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Jaguar sends off the F-Type with commemorative 75 model

Jaguar is preparing to send the F-Type to the pantheon of automotive history. It unveiled a commemorative model named F-Type 75 that announces the end of a roughly decade-long production run with a small handful of specific design accents inside and out. Offered as a coupe and as a convertible, the 75 stands out from other members of the range with subtle emblems depicting the F-Type's silhouette positioned behind the front wheel arches. The F-Type 75 ships with 20-inch five-spoke wheels finished in gloss black, while the more powerful F-Type R 75 wears 20-inch, 10-spoke wheels with a gloss black and diamond-turned finish.  Inside, the F-Type's silhouette appears on the piece of trim positioned above the infotainment system's display and on the door sills. Every 75 regardless of body style or output comes with the Interior Black Pack and what Jaguar calls "Performance-design" front seats. While a 75-horsepower bump would have been fitting, Jaguar made no mention of mechanical changes. The four- and six-cylinder engines were dropped for the 2022 model year, so the F-Type will end its career with a V8-only range. Power for the base model comes from a 5.0-liter V8 that's supercharged to 444 horsepower and 429 pound-feet of torque, while the R benefits from an evolution of this engine rated at 575 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. The base F-Type is rear- or all-wheel-drive, while the R is rear-wheel-drive-only. Jaguar will begin delivering the F-Type 75 to customers in England in early 2023 — about 75 years after the XK120 made its debut, hence the name. Pricing and availability haven't been announced yet, and Jaguar confirmed to Autoblog that details about the F-Type 75 that will be sold in the United States will be published in December 2022. The company added that 2024 will be the F-Type's last model year. As for what's next, your guess is as good as ours, but it doesn't sound like a direct successor to the F-Type is around the corner. Featured Gallery Jaguar F-Type 75, official images View 12 Photos Jaguar Convertible Coupe Luxury Performance

Why Jaguar Land Rover's Havn ride-hailing service sounds nicer than Uber or Lyft

Havn is a new app-based ride-hailing service that has launched in London, and promises a more upscale experience than Uber, Lyft, or the city's characteristic black cabs. Havn is backed financially by Jaguar Land Rover, and it exclusively uses Jaguar I-Pace electric SUVs, which are definitely a step up from the Camrys and Accords that seem so popular over here. Havn calls itself a chauffeur service, but it functions similarly to an app-based ride-hailing service. One difference is that you need to request a ride at least 30 minutes in advance. When scheduling a ride, customers are able to specify a music playlist, cabin temperature, and — most compelling of all — your preferred level of "chauffeur interaction." Those chauffeurs, interestingly, are all full-time employees, not gig workers. Havn pricing is based on time plus distance, with a 20 GBP (~$25) minimum charge. Hourly rates also are available, while airport runs have a fixed pricing schedule. Heathrow airport to central London is 74 GBP (~$95), for instance, and Gatwick to West London is 108 GBP (~$140). Airport pickups include an hour of wait time, while other scheduled pickups include 30 minutes waiting at no extra charge. It will be interesting to see whether this service succeeds in London, and whether it makes the leap to our side of the Atlantic. Whether it's Havn or some other startup, a trend toward a better ride-hailing experience, both for passengers and for drivers, would be a positive for an industry that has suffered its share of negatives even while quickly becoming part of the fabric of the modern transportation system. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.    

Jaguar Land Rover CEO: Wrong Brexit deal will cost thousands of UK jobs

BIRMINGHAM, England — The wrong Brexit deal could cost tens of thousands of jobs, the boss of Britain's biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover warned on Tuesday, saying he had no idea whether his plants would be able to operate after Britain leaves the European Union next year. Ralf Speth also said that the company would not be able to build cars if customs checks meant that the motorway to and from the southern English port of Dover, which is used to transport components, becomes a "car park" due to snarl-ups of people no longer able to move freely among EU countries. Speth made the warning at a conference in Birmingham, central England, speaking shortly before Prime Minister Theresa May, who is battling to have her so-called Chequers Brexit plan accepted by many in her Conservative Party as well as the EU ahead of Britain's departure from the bloc on March 29. "A thousand (jobs were) lost as a result of diesel policy, and those numbers will be counted in the tens of thousands if we do not get the right Brexit deal," warned Speth, referring to redundancies made earlier this year at the firm. "Currently I do not even know if any of our manufacturing facilities in the UK will be able to function on the 30th," he said. The boss of JLR, which built nearly a third of Britain's cars last year, also said long-standing issues around low productivity in Britain could be compounded by a Brexit agreement which made the country less competitive. "It is thousands of pounds cheaper to produce vehicles for instance in Eastern Europe than in Solihull, and what decisions will I be forced to make if Brexit means not merely that costs go up but that we cannot physically build cars on time and on budget in the UK?" he said.Reporting by Costas Pitas