2006 Range Rover Sport Supercharged on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Jaguar CEO says people just don't want EVs right now

"Customers are not impressed with it currently." These are the words of one Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover, spoke at the Automotive News Europe Congress in Birmingham, England. The "it" Speth is referring to is battery technology, which he characterized as "too heavy, too expensive," and with power density that's "too low." That all could go some way towards explaining why the British automaker has yet to bring an electric vehicle to market, why it killed the C-X75 hybrid-turbine supercar project, and why it only recently started offering hybrid versions of its Range Rover models (and has yet to offer them in the United States). That doesn't mean the company won't pursue electric propulsion in the future, though. According to Automotive News Europe, Speth forecasts that "the next generation of batteries will be higher density, lower weight and the cost will come down." What he didn't say, exactly, is when he expects that next generation of battery tech to come around – or when JLR will start to more closely embrace electric propulsion. In the meantime, Jaguar Land Rover will continue investing in research and development. Since Tata acquired the brands from Ford seven years ago, JLR has quadrupled its R&D budget and doubled the number of engineers on staff. Related Video:

Land Rover plotting high-performance Disco Sport, Evoque

Jaguar Land Rover is getting serious about performance with its new SVR line of high-output machinery. We've already seen the Range Rover Sport SVR, and we're anticipating more to follow with SVR versions of the new Jaguar XE, Range Rover LWB, outgoing Land Rover Defender and plenty more. The lineup will eventually include performance versions of most, but not all of the British automaker's products. But while the smallest Land Rovers may not get the full-on SVR treatment, JLR reportedly has something in the works. According to Australian website Motoring, Land Rover is watching the segment and considering its options. It sees Audi with its SQ5, BMW planning performance versions of the X3 and X4, and Mercedes plotting an AMG version of the GLC that's set to replace the GLK. The question is just what Land Rover will do. Both the Discovery Sport and Range Rover Evoque are based on the same D8 platform that incorporates transversely mounted inline-fours, so fitting something larger might be prohibitive, but a high-output turbo version of the new Ingenium four-cylinder engine design could do the trick. Considering what the likes of Volvo and Mercedes have managed to do with their high-strung turbo fours, Land Rover's approach could prove to be no slouch at all – even without the 5.0-liter supercharged V8 powering the flagship SVR models. In related news, Autovisie – the automotive section of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf – projects that an SVR version of the Jaguar F-Type will be among the high-performance models coming up next. Slotting above the F-Type R with its 550 horsepower, the F-Type SVR will be even more powerful. The Project 7 speedster packaged a 575-hp version of the same supercharged V8, potentially pointing the way forward for future SVR models. Featured Gallery Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Autobiography View 17 Photos Related Gallery 2015 Land Rover Discovery Sport View 16 Photos News Source: Motoring.com.au, AutovisieImage Credit: Land Rover Jaguar Land Rover SUV Performance jaguar land rover svr

All-electric Jaguar XJ coming soon on platform shared with 'Road Rover'

We've been posting on the likelihood of electric Jaguars for a while now, especially the XJ leading the charge as a new EV flagship. Rumors at the beginning of 2018 predicted an XJ EV on our doorstep by the end of 2018, the 50th anniversary year of the XJ. By April this year, it was looking like the battery-powered XJ would use the I-Pace platform and make an appearance sometime in 2019. Now, Automotive News Europe reports that during Jaguar Land Rover's Investor's Day presentations, the automaker said it would debut a "large SUV and a large premium sedan" on its Modular Longitudinal Architecture (MLA) suitable for EVs, hybrids and traditional ICE-powered cars. The sedan in question is the next-gen XJ. Nick Rogers, JLR's product engineering boss, said electric MLA vehicles will get 90.2-kWh batteries that return range of up to 400 kilometers (292 miles) on the European cycle. That would effectively be the same size battery as the I-Pace, which rides on its own one-off platform, and the same range; in the U.S., the I-Pace is rated at 234 miles. It's said the XJ's design, produced by former Jaguar design chief Ian Callum and his team, has already been cleared. It swaps the four-door body for a five-door, a la the Audi A7, and introduces a new design language for the car and the carmaker. Car and Driver says the new statement sedan aims to be "a cutting-edge alternative to the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class," and Autocar saying it will "remain Jaguar's flagship in preference to a large SUV, such as the rumored J-Pace." The point of introducing the EV first is to establish the car's technology and sporting credentials — hopefully before the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-Tron GT arrive. Eventually, an ICE version of the XJ powered by an Ingenium inline-six should come; that will welcome buyers not ready to make the all-EV switch, a necessary move in keeping with the XJ's competition for global sales with the S-Class and 7 Series. However, leaving room in the design for a conventional drivetrain will force compromises that the all-electric competition doesn't face. Production of the current XJ ends at the Castle Bromwich facility on July 5. The new sedan is slated to be "announced in the near future" and built at JLR's plant in Solihull, which assembles Land Rover products. The same MLA platform will support a road-focused Land Rover as a sibling to the XJ, dubbed the "Road Rover" internally.