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2021 Jaguar I-Pace updates include better infotainment, faster charging

Jaguar grabbed an armful of features from the JLR corporate store to improve the 2021 I-Pace, including bits from Land Rover and more technology from the brand's Formula E campaign. Restrained exterior mods start with Atlas Grey tips on the grille mesh, three new color choices in Caldera Red, Portofino Blue, and Eiger Grey, new wheel designs, and 19-inch wheels replacing the 18-inchers on the base-model S. An optional Bright Pack affixes a chrome grille surround, satin chrome window surrounds, and splashes of Atlas Grey on the mirror caps and rear diffuser. The optional Black Pack claims more real estate, painting the rear badges in gloss black. A 3D surround camera system is standard for 2021. Even more ease for drivers comes with the ClearSight digital rear-view mirror that debuted on the latest Range Rover Evoque. A rear-facing, wide-angle camera mounted in the infotainment system's roof antenna can sends images to the inside mirror with the flick of a toggle.  The biggest convenience addition is the Pivi Pro infotainment system that arrived with the new Land Rover Defender, replacing the Touch Pro Duo unit. A 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster pairs with the carryover 10-inch upper and five-inch lower instrument panel screens. Intended to reproduce the smartphone experience on larger screens, a backup battery gets the navigation initialized quickly, and zooming needs no more than a finger pinch. The "flat" menu structure puts oft-used functions on the home screen, and cuts in half the steps required to input a destination compared to the Touch Pro Duo. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come standard, as does 4G data enabling live traffic, in-unit Spotify and other listening apps, and swift over-the-air updates. Wireless phone charging with signal boost is optional. On top of Pivi's algorithms to learn the best routing and stay quiet during parts of a route that the I-Pace travels regularly (why don't more systems do this?), the 4G support means continuously updated info on EV chargers along the route. Which brings us to hardware and software changes in the powertrain, courtesy of Formula E. Its 394 horsepower and 234 miles of range are unchanged, but the ease of getting that range does. Instead of the 7-kW, two-phase onboard charger, the 2021 I-Pace packs an 11-kW, three-phase charger. Plugged into an 11-kW wall box charger, range grows by 33 miles every hour, compared to 22 miles every hour with the 7-kW system.

Weekly Recap: Hyundai scores NFL sponsorship after GM exits

Hyundai replaced General Motors as the official automotive sponsor of the NFL with a four-season deal that was announced this week. Hyundai gets exclusive sponsorship rights for mainstream and luxury cars, though not for pickups – as it doesn't have one in its current portfolio. "There may be another automotive truck sponsor, but not one that competes with our vehicle lineup," a Hyundai spokesman said in an email. That leaves the door open for another truckmaker to enter the fray. GM used the NFL to promote its GMC division, which makes pickups and sport-utility vehicles. The Detroit automaker decided to quit the sponsorship, which it had held since 2001, a GM spokesman said. Financials were not released, but ESPN said the sponsorship will cost Hyundai $50 million a year, double what GM paid. It gives Hyundai access to NFL trademarks for use in its marketing and advertising, and Hyundai will provide promotional vehicles to the league for the Super Bowl and other events. Hyundai celebrated the agreement by lighting up its Fountain Valley, CA, headquarters this week with a football field and the NFL logo. Hyundai's sister company, Kia, is the official automotive sponsor of the NBA. "We are huge football fans at Hyundai and feel there is no better venue to reach consumers, increase consideration, and tell the Hyundai brand story," Hyundai Motor America CEO Dave Zuchowski said in a statement. Hyundai will officially kick off its sponsorship when the NFL season begins on Sept. 10 with a primetime game featuring the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots. OTHER NEWS & NOTES Toyota Mirai rated at 67 mpge, 312-mile range The Environmental Protection Agency gave the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell electric car a 67-miles-per-gallon-equivalent rating. The figure is for city, highway, and combined driving. The EPA also said the Mirai will have a 312-mile range. The sedan will arrive in dealerships in California this fall and will cost $57,500, though incentives can drop the price significantly. The Mirai will also be offered as a $499-per-month lease. Both come with three years or $15,000 worth of free fuel. Toyota plans to expand sales to the Northeast United States later. Toyota's top female exec resigns in wake of arrest Meanwhile, in other Toyota news, the automaker's communications chief and top female executive, Julie Hamp, resigned.

The UK votes for Brexit and it will impact automakers

It's the first morning after the United Kingdom voted for what's become known as Brexit – that is, to leave the European Union and its tariff-free internal market. Now begins a two-year process in which the UK will have to negotiate with the rest of the EU trading bloc, which is its largest export market, about many things. One of them may be tariffs, and that could severely impact any automaker that builds cars in the UK. This doesn't just mean companies that you think of as British, like Mini and Jaguar. Both of those automakers are owned by foreign companies, incidentally. Mini and Rolls-Royce are owned by BMW, Jaguar and Land Rover by Tata Motors of India, and Bentley by the VW Group. Many other automakers produce cars in the UK for sale within that country and also export to the EU. Tariffs could damage the profits of each of these companies, and perhaps cause them to shift manufacturing out of the UK, significantly damaging the country's resurgent manufacturing industry. Autonews Europe dug up some interesting numbers on that last point. Nissan, the country's second-largest auto producer, builds 475k or so cars in the UK but the vast majority are sent abroad. Toyota built 190k cars last year in Britain, of which 75 percent went to the EU and just 10 percent were sold in the country. Investors are skittish at the news. The value of the pound sterling has plummeted by 8 percent as of this writing, at one point yesterday reaching levels not seen since 1985. Shares at Tata Motors, which counts Jaguar and Land Rover as bright jewels in its portfolio, were off by nearly 12 percent according to Autonews Europe. So what happens next? No one's terribly sure, although the feeling seems to be that the jilted EU will impost tariffs of up to 10 percent on UK exports. It's likely that the UK will reciprocate, and thus it'll be more expensive to buy a European-made car in the UK. Both situations will likely negatively affect the country, as both production of new cars and sales to UK consumers will both fall. Evercore Automotive Research figures the combined damage will be roughly $9b in lost profits to automakers, and an as-of-yet unquantified impact on auto production jobs. Perhaps the EU's leaders in Brussels will be in a better mood in two years, and the process won't devolve into a trade war. In the immediate wake of the Brexit vote, though, the mood is grim, the EU leadership is angry, and investors are spooked.