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.

Jaguar At The Goodwood Revival

Jaguar at the Goodwood Revival, a round up of the weekends highlights, vintage fashion and 50 Years of E-type.

In glorious sunshine, the Goodwood Revival opened on Friday with an array of pre-1966 Jaguars playing a key role, with an estimated 140,000 people visiting over the three day event.

On static display and racing in anger on the challenging Goodwood Motor Circuit, vehicles ranging from the elegant SS100 right up to the rare E-type Lightweight models celebrated Jaguar's sports car heritage in style.

A thrilling practice session took place ahead of the E-type race on Saturday.  Comprising a grid of some 30 examples of the E-type, the session saw a hard-fought battle between the Lightweight shared by Gerhard Berger and Adrian Newey and the E-type (also a Lightweight) of Emanuele Pirro and Desiré Wilson to claim pole.  Despite the substantial value of the E-types taking part the speed was incredible with a time of 1-minute 24-seconds and 102.2 mph being recorded by the pole car.

Tony O'Keefe, Curator at Jaguar Heritage, commented: 'It's been an incredible first day at the Goodwood Revival - a truly unique event and a fitting place to celebrate 50-years of the E-type. I'm grateful for the support shown by private owners in entering their valuable cars in the races as well as putting them on display - Jaguar has a wonderful heritage, kept alive by the enthusiasm and passion of the owners.'

Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover and Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar, visited the Goodwood Revival on Saturday as Jaguar celebrates its sports car heritage as well as 50 years of the E-type.

Taking an enthusiastic interest in the action on track, Dr. Speth was introduced to a number of drivers by Lord March as they prepared to compete in the dedicated E-type race including Jochen Mass and Gerhard Berger.

Dr. Speth commented: 'I feel very fortunate to be here at Goodwood to witness such a celebration of Jaguar's wonderful road and race cars.  To see the E-types racing and the enthusiasm of the crowds was very special indeed. Having just unveiled a vision of Jaguar's future at the Frankfurt Motor Show in the C-X16 production concept, it's a great way to chart a magnificent heritage.'

The dramatic race was won by car 28, an E-type semi-lightweight driven by Jon Minshaw and Martin Stretton.

Some of the rarest and most sought after motor cars in the world mixed with closely fought and highly competitive racing on Sunday at Goodwood as the 14^th Revival meeting drew to a close.

The weekend saw a diverse selection of vintage cars from Jaguar's sporting heritage which forms just one part of the celebrations throughout 2011 to mark the E-type's 50^th anniversary.

Jaguar C-X16 Concept

C-X16 PRODUCTION CONCEPT REDEFINES JAGUAR SPORTS CARS

• C-X16 is a bold statement of Jaguar's future design and technological intent
• A compact, rear-wheel drive, two-seater, with a true sporting character, underpinned by immensely strong aluminium architecture - perfect 50:50 weight distribution
• Powered by an innovative supercharged 3.0-litre V6 producing 380 PS (280 kW) and 332 lb ft (450 Nm) of torque
• Hybrid system controlled by a steering-wheel mounted 'Push to Pass' button boosts output by 70 kW and 235 Nm
• Top speed of 186 mph, 0-62 mph in 4.4 seconds and 50-75 mph acceleration in 2.1 seconds with CO2 emissions of 165 g/km

Jaguar has released details of the C-X16 concept ahead of its world debut at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show.

Looking firmly to the future, the C-X16 marks a new chapter for Jaguar.  The two-seater concept has inspired new advances in design, in engineering and in vehicle technology to create the most compact and responsive Jaguar in a generation.  A hybrid, the C-X16 combines searing performance with beautifully realised styling.

Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars:"The C-X16 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."

Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar Cars:"Jaguars have always been dramatically different. With the C-X16 we have moved the current award-winning design language on to the next generation, creating a car that is the very essence of future Jaguar performance."

Under the muscular clamshell bonnet is a next-generation supercharged V6 petrol engine producing 380 PS (280kW) and 332 lb ft (450 Nm) of torque. Already boasting a high specific power output of 126 PS-per-litre, the performance of the C-X16 is further supplemented by a Formula 1-inspired hybrid boost system with a steering-wheel mounted button for on-demand acceleration.

Integrated into the eight-speed gearbox is a motor generator which draws power from a 1.6kWh battery pack mounted behind the seats for ideal 50:50 weight distribution. Charged through a brake energy regeneration system, the batteries allow the motor to provide an additional 95 PS (70 kW) and173 lb ft (235 Nm).

Mounted in an aluminium chassis structure, the result is 0-62 mph acceleration in 4.4 seconds, a top speed of 186 mph and acceleration from 50-75 mph of 2.1 seconds. The C-X16 is also able to travel at speeds of up to 50 mph under electric power alone and has CO2 emissions of 165 g/km.

The C-X16 measures 4,445 mm in length, 2,048 mm in width and 1,297 mm in height and has a wheelbase measuring 2,622 mm.  In terms of overall length, the C-X16 is the smallest Jaguar created since 1954 and the XK120.

The C-X16 will be presented at the Jaguar Land Rover press conference in Hall Five at the Frankfurt Motor Show on Tuesday September 13 at 09:15 CET.

Live Stream of Jaguar C-X16 reveal at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Jaguar has written the following on their Facebook:


Please join us on Facebook on September 12th 2011, 4pm BST for our exclusive live stream from Frankfurt Motor Show 2011 where we will reveal more about our new C-X16.

RSVP to the event to share that you will be attending!

Don't forget to add any questions you have about the C-X16 in the comments section of the page. We may just be able to have some of them answered at the conference.

Jaguar at Pebble Beach August 2011

Jaguar Cars continued to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the E-type at the Pebble Beach Automotive Weekend with a series of memorable heritage events, featuring an array of significant vehicles representing the past, present and future of the brand.

The weekend culminated at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where Stefan Ziegler's 1960 Jaguar E2A race car received a specially designed trophy by Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar.

Key historic Jaguar E-types on display included:

• 1959 Jaguar E2A, a racing prototype that retired from 1960 Le Mans
• 1961 Jaguar E-type introduced to the world at the 1961 Geneva Motor Show
• 1961 Jaguar E-type introduced to the North American media and public on March 15, 1961 at the New York International Auto Show
• 1963 Jaguar E-type Lightweight Competition Alloy Roadster

Jaguar XF Is Crowned Auto Express Driver Power Car Of The Decade

The Jaguar XF has been announced as Auto Express Driver Power 'Car of the Decade'.

Over a period of 10 years readers of Auto Express have been invited to participate in the Driver Power survey and evaluate the car they own.  The detailed survey encompassed many aspects of vehicle ownership - from reliability to dealer performance, to design, handling and ease of use.

In that time over 300,000 readers participated with hundreds of individual cars being tested. The Jaguar XF emerged as Number One.

Acting Editor of Auto Express, Graham Hope, presented Dr. Ralf Speth, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover and Andrew Whyman, Chief Programme Engineer, XF, with the Award in front of staff at the Castle Bromwich Factory.

Dr. Speth commented: 'We are humbled by Jaguar owners voting in such a way to rate the XF as the number one car in the UK. It's a tremendous achievement for everyone in Jaguar - from the people here at Castle Bromwich who have been building the car since 2008 to the engineers, the designers and the dealers. I am very proud to receive the award on their behalf.'

Also present to accept the Award was Andy Whyman, Chief Programme Engineer.  Gathered at the presentation were technicians from the Castle Bromwich product line as well as the very first XF ever produced sitting alongside a new XF, fresh off the line.

Graham Hope, Editor of Auto Express, commented: '"Jaguar's XF is a thoroughly deserving winner of our Car of the Decade.  Over the past 10 years, more than 302,000 Auto Express readers have told us what they like and dislike about their cars, and no model has demonstrated such consistent all-round ability as the XF.  It's fantastic to drive and extremely well built - a tribute to the skilled workforce at Castle Bromwich.  I am absolutely delighted that a British-built car has won this award, and fully expect the latest version of the XF, with its new diesel engine, to achieve even more success in the years ahead."

Since 2008 over 37,000 examples of the XF have been sold in the UK.  A relentless programme of engineering improvements have meant that the XF has remained highly competitive in its class.  On September 1 the most efficient XF yet, the new 2.2-litre Diesel model, will go on-sale.  Capable of travelling in excess of 800-miles on a single tank of diesel and emitting 149 g/km of CO2, the XF 2.2 combines economy with the performance, refinement and dynamic ability expected of a modern Jaguar.  Like the rest of the XF range it benefits from a series of aesthetic changes both inside and out to lend it a fresh, elegant new look.