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Weekly Recap: Takeaways from the Frankfurt Motor Show

We obsessively covered the 2015 Frankfurt Motor Show, and naturally, we selected our favorites from this fall's biggest automotive event. Now that the dust has settled, we're looking ahead to what it all means. Here are three takeaways from the floor in Frankfurt. The Germans are serious about electric vehicles: It's a bit cliche to say BMW, Mercedes, and Audi have downplayed electrics in favor of other technologies, like diesels. For a time that may have been true, but those three companies, along with Porsche and Volkswagen, are emerging as leaders in EV development. That was on display in Frankfurt, when all of them revealed either all-electric or plug-in hybrid models. Gas prices are relatively low in the United States, but clearly the Germans are thinking long-term and globally. Everyone is serious about SUVs: You gotta have one, even if you're Bentley or Jaguar. It's 2015 and it's what consumers want. As Jaguar design director Ian Callum put it, "Not to be in the sector would be a little naive for the sake of purity." It's not just the flashy exotic luxury makers. Nissan showed the Gripz concept, which is rakish, radical, and meant to blend traits of SUVs and sports cars into a vehicle that really crosses over. Look for more, especially in the luxury sector, as Rolls-Royce, Lamborghini, and Aston Martin ramp up their own SUV efforts. There's no ceiling to the luxury market: Speaking of high-end cars, companies are continuing to invest in extravagant wares beyond just SUVs. Even during the recession, ultra-luxury makers remained relevant, and now they're back at full stride. In Frankfurt, that was illustrated by yet another S-Class model, the cabriolet, which will come in S550 and S63 AMG variants in the United States. Ferrari also showed off the 488 Spider, and Lamborghini opened up the Huracan LP 610-4 Spyder. Meanwhile, Bugatti's Vision Grand Turismo concept reminded enthusiasts that it's plotting life after the Veyron. European auto shows always draw the glitziest reveals from luxury makers, and this year didn't disappoint. OTHER NEWS & NOTES 2016 Honda Civic redesigned with snazzier style, turbo power The 10th-generation of the Honda Civic debuted this week at events in Los Angeles and Detroit ahead of its launch in the United States this fall as a 2016 model. Honda fortified the Civic with LED lights, an available turbo engine, and a more tech-laden cabin.

Jaguar Land Rover recalls Takata airbag-equipped cars

In the latest chapter of what feels like the never-ending recall, Jaguar Land Rover announced that it's calling back 2009-2011 Jaguar XFs and 2007-2011 Land Rover Range Rovers for defective Takata airbags on the front passenger side. These Takata airbags have propellant that may have degraded and, if activated, could release metal shrapnel. The company is breaking up the recall into four phases, since currently there are not enough parts to do a full recall. Since the airbags can be more seriously affected by high heat and humidity, the first phase will cover vehicles that were sold and/or registered in regions with high temperatures and humidity. The regions included are as follows: Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the US Virgin Islands. Other phases will begin as parts become available, and priority will be given to regions at greater risk of having defective equipment. Jaguar Land Rover encourages owners of affected vehicles to go to www.SaferCar.gov to check if their vehicle is included in the current recall. The first phase includes 54,000 of 108,000 affected vehicles. The company is also notifying owners of the issue, who will eventually get a second notification when parts are available so they can schedule a time to have the airbags replaced. Related Video:

2023 Jaguar F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 begins the brand's reset

At the end of last month, Jaguar hit the 'Delete' button on nearly ten years of Instagram posts, replacing them with three images of the Jaguar XJR-9 endurance racer that won the 1988 24 Hours of Le Mans. We made two conjectures as to what it could mean, the first being, "a limited-edition version of an existing car inspired by the XJR-9 could be around the corner." And here we have none other than a limited-edition version of an existing Jaguar, called the F-Pace SVR Edition 1988. Created by the SV Bespoke division with help from Special Vehicle Operations and the design team, this is the Jaguar's first limited edition F-Pace; the brand will make just 394 of them for global consumption, celebrating the number of laps the XJR-9 completed during its win at La Sarthe. The changes are cosmetic, sadly, which means no 7.0-liter V12 up front. The standard supercharged 5.0-liter serves here, making the standard 550 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. It looks more sinister than ever, though, hidden behind Midnight Amethyst paint and a set of 22-inch Champagne Gold forged alloy wheels. If that weren't enough to announce itself, there are also Sunset Gold Satin accents that contrast with the standard Black Package, such as the Edition 1988 badging on the fenders, leaper badge in back and tailgate script. A silver "SV Bespoke commissioning graphic" informs that each model is "One of 394." Inside, occupants find more Sunset Gold on the steering wheel, shift paddles, instrument panel and ventilated Performance Seats. They're offset by semi-aniline leather everywhere, and carbon fiber trim finishers. Jaguar mentions as well that it's incorporated what3words navigation into the Pivi Pro infotainment system. A combination of three terms identifies three-square-meter blocks (32.3 square feet) around the world, the phrase "echo.twin.papers" providing directions to the Empire State Building, for instance. The F-Pace SVR Edition 1988 starts at $111,150 after the $1,150 destination charge, a $23,400 surcharge over the base F-Pace SVR.  Now we wait to find out about our second surmise for the brand — a return to old-school competition with an endurance racing program. It's unlikely for tens of millions of reasons, but we'd love to see the cat back at that French country house with Acura, Audi, BMW, Cadillac, Lamborghini and Porsche. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.