The deadly X-type

For those living in the UK and who may have purchased a Jaguar X-Type, if you did not already receive a letter from the company, you should probably be aware that the company has been busy recalling about 17,600 vehicles in the UK. This is apparently due to the cruise control software that affects X-Type models from 2006 to 2010 with diesel engines.

The recall is based on a glitch discovered in the cruise control software. According to a Jaguar spokeswoman, this is a “potential problem” which seems to suggest that the problem may not have been noticed by many of their customers, and it seems that no accidents or injuries have occurred yet, which is always a good thing.

This glitch affects the cruise control in a way that drivers may find it difficult to disengage the system in a normal manner (usually by pressing a button or stepping on the brakes), and that only by turning off the engine will disengage the cruise control system. Kudos to Jaguar for the recall and looking into the problem before any accidents or deaths occurred.

Jaguar Land Rover Wins Two "Best of Auto Show" Awards From Autoweek Magazine

• Jaguar C-X16 production concept wins Autoweek "Best in Show" Award
• Land Rover DC100 Sport wins Autoweek "Best Concept" Award
• JLR shows industry design and technology leadership winning two key honors at 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show
• Show stealing concepts to make their North American debuts at the 2011Los Angeles International Automobile Show, November 15.

Jaguar Land Rover displayed its global product leadership and brand strength by winning two of the most important media awards, fromAutoweek, at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, one for each brand, Jaguar and Land Rover.

Autoweek's editorial team selected the Jaguar C-X16 as its "Best in Show" winner and the Land Rover DC100 Sport as its "Best Concept" at the premier European motor show.

"Winning two of the top media awards in our industry here at the Frankfurt Motor Show is a tremendous achievement for the Jaguar and Land Rover brands, said Frank Klaas, Global Head of Communications, Jaguar Land Rover.  "This recognition from the editors atAutoweekconfirms the strength of design and engineering at Jaguar and Land Rover and the momentum we have at JLR."

Jaguar C-X16

The Jaguar C-X16 is a concept 'One plus One' (2 seat) sports car that explores future performance hybrid options via an innovative supercharged 3.0-liter V6 producing 375HP (280kW) and 332 lb-ft of torque.  The production concept's seductive looks indicate the next evolution of Jaguar's bold design direction.

"The C-X16 is our compelling vision for a 21^st century Jaguar sports car. It embodies the established Jaguar strengths of sensual design, animal-like agility and inspirational performance and combines these with attributes that set us on a course to create sustainable sports cars of the future."

Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars

"Jaguar's Design Director, Ian Callum, has done it again with the Jaguar C-X16 Concept," said Wes Raynal, Editor,Autoweek. "With its long hood and beautiful curves, the C-X16 has unmistakable Jaguar presence. This is Callum's second-straight "Best in Show" award from an International show, as his C-X75 Concept won at the Paris Motor show last year. He's on a roll and we truly love this car."

Land Rover DC100 Sport Concept

The Land Rover DC100 Sport and DC100 are new concepts from Land Rover which investigate the future possibilities of the iconic Defender.  The concepts capture the flexibility, adaptability and configurability that have always been key attributes of Land Rover and continue in today's Defender, but incorporate cutting-edge sustainable, and hi-tech materials. DC100 demonstrates the future of Land Rover capability and versatility. DC100 Sport is an active expression of freedom and adventure.

"These could not be designs from any other company. Defender became a global icon because of the integrity of both its design and engineering. In creating these concepts, we took the functional design cues from the past and reinterpreted them for the 21^st century. These studies represent our thoughts on how we will forge an entirely new generation of Defender models which will prove that design can work in harmony with function."

Gerry McGovern, Design Director, Land Rover

"We debated long and hard about the "Best Concept" award," said Raynal. "We liked the Kia GT, and the Jaguar C-X16, but the DC100 Defender Sport concept came to Frankfurt as a complete surprise and in the end, we decided this was our winner. The DC100 Sport is loaded with a bunch of cool technology, such as a terrain scanner and a sonar-depth sounder for water crossings, just to name a few, and these are things Series I, II and III owners could not conceive of. We hope Land Rover builds it and sends it to the States,"Raynal added.