Jaguar Cars, is now reportedly looking to introduce hybrid versions of its XJ and XF models in 2013-’14, using hardware developed with sister brand Land Rover, as reported by Britain’s Car magazine. The magazine has also stated that the first Jaguar hybrids could be launched soon after the planned 2013 introduction of the first Land Rover hybrid.

It was reported very recently that by the end of 2010 Land Rover will be testing the first diesel hybrid prototype called the ‘range_e’ which is being developed using a Range Rover Sport platform. Tests of this vehicle will use the existing 3.0 litre TDV6 diesel engine featuring a ZF 8-speed automatic transmission. The goal is to achieve a range of 20 miles using electric power only emitting less than 100 g/km of CO2 emissions and to achieve a top speed of around 120 mph.

According to ‘Car’, Jaguar’s hybrid system, which also will employ the ZF hybrid transmission, will be applied eventually to every model in the range. The Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) engineering centre in the British Midlands is developing both diesel- and gasoline-electric hybrid powertrains for use across both model ranges,” the magazine said. The system will “quickly spread across the XJ, XF, XK Jaguars and the Discovery, Range Rover and Range Rover Sport,” according to Car, and will be upgraded with plug-in capability by 2015.

It is to be mentioned that Jaguar Land Rover is already active in four ongoing projects that are part of the Technology Strategy Board/ Department of Transport Low Carbon Vehicles Innovation Platform. These projects, which demonstrate technological innovations that could be applied to future vehicle models, are the ‘Limo-Green’ Series Hybrid; a Flywheel Hybrid System for Premium Vehicles; the REcycled ALuminium (Real) project; and a Range Extended Hybrid Electric Vehicle (REHEV).

Read more: Jaguar XJ and XF models could also turn hybrid by 2013-14 – WheelsUnplugged
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In the year to date, car production was 64.9 percent higher than the same period a year ago.

“Output in April is up across the car, commercial vehicle and engine sectors compared to the same time last year, reflecting a good start to the second quarter of 2010,” said SMMT chief executive, Paul Everitt.

“The home market saw a significant increase in the month, a positive indication of a strengthening economy and an improvement in consumer confidence,” he added. – Reuters

MG TF owners can now access valuable service and maintenance information for their cars with an electronic workshop manual, available from all XPart AutoServices centres and wholesalers. The first disc of its kind to go on sale to motorists, it offers extensive technical advice for owners of MG TFs manufactured by MG Rover between 2002 and 2005. It contains a greater depth of technical detail than can be found in paper manuals, together with comprehensive search and cross-referencing functions, and the option to enlarge diagrams and print pages of interest.

“Modern cars have a great deal more complex mechanical and electronic features than cars built even ten years ago,” explains Barry Smith, UK sales manager, XPart. “While this enhances the capabilities of the car, it also means a more complex service and maintenance regime is required to keep the car performing at its best. The MG TF electronic workshop manual offers owners a convenient and flexible way to access the detailed information they need, which would otherwise extend to over 1,200 A4 pages.”

The MG TF took over from the MGF as the UK’s top selling convertible sports car from its launch in 2002 until the collapse of the manufacturer in 2005. With four different models, the 115, 120, 135 and 160, the car remains popular today both in the UK and throughout the world. Powered by a Rover K-Series engine, the TF model exhibits several key differences to its predecessor, including a redesigned front-end with projector headlamps for both main and dip beam, sidelamps and indicators contained within the headlight assemblies, extended side sills, revised side air intakes and a revised boot lid design with an in-built raised rear edge. Additionally, conventional steel springs and dampers replace the MGF’s Hydragas suspension system.

The MG TF electronic workshop manual is available from January 2010 at a cost of £28 + VAT. For further information or to locate your nearest XPart wholesaler or AutoService centre, visit xpart.com.

Jaguar sold 1,246 cars in December in the U.S., a 24% increase from last year. Land Rover sold 3,595 of its rugged SUVs, a 37% boost from a year ago. For the full year, combined sales of both brands dipped 14%, not bad considering how the overall auto industry saw sales plunge even more. Needless to say, execs are happy:

“Three consecutive months of Jaguar and Land Rover growth is a great way to end 2009, and a sign of better times to come,” said Jaguar-Land Rover North America President Gary Temple. “We start 2010 with sales momentum, strong product lineups for both brands, and the launch of the 2011 Jaguar XJ on its way. It is going to be a very exciting year.”

Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by a company now best known as the maker of the world’s cheapest car, the $2,500 Nano that plies the rough roads of India. Many were unsure what would happen to the storied British brands in the hands of a third-world automaker. But Tata looks like it’s succeeding — so far.

So, you head down to your friendly neighborhood British luxury car dealership only to find that the Aston’s oh-so-low seats that once gripped as you sported about now have you screaming about your arthritic back. As lovely as all sumptuous leather and V12 cacophony is, rampant lust is of no use if you can’t climb into the bed. What to do? You certainly don’t want to head to your friendly Audi, BMW or Mercedes dealers. Ruthlessly engineered their cars may be, but Teutonic efficiency is not nearly as welcoming as British warmth. Besides, everyone has an AMG or M5 parked in their garage and separating yourself from the herd is why you file all those litigious torts.

What about Bentley? Yes, there’s an entire spate of German engineering to its underpinnings, but it’s at least outfitted like a proper English motorcar. And, unlike the Aston, it’s not nearly as hard on geriatric spinal columns. But that’s to be expected, no? Bentleys, after all, are not nearly as sporty as Aston Martins.

That would have been true right up until, well, last week, when I popped into Grand Touring Automobiles, my local Aston/Bentley dealer, and spotted a brand new Continental Supersports conveniently tagged with dealer plates and no scheduled customer test drives for the next three days. For those unfamiliar with this latest Continental, the Supersports is, quite literally, the philosophical progeny of W.O. Bentley’s famed monsters that dominated Le Mans during the 1920s.

Still an imposingly large car, the Supersports is shorn of such unnecessary luxuries as rear seats. The front seats, meanwhile, still clothed in leather, are now genuine race items made of Kevlar by Sparco. They don’t even have electric adjusters. Yes, a $323,100 Bentley with the same manual seat adjustments as a $10,000 Hyundai.

But the changes do save weight. The seats alone are said to be 45 kilograms lighter. Throw in what Bentley claims are the largest carbon ceramic brakes on any production automobile as well some other little weight-

savings tricks and you have a Continental that’s 110 kg lighter..

That alone might not have warranted a Supersports moniker, but factor in an even more highly tweaked motor sporting six litres, 12 cylinders, two turbochargers and 621 horsepower and one is faced with a Bentley that thinks it’s a Porsche. Indeed, that comparison is not at all spurious. Those still thinking that a Bentley is just an old man’s car should know this – the Supersports is only 0.3 seconds slower to 96 kilometres an hour than the 2010 Porsche 911 Turbo. Most of that minuscule advantage, I think, comes down to the Porsche’s fancy electronic launch control system. The Supersports also tops out at a totally academic 329 km/h, but it’s nice to have that in your back pocket just in case you ever have to race a 737 or a low-flying space shuttle.

The Supersports goes about delivering this phantasmagorical performance in a curiously subdued manner. There’s no tire squeal, not only because it’s generally frowned upon in certain circles but because the all-wheel-drive system – hooked up to some serious huge P275/35R20 tires – makes it difficult even for the W12 engine’s massive 590 pound-feet of torque to get the wheels spinning. Once off the line, however, the big beast keeps accelerating like the very hand of God wants to push you deep into the clutches of OPP Commissioner Julian Fantino. Punching the throttle at 140 km/h is little different from leaving a stoplight – your head is forced firmly into the headrest, your passenger is either squealing in delight or threatening air sickness and the big Bentley does a fair impression of an Airbus 380 on takeoff. As for automotive comparisons, the only car that feels even remotely as relentless as the Supersports is Mercedes’ CL65 AMG, a car strikingly similar in execution – 12 pistons and two turbochargers – save for its cylinders arranged in a traditional vee format rather than the Bentley’s quirky W12.

Nor does the Supersports trail the aforementioned Porsche by so very much on a twisty road. Yes, it still weighs more than two tons, but its suspension has been tweaked for even better road holding, the rear track is widened and it is the only Continental to boast a sporty 40/60 front/rear torque distribution to its AWD system. Body roll during hard cornering has almost been banished, at least when the electronically adjustable suspension is on full firm. Yet, in its softest mode, it’s almost as coddling as the base model, a car known for its exemplary ride. In both ride and handling, there’s precious little price to be paid for the Supersports’ vastly superior performance compared with the base Continental.

That downside comes with the Supersports’ interior. You can no longer carry more than one passenger, not as great a sacrifice as it initially sounds – I once tried to fit four adults into a Continental and there was nary a smiling face among them. The front seats, however, will be simply a case of whether your particular corpus fits them. While they are adjustable for recline, they will fit a far narrower spectrum of tushies than the base Conti’s multi-adjustable items. I found them to be comfortable; some of my passengers did not. Lawyers, doctors, and Indian chiefs are therefore well advised to test thoroughly before signing on the dotted line. And have traffic paralegals on speed dial.

The Specs:

Type of vehicle: All-wheel-drive luxury sport coupe

Engine: Twin-turbocharged 6.0L DOHC W12

Power: 621 hp @ 6,000 rpm; 590 lb-ft of torque @ 2,000 rpm

Transmissio:n Six-speed manumatic

Brakes: Four-wheel disc with ABS

Tires: P275/35R20

Price: base/as tested: $323,100/$347,030

Destination charge: $4,995

Transport Canada fuel economy L/100 km: 24.5 city, 11.6 hwy.

Standard features: Power door locks, windows and mirrors, climate control air conditioning with micron air filter, AM/FM/CD/MP3 player, iPod interface, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, DVD navigation system, cruise control, power glass sunroof, information display, tilt steering wheel, leather seats, lightweight front seats with diamond-quilted Alcantara leather, manual seat adjuster, heated front seats, power trunk, power door closing, auto headlights, dual front air bags, side curtain air bags, electronic stability control

It told High Court judge Sir William Blackburne that MG Sports and Racing Europe, based in Tenbury Wells, was using the famous octagonal logo and name on its MG X POWER supercar. Nanjing is now seeking an order to stop the company.

Iain Purvis QC, who is representing the company, told the judge that Nanjing “have made great strides” in reviving the MG brand in the UK, with the Longbridge plant manufacturing again and a major new car launch planned for next year.

He added that the British company admitted this was likely to cause confusion but claimed they are entitled to use the mark because they had bought the rights to it from liquidators of the MG Rover Group in 2007.

Lee Noble, whose work in recent years is said to have defined the British low volume sports car market has set up a new company, Fenix Automotive, and today (19 November) announced the launch of “one of the most dramatic supercars of the century” next year.

With production cars like the Noble M12 and M400 to his credit, Noble says he is now delivering a lightweight, ultra-powerful mid-engined V8 supercar to market by the end of 2010.

The as yet unnamed car, which will cost from under £75,000, “will trounce all previous Lee Noble-built Nobles for performance with a 0-100mph time of under seven seconds”, and is aimed at serious track day drivers, while also being usable on public roads.

“Our new car will offer buyers performance and dynamics that they’d normally have to spend well over £100,000 to experience, but at a far more affordable price,” said Noble. “It will combine simplicity, strength and agility, while its two-seat, closed body will ensure sensible levels of refinement for road use. And thanks to a feature which will be revealed nearer the car’s launch, it will be amazingly practical too, for both track and road users.”

Development of the car began a year ago, and the first prototype, which will be used to validate a new chassis and powertrain, is currently being built in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, in the same plant that produced Noble’s M12s.

First pictures of his new creation are due early next year.

Noble left Noble Automotive, now based at Leicester’s Meridian BusinessPark close to the M1, when current managing director Peter Boutwood took over the company. The launch of its own £200,000, £225mph Noble M600 – one of the fastest cars in the world – due to begin 50 units-a-year production this month has just been put back due to the late delivery from the United States of the carbon fibre required for its bodywork.

The company hopes to sell 50 to 60 Ghosts in the domestic market each year. Since Rolls Royce cars are made to order, and exclusively manufactured in the company’s UK facility, the time taken for delivery is between two to three months after a booking.

The Ghost, earlier code-named RR4 and popularly tagged as ‘Baby Rolls Royce’, is smaller in dimensions than the company’s current Phantom model and is aimed at widening the appeal of the brand. “Ghost is a more informal design that broadens the appeal of Rolls Royce cars,” said Colin Kelly, Asia Pacific Regional Director.

Rolls Royce sold 1,212 units of the super-luxury cars last year, in which India accounted for around two per cent of total global sales. As an indication of India’s growing importance for Rolls Royce cars, the interior of the new Ghost incorporates wood sourced from Kerala. “This wood is called the Malabar variety and our preferred clientele like the straight-grain finish the Malabar wood exudes,” says Dan Balmer, product manager of Ghost. The Malabar wood will be used in 15 per cent of the Ghosts that will be rolled out next year. Other variants of wood that will be used in the construction of Rolls Royce’s luxurious interiors are dark wenge wood from Africa, walnut burr and elm cluster sourced from the UK, and the common piano black wood.

The two former Longbridge bosses, who with fellow directors John Towers and Nick Stephenson have already enriched themselves to the tune of around £9 million each, will be entitled to another huge cash windfall next month.

Liquidators recently appointed to MGR Capital Ltd – MG Rover’s finance and lease loan book – revealed that another potential fortune would be available for shareholders Beale and Edwards after December 11.

The date has been penciled in by liquidators Begbies Traynor for creditors to apply for compensation from MGR Capital, a solvent company boasting shareholder funds of £23,232,000 at the end of 2008.

With only the Inland Revenue as a creditor, the vast majority of the £23 million plus sum will be available for potential share-out before Christmas between the two ex-Phoenix directors and fellow shareholder HBOS.

But Northfield Labour MP Richard Burden today reiterated calls for Beale and Edwards to hand over their millions to the trust fund for ex-employees and a community development trust in Longbridge.

Mr Burden said: “There is a very large amount of money there and, however you cut it, that money came out of operations related to the Rover Group and associated companies.

“If there is going to be any positive legacy out of the Phoenix years, that money has got be put to socially beneficial uses. Part of that should be to the trust fund for former employees and part to a community development trust for the area.

“The idea that that amount of money should just go for personal gain is wrong. Ultimately history will judge them (the Phoenix directors).

“There is a chance for Peter Beale and John Edwards to hand over large sums of money. If they do not do that, people will say that they were in it for what they could get. Their reputations are in their own hands now.”

A spokesman for Phoenix Venture Holdings said he was unable to say whether the two ex-directors would take the money after December 11.

He said: “I do not know. We are not thinking that far ahead – they are not counting any chickens in terms of what might be in the fund.

“This was a loss-making company; it was a risk and it made profits because it was well-managed by HBOS and the directors. During the lifetime of MG Rover, £23 million was paid or transferred from MGR Capital into the car-making operation.”

Liquidator Paul Stanley, of Begbies Traynor, said: “MGR Capital was a solvent company which has not traded for years. The creditors will get paid first, with interest, and if there is any money left over, it is available for shareholders. After December 11, money will be available.”

Qu Li, who became known for her personal relationship with one of the directors of MG Rover while working as a consultant for the company, confirmed yesterday that she had acquired the assets of the company, through her engineering firm Eco Concept Limited.

Eco Concept plans to use LDV’s assets to start a company producing specialist light commercial vehicles. It is understood that the new venture will employ about 200 people. The fate of 40 workers left at LDV has not been determined.

The Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) is understood to be one of several Far Eastern companies backing Eco’s acquisition of LDV.

Dr Li said: “I can confirm that we have secured co-operation and ongoing support from a number of international automotive manufacturers and distributors.”