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Regulators consider adding more carmakers to Takata recall

Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal has been getting a lot of press recently, but the Takata airbag inflator affair could be grabbing headlines again soon. According to Bloomberg, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is contemplating an expansion to the campaign that could add seven automakers to the 12 already affected. They are Jaguar Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Spartan Motors, Suzuki, Tesla, Volvo Trucks, and VW Group. To be clear, there's no recall for any of these automakers, yet. The government is simply asking for a full list of vehicles that each of them have with Takata-supplied inflators containing ammonium nitrate propellant. The agency is concerned this substance could play a roll in the ruptures. "NHTSA is considering not only whether to issue an administrative order that would coordinate the remedy programs associated with the current Takata recalls, but also whether such an order should include expansion of the current recalls," the letters say. All seven can be viewed, here. From a report supplied by Takata, the government already knows that the company supplied 887,055 inflators with ammonium-nitrate propellant to VW and 184,926 of them to Tesla. In an incident during the summer, a side airbag allegedly burst in a 2015 VW Tiguan. In early September, NHTSA put out a revised report that there were 23.4 million inflators to be replaced in 19.2 million vehicles in the US. An earlier accounting from the agency had about 34 million of the parts in 30 million cars. High humidity is still believed to be among the biggest risk factors for the ruptures. Although, if ammonium nitrate also gets the blame, some already recalled models might need to be repaired again. Related Video:

Jaguar axes supercar plans, focuses on luxury EVs

Jaguar is abandoning plans to replace the XK coupe and convertible and won't build a production variant of the C-X75 supercar, according to Automobile Magazine. Previous reports indicated that Jaguar could revive the XK line as a grand tourer, but the automaker has turned toward building two electric vehicles (EV). One would be a replacement for the XJ sedan and the other a premium SUV. The large luxury EV, codenamed X590, is reported to be a four-door coupe with a rear hatch that signifies a drastic shift in strategy by Jaguar. The vehicle is said to be a compromise between Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralf Speth and Jaguar design chief Ian Callum. According to the report, the X590 will utilize a new electronic architecture that can be adapted to accommodate the software for autonomous driving capability that was developed under former BMW engineer Wolfgang Ziebart. Jaguar looks to take on the Tesla Model S and the slew of electric vehicles from Germany with the X590. While Jaguar hopes the EV will allow the automaker to expand to a new segment, it will continue to sell the current XJ alongside the X590. Meanwhile, an unnamed source claims Jaguar will put an electric SUV on the road shortly after the X590 in 2019. Originally planned as a Range Rover, the ute is reported to have a modern look with a focus on aerodynamics. The SUV will be offered as a rear-wheel-drive model with one motor or an all-wheel-drive version with two motors. Both variants will have a choice of three battery packs based on range, performance, and charge time. Jaguar expects to put 20,000 to 30,000 units of the X590 on the road every year, while the SUV, which should be more affordable, will have a production rate between 30,000 and 50,000 units. With the electric and SUV segment continuing to grow, Jaguar is looking to capitalize with two new vehicles that could set the tone for its future. Related Video:

Jaguar-based Eagle E-Type Low Drag GT makes its bid for most beautiful car ever with EVO

The Jaguar E-Type is one of the icons of automotive design, and British company Eagle has made a business out of restoring, upgrading and building their bespoke versions for the last 30 years. It does for the E-Type what Singer does for the Porsche 911 - takes an already great classic car and updates its mechanicals for the modern age.
The firm's latest creation, the Low Drag GT, might be its greatest ever, at least according to editor Henry Catchpole in Evo magazine's latest video. The car takes its inspiration from a trio of low-drag E-Type coupes built in the 1960s, but thoroughly modernizes the concept. The engine is based on Jag's inline-six, but made from aluminum and bored out to 4.7 liters to produce 346 horsepower and 360 pound-feet of torque. Catchpole says it's enough to propel it to 60 miles per hour in about 4.5 seconds. The body, transmission and differential are all also made from aluminum to cut the weight to 2,288 pounds, and modern upgrades include Ohlins dampers, AP Racing brakes and even extras like concealed GPS navigation and an Alcantara headliner. There's more head- and legroom than the originals, too.
Each car is built bespoke for each buyer, so prices vary, but Catchpole says the one he is in would run about half the cost of a LaFerrari - around $700,000.