out of Mercedes - it's rare to see automakers go after each other so bluntly in their marketing efforts. Scroll down to watch the video (we've also included a bonus video, Jag's recent "Cat In A Box" spot).

Next-gen electric Jaguar XJ could pack as much as 800 horsepower

A report in Car magazine puts more meat on rumors about the next-generation Jaguar XJ. As has long been expected, the flagship English sedan is still predicted to move to an all-electric platform. The report says the XJ could be the first to move to Jaguar Land Rover's new Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) suitable for ICE, hybrid and battery-electric vehicles. That's the same platform that's supposed to be used for the XJ's twin, a more car-like Land Rover nicknamed the Road Rover by outsiders. The XJ could inherit I-Pace powertrain internals, with a couple of twists. The I-Pace hides a 90-kWh battery sending juice to two electric motors, one on each axle. Total system output comes to 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque. According to Car, the XJ could upgrade battery capacity to 100 kWh, and use it to power four electric motors placed at the wheels. Each of those motors could be rated up to 200 horsepower. This reads like pie-in-the-sky concept spec, but if Jaguar were to do such a thing, the XJ would immediately claim the power trophy among its luxury electric competition. Arguably the bigger question is when are we going to see it? Various corners have predicted a launch in 2019 for at least three years, and most recently just a year ago. Unless spy photographers have decided to ignore Coventry, we haven't seen a single mule or camo'd prototype, making the sedan seem no closer now than in 2016. What's more, Car's use of conditionals makes it sound like Jaguar hasn't nailed down the final specs. We know — or think we know — the XJ exterior will stick with the five-door liftback style. We get the feeling all else, as with so many things at JLR these days, is TBD. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.