Study Shows that New Porsche 911 Garnered the Most Web Buzz from the Frankfurt Motor Show

Now that the 2011 International Auto Show in Frankfurt has passed into history, analysts are crunching the numbers to see which carmakers and models sparked the crowd's interest the most.

UK-based Kantar Media Precis released the results of a study that looks into the number of online stories from websites, Tweets, blogs and other social media starting from two weeks before the first press day of the Frankfurt Motor Show on Aug. 30, 2011, until the end of the second press day on Sept. 14, 2011.

The study reveals that the most talked about model on the internet was the new Porsche 911 sports coupe, while next up was the Mercedes-Benz B Class small MPV, followed by the BMW i3 Concept hatch, the Audi Urban Concept studies and the Ford Evos Concept.

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Posted on 06.53 / 0 comments / Read More

SPIED: Jaguar Begins Work on C-X16 Coupe with Test Mules

It has only been a week since Jaguar pulled the curtains back on its new C-X16 concept model at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, but the British automaker has already began work on prototypes that will eventually lead to the production model, which is expected to hit the market as early as 2013.

At a first glance, the prototype seen in these fresh spy shots may seem like an XK Convertible, however, a closer look reveals that it's a test mule, meaning engineers are using body parts of an existing model on a different platform.

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Posted on 10.08 / 0 comments / Read More

Rumors: Jaguar-Land Rover to open new Engine Plant in UK

When Tata Motors acquired Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2008, it had to buy powertrains for the models that were already in production by the British group's former owner.

Now, as part for their expansion plan, Tata Motors is considering the opening of a new engine plant, according to British newspaper Sunday Telegraph. If the report is indeed accurate (the company wasn’t available for comment) it will be built in Wholverhampton in central England and employ around 2,000 workers.

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Posted on 03.33 / 0 comments / Read More

IAA 2011: C-X16 Production Concept is “The Future of Jaguar Sports Cars”

Jaguar is so far under-performing, recording a 27% sales drop in the first quarter of the year. Indian owner Tata Motors is determined though to turn its fortunes around by investing US$2.5 billion annually for the next five years in the British luxury carmaker and its Land Rover stable mate in order to develop 40 new models and variants.

A spiritual successor to the legendary E-Type is certainly a good start: a modern sports coupe along with a roadster variant boasting compact dimensions and 21st century design and driving dynamics. This is exactly Jaguar’s main attraction at the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show: the C-X16 “production concept”, as the study is officially named, clearly pointing at a road-going model.

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Posted on 05.44 / 0 comments / Read More

New Jaguar C-X16 Concept Hints at a Porsche Cayman and 911 Rival [50 Photos + Video]

Jaguar is bringing a new sleek concept car named the C-X16 to the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, which opens its gates on September 13.

Following the release of a single teaser rendering, the British carmaker unloaded a slew of photos and information on the concept that is believed to lead to a production model sitting under the XK and aiming at the likes of both the Porsche Cayman and 911.

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Posted on 17.10 / 0 comments / Read More

Clarkson's Jaguar XJS Sports Train Pulls into the World of Top Gear Exhibition at Beaulieu

The World of Top Gear Exhibition at Beaulieu in Hampshire, England, has just added another toy from the popular TV motoring programme to its collection.

The new addition is the Jaguar 'Sports Train' that was featured in the fourth episode of season 17 when Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May set out to build the best automotive-pulled train.

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Williams Wants to Extend Jaguar Partnership Beyond C-X75 Supercar

The Williams Formula 1 team, which only recently announced its deal with Renault as an engine partner from 2012 sparking rumors about special editions of the French company's cars like the acclaimed Clio Williams of the past, now says it also wants to expand its cooperation with Jaguar beyond the C-X75 hybrid supercar. Read more »

Posted on 12.36 / 0 comments / Read More

NCE Converts New Jaguar XJ into a Four-Door Convertible Oddity

One of the latest models to fall into the hands of California-based company Newport Convertible Engineering (NCE) is the new Jaguar XJ.

NCE is known for chopping off the roofs of just about anything it can, be that a Toyota Prius hybrid or a luxury Range Rover SUV.

And while we respect the work that went into developing and applying the convertible treatment to Jaguar's flagship limousine, the end result is not what we would call elegant or stylish, especially with the soft top in normal position. Check out the rest of the pictures for yourself in our gallery after the break.

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SPIED: Is Jaguar Readying a Hardcore XFR-S?

With the recent presentation of the redesigned for the 2012 model year XF and XFR, you would think that Jaguar was done with this generation of its premium offering in the mid-size sedan segment.

However, that doesn’t seem to be the case as our scoop photographers captured what at first appears to be a "normal" XFR but a closer looks reveals that this factory prototype is wearing the dark alloy rims of the XKR-S while we can also see a roll cage inside (apparently used for the safety of the test drivers).

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Posted on 10.12 / 0 comments / Read More

Jaguar Shows Frankfurt-Bound C-X16 "Production Concept" Sports Car

This is the first official image or rather sketch of the all-new Jaguar C-X16 study which will make its world premiere at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show on September 13.

The British automaker describes the C-X16 as a "production concept" adding that it is a "precursor to future Jaguar sports cars that will aim to set new class benchmarks in design, vehicle dynamics and technology".

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Posted on 17.18 / 0 comments / Read More

SCOOP: Jaguar Preparing Hardcore XKR-S Convertible

Confirming earlier rumors that Jaguar is readying an open-top version of its spiciest XK model to date, our spy shooters snagged pictures of a prototype version of the upcoming XKR-S Convertible put through its paces on the Nürburgring race track.

The XKR-S Coupe was revealed at the 2011 Geneva Salon this past March. Predictably, the convertible model will sport the same styling modifications and performance upgrades as the coupe.

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Posted on 16.18 / 0 comments / Read More

As Nano Sales Fall, Tata Motors Invests on Jaguar and Land Rover to Raise Profits

When Tata Motors bought Jaguar and Land Rover from Ford in 2008, it had great plans for both brands. Driven by sales of the sub-$5,000 Nano, the Indian conglomerate would have enough funds to secure their future. Now it seems that the tables have turned, and it's the Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) unit that may have to bring in the profits. Read more »

Posted on 11.41 / 0 comments / Read More

Jaguar Rumored to Tease E-type Successor with a New Concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show

Over the past few years, we've heard plenty of rumors concerning Jaguar's plans to build a spiritual successor to the famed E-type of the 1960s and 1970s. The latest word on the grapevine comes from British weekly magazine Autocar that claims Jaguar will release a sporty model in the spirit of the E-type as early as next year. Read more »

Posted on 16.20 / 0 comments / Read More

Oops: Hundreds of Irish National Lottery Winners Wrongly Informed They’d Won a Jaguar XK

If you were lucky enough to win something in last Wednesday’s €4.4 million (US$7.3 million) draw of the Irish National Lottery and checked your numbers online, you were in for an additional surprise: that you’d also won a €150,000 (US$246,450) Jaguar XK convertible.

Unfortunately for the hundreds of €2 and €2,000 (US$3.29 and US$3,286) lottery winners, there was only one car to be won and it’s already been claimed.

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Posted on 12.12 / 0 comments / Read More

Tata Considers Developing Engines with Jaguar and Land Rover

Tata Motors’ owner, Ratan Tata, confirmed today in the company’s annual report that the Indian carmaker is considering developing an engine in cooperation with its Jaguar Land Rover division.

"To optimize the synergistic strengths between JLR and Tata Motors in India, an examination is also under way on a joint engine development program which would have manufacturing facilities both in the U.K. and India," Ratan Tata stated.

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It Came From eBay Hell: 1993 Jaguar XJ6 “Airport Limousine”

In the glory days of air travel – when you could still smoke and fly without the fear of being groped and fondled by security personnel wearing latex gloves– some passengers were lucky enough to commute from the terminal to their hotel in the back of an airport limousine.

These stretched cars, with their multiple rows of seats and doors, were essentially the primitive precursor to the modern day shuttle bus.

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Posted on 18.18 / 0 comments / Read More

Jaguar’s Ian Callum Confirms Hot R Edition of Upcoming XF Sport Break

We already knew that Jaguar was preparing an estate (or, as they prefer to call it, Sport Break) version of the XF. What we were not so sure about was whether the XF Sport Break would get a range-topping R version like its sedan sibling.

Up until now, that is, because Ian Callum, Jag’s chief designer, recently told the Dutch publication Autovisie that the company will indeed present and XFR variant of the estate. And it will of course be powered by the same 510-hp turbocharged V8 of the sedan, giving rivals such as Audi’s RS6 something to worry about.

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Posted on 09.33 / 0 comments / Read More

New Jaguar XF 2.2 Diesel Goes from Birmingham to Munich on One Tank of Fuel

Jaguar is touting it’s new diesel-powered XF 2.2D saloon as the most fuel-efficient model in its history and to back its claims, the company set out to complete a journey from its factory at Castle Bromwich in Birmingham, UK, to Munich, Germany, on a single tank of fuel.

The British company manages to achieve its goal, with the four-cylinder XF covering a distance of 816 miles or 1,312 kilometers on 64 liters of diesel fuel, which gives an average fuel economy of 57mpg UK, equal to 4.9 lt/100km and 47.5 mpg US.

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Posted on 15.01 / 0 comments / Read More

Plastic is Fantastic: 1:24 Scale Supercar Exotics Encased In Resin

Here’s something you don’t see every day: a 1970's style resin “sculpture” made by an unknown French artist and featuring various 1:24 scale Ferraris.

There’s also a Lamborghini Diablo, Jaguar XJ220 and Bugatti EB110 in there among others. Props to anyone who can help us identify the rest. The unusual item is being sold by Mantiques Modern [sic] of New York.

For details on price, you’ll have to contact the dealer, but something tells us it won’t be cheap… More photos of the artsy piece in the gallery after the break.

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Posted on 16.28 / 0 comments / Read More

Silverstone Organisers Ask: What is the Best British Sports Car of All Time?

The fifteen finalists in the Silverstone Classic’s, “Best British Sports Car of All Time” vote-in have been announced, and boy is there some choice picks. Before we get to that though, can I just point out a misnomer in using the, “of All Time” qualifier?

This assumes (prophetically?) that Britain will not be making any more sports cars in the future, whereas, “Best British Sports Car So Far” would be a far more accurate description. But enough with semantics: who are our lucky finalists? Read on….

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Posted on 09.01 / 0 comments / Read More