1969 Jaguar Xk Roadster on 2040-cars

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Jaguar XJ50 Road Trip Review | Driving the XJ50's history

PARIS, France – It's motor show week in Paris, and Jaguar – which launched the original XJ here in 1968 – is indulging in a little nostalgia to celebrate the 50th anniversary that event. In the half century since, it's become the brand's definitive model – as the Wrangler is to Jeep and the 911 is to Porsche. This sexy, curvaceous and unashamedly sporty sedan set the template for generations of XJs. And to get to the show, I'm going to drive examples of each on a roadtrip from Jaguar's home in Coventry and onward to Paris, via Goodwood and Le Mans. There's new product to enjoy along the way, too, in the shape of the celebratory XJ50 trim level created to mark the anniversary. But this is really a chance to explore Jaguar's past, and how previous XJs will inform the company's future. Respecting traditions without being chained to them is a recurring theme in the XJ story and one Jaguar has, at times, struggled with. Nobody understands this better than design boss Ian Callum, who says the original XJ inspired his dream to one day design cars for Jaguar. When his moment came, however, the opposing pressures of nostalgia and innovation became apparent. He recalls seeing the clay models for the circa 2002 XJ, code named X350, styling for which had already been signed off when he started. "I asked 'this is the new one?' because, to me, it looked just like the old version," he says with characteristic bluntness. Callum's chance to truly reinvent the XJ finally came in 2009 with the current model, a car that jolted Jaguar and its customers out of their comfortable slumber. "It's nearly 10 years old now but I still think it looks good – I'm very proud of what we did with that car," he says. Professionally Callum is always looking ahead. Personally he's happy to indulge himself in what came before. He even brought his own XJC – the rare coupe version of the 70s XJ – to drive on the event. Sadly, the XJC didn't make it off the start line in England, but he's clearly enjoying the chance to immerse himself in XJ history. As am I. Given his appraisal of its retro looks, it's interesting to start in the X350. Here you encounter those aforementioned opposing forces: the forward-thinking aluminum construction (which inspired manufacturing techniques used by Jaguar to this day) and the staid styling. Like many of the heritage fleet examples here, this one is actually badged as a Daimler – to Jaguar what Maybach is to Mercedes.

Land Rover knows where you're going and how you want to get there

Land Rover makes some of the most capable SUVs on or off the road, and some of the most luxurious too. But the British automaker isn't about to rest on those laurels - not when every other automaker assaults its territory with sport-utes of their own. That's why Land Rover has been working so hard on nifty new technologies from a depth-sounder in the door mirror of the Range Rover Sport an augmented-reality head-up display that makes the whole front of the car virtually disappear.
JLR's newest tech may not be ground-breaking, but its integration promises to make driving around town that much easier. The system syncs with the driver's smartphone and uses all manner of parameters - including driver habits, weather and location as well as the presence of other passengers - to make the commute go as smoothly as possible. Get into the car and it'll set the seat and mirrors for you. No big deal, because lots of cars do that. But it'll also set up the nav system to take you to work and the sound system to play your favorite music. Okay, getting more interesting.
Get in with your kids and it'll know not only that you've got to drop them off at school first (or remind you to pack their gym bag if they've got soccer practice after school that day) but that they might not enjoy that Chumbawamba album you've been listening to since college and it'll play something it knows you'll all enjoy based on your listening history. Then it'll switch back to Tubthumping once the kids are out, remind you of your morning meeting and alert those you're scheduled to meet with if you get stuck in traffic while finding you a better route to get there, monitoring fuel levels all the while and telling you if you'll need to tank up before you reach your destination. It knows if you like calling your mother on the drive to work and will lower the air suspension to make it easier to hop out once you get there.

Jaguar Land Rover names ousted Renault boss as new CEO

LONDON — Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has picked ousted Renault boss Thierry Bollore as its next chief executive, with a mission to return Britain's biggest carmaker to profit after a big hit from the COVID-19 pandemic. Bollore took over at Renault in January 2019 after the fall of Carlos Ghosn, but was always viewed as close to the French carmaker's longtime boss and was pushed out in October when the company was looking for a fresh start. Bollore will take over at JLR on Sept. 10, replacing Ralf Speth, whose tenure ends after more than 10 years. "It will be my privilege to lead this fantastic company through what continues to be the most testing time of our generation," Bollore said in a statement on Tuesday. JLR was hit this year first by disruption to sales in China and then by lockdowns across Europe and North America as the COVID-19 outbreak spread around the globe. In 2019, it cut jobs to address tumbling diesel sales, which helped it return to profit. But as the pandemic struck, it slumped to a pretax loss of 422 million pounds ($545 million) for the year ended March 31, 2020. The company has already taken steps to tackle the crisis, including agreeing to a loan facility of around $700 million with lenders in China and further staff reductions. JLR is also in talks with the British government over potential support, according to media reports. Bollore takes over a business that built just over 500,000 cars in 2019/20. He faces a number of tasks, including how to handle the Jaguar brand, which underperforms the Land Rover marque, how quickly to electrify its lineup and a potential hit from Brexit if trade barriers are imposed. JLR has a partnership with BMW on electrification, and parent company Tata Motors recently recommitted to the company. "Tata Group recognizes and values Jaguar Land Rover's future potential highly," said JLR Chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran earlier this month. "That is why this company is central to our global automotive presence – a presence that we intend to develop for years to come." Related Video:         (Additional reporting by Chris Thomas in Bengaluru and Gilles Guillaume in Paris; editing by Jason Neely and Mark Potter)