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Jaguar Land Rover backs Arc startup that sells $100,000 electric motorcycles

Before it even put its first motorcycle on the road, new startup Arc reeled in a major player to back its ambitious product plan. In conjunction with the reveal of the fully electric Vector superbike at the Esposizione Internazionale Ciclo Motociclo e Accessori ( EICMA) show in Milan, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) announced it is placing capital in Arc, using JLR's investment company InMotion Ventures. Arc claims the Vector is the first all-electric motorcycle with integrated Human Machine Interface (HMI) to come to market. Arc, not to be confused with Keanu Reeve's Arch motorcycle company, has a pretty typical mission statement: "To use progressive design and technology to transform people's relationship with an automative experience. For us, for you, for our planet." At the core, Arc wants to make connected, clean, exclusive superbikes, and the Vector is its first try. Although Arc didn't get into the nitty gritty details about the make-up of the bike, it did give some surface specs and information. The bike's structure is built using a carbon composite to create a "unique Arc battery monocoque." Weight is also kept low using carbon fiber swing arms. There is no mention of the size or type of electric powertrain, but Arc claims it will have a highway range of about 120 miles or a city range of 170 miles on a single charge. Arc says it will be able to sprint from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.7 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph. Stopping power comes from a Brembo brake system, while ride and handling relies on Ohlins dampers. The launch does not stop at the motorcycle, but includes gear, as well. The Vector links up with a jacket and a helmet for a fully connected experience. Partnering with U.K.-based impact protection design company Knox, Arc created the Arc Pilot System. Using audio, the armored Origin riding jacket provides haptic feedback based on numerous riding inputs to help keep the driver safe and aware. Furthermore, Arc linked up with luxury helmet maker Hedon to build the WiFi-connected Zenith helmet that houses an integrated projection heads-up display. In addition to showing things such as speed or battery life of the bike, the helmet uses a built-in rear camera to display other vehicles in the rider's blind spots. The rider can command the system using controls on the bike or via voice commands.

2019 Jaguar I-Pace pricing announced, starting at $70,495

The Jaguar I-Pace electric vehicle arrives in the United States later this year with a starting price of $70,495, including destination, putting it head-to-head with luxury EV rivals like the Tesla Model S sedan and Model X crossover. Jaguar's fully-electric crossover is powered by two electric motors, one at the front and another at the rear, with the battery pack nestled in an underfloor, positioned in-between the front and rear axles. This powertrain not only provides the all-wheel-drive I-Pace with a low center of gravity and perfect 50:50 weight distribution, it delivers a total of 394 horsepower and 512 pound-feet of torque. According to Jaguar's stopwatch, the I-Pace accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of 124 mph. That lives up to the performance level a customer expects from Jaguar – not to mention being a match for the straight-line speed of Tesla's offerings at this price range. It should be noted, however, that despite aligning on price and performance with models S and X, the I-Pace is a bit closer in size to the Model 3. As we've already noted, the Jaguar's 90-kWh lithium-ion battery pack provides a useful range of up to 240 miles between charges. When you're running low on juice, a 100-hW DC fast charger will provide 80 percent of range in only 40 minutes. That's still a considerable amount of time compared to filling up with gasoline, though it's much better than the hours-long wait EVs usually required only a few years ago. Plugging in at home does require more patience, however. Using a 230-volt, 32-amp Level 2 home-charger requires just over 10 hours to recharge your I-Pace. Three trim levels are offered: S, SE, and HSE. There will also be a fully-loaded, one-year-only "First Edition" based on the HSE trim level, which carries a price of $86,895. In fact, it's very easy to start adding options – and a heftier tab – onto the base price of the I-Pace. Available safety features on the entry-level model include blind-spot assist, adaptive cruise control with steering assist, high-speed emergency braking, and a 360-degree surround-view camera. The First Edition model is pretty much the upper limit of I-Pace pricing, and comes fitted with all those safety features, along with a full leather interior, 20-inch alloy wheels, a 15-speaker Meridian surround sound stereo, and premium LED headlights. It's worth noting that Jaguar includes a substantial 8-year/100,000-mile battery warranty with each I-Pace.

U.S. issues new tariff threat, this time against British-built cars

WASHINGTON — Britain is the United States' closest ally but their long friendship may be sorely tested as the two countries try to forge a new trade agreement after Britain's exit from the European Union. U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Saturday in London that he was optimistic that a bilateral deal with Britain could be reached as soon as this year. But Mnuchin gave up no ground after a second meeting with his UK counterpart, Sajid Javid. Javid has insisted that Britain will proceed with a unilateral digital services tax, despite a U.S. threat to levy retaliatory tariffs on British-made autos. Mnuchin told reporters after Saturday's meeting that such taxes would discriminate against big U.S. tech companies like Alphabet Inc's Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The UK Treasury declined to comment on the private meeting. The divide highlights the challenges ahead as the Trump administration seeks a new bilateral agreement with Britain, part of a broader push to rebalance relations with nearly all its major trading partners. The stakes are high — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pegged the trade deal with United States as a way to ease the pain of breaking with Europe, Britain's largest trade partner. U.S. President Donald Trump, has promised a "massive" trade deal to support Brexit, the product of a populist movement similar to his "America First" agenda. The goodwill and special relationship the two countries have enjoyed for decades may not count for much, experts say. "Trump is not going to be doing Johnson any favors," said Amanda Sloat, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington. "He's not going to give him a trade deal without major concessions." Even before the digital tax issue arose, the Trump administration threatened to tax foreign car imports, which could hit British-made Jaguar, Land Rover, Mini, and Honda Civic hatchback cars. Stiff U.S. trade demands include increased access for U.S. farm goods, concessions that will be difficult for Britain's entrenched natural food culture to swallow. The United States also wants Britain to change the way its National Health Service prices drugs and allow in more U.S. pharmaceuticals, which could prove politically unpopular for Johnson's government. Washington's demand that London block Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd for national security reasons could also cloud talks.