The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Jaguar

  • Jaguar launches Land Rover electric cars 2020

    Jaguar launches Land Rover electric cars 2020

    All new Jaguar Land Rover cars will be available in an electric or hybrid version from 2020, Britain’s biggest carmaker said on Thursday as it speeds up plans to electrify its model range.

    Last year the company, owned by India’s Tata Motors (TAMO.NS), said it would offer greener versions of half of its new line-up by 2020, but it has now ramped up its plans.

    Demand for electric models continues to rise sharply and in July Britain said it would ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2040 to cut pollution, replicating plans by France and cities such as Madrid, Mexico City and Athens.

  • Coscharis Motors unveils special offers for Jaguar buyers

    Coscharis Motors unveils special offers for Jaguar buyers

    Coscharis Motors has announced special offers for buyers of Jaguar products.

    Its President, Dr Cosmas Maduka said the firm is  offering special prices, free insurance and a two-year service plan for Jaguar products for one month to guests at the launch.

    Maduka spoke at the unveiling of the Jaguar’s first Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) – the F-PACE – at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Victoria Island, Lagos.

    The F-PACE is a performance SUV designed to offer the agility, responsiveness and refinement that Jaguars are renowned for, together with unrivalled dynamics and versatility.

    Developed using Jaguar’s Lightweight aluminium architecture, the F-PACE combines purity of line, surface and proportion with F-TYPE-inspired features, such as the powerful rear haunches, fender vents and distinctive tail light graphics.

    The bold front grille and the muscular bonnet hint at the performance potential of its supercharged V6 petrol engines. Elements, such as slender full-LED headlights, forged 22-inch wheels and short front overhang carry the design vision of the C-X17 concept through to production.

    The All-New F-PACE sits five occupants in comfort.The interior is a blend of premium materials and finishes, exquisite detailing, luxuries, such as heated, electrically reclining rear seats, and cutting-edge technologies including the InControl Touch Pro infotainment system and 12.3-inch HD virtual instrument cluster.

    Coscharis Motors General Manager, Sales Ufuoma Umukoro,  quoting Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, said: “By remaining absolutely true to our design principles the F-PACE is immediately recognisable as a Jaguar. It offers all of the interior space you would expect – and more – but because of our disciplined approach to surfaces, proportions, and purity of line, we have designed what I consider to be the most balanced, most attractive vehicle in its class.”

    The lightweight aluminium architecture gave the design and engineering teams the ideal starting point. It was created from the outset as a modular structure, so the wheels can be positioned  where they are needed to deliver the proportions, dynamics, and practicality essential for a performance SUV.

    The wheelbase and track are not shared with any other Jaguar. At 4,731mm long and with a 2,874mm wheelbase, the F-PACE offers the sleek profile and short front overhang characteristic of Jaguar design together with an exceptionally spacious interior.

    Rear knee-room is class-leading and the luggage compartment has up to 650 litres* of storage space.

    The light, stiff body structure comprises 80 per cent aluminium, and is the only aluminium-intensive monocoque in the segment. Additional weight savings come from the composite tailgate and magnesium for parts such as the cross-car beam.

    With the 280kW supercharged V6 petrol engine from the F-TYPE under its sculpted aluminium bonnet, the SUV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 5.5 seconds before reaching an electronically-limited top speed of 250km/h.

  • Coscharis Motors to introduce JAGUAR F Pace SUV

    Jaguar’s first ever family Sports Utility Vehicle will be officially unveiled in Nigeria by Coscharis Motors on Thursday at Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos.

    The unveiling will be in partnership with Tech+ during an exclusive dinner opening ceremony for event partners.

    The F Pace has become the manufacturer’s fastest-selling vehicle. In the first 10 months on sale, more than 14,000 orders have been placed, with all 2,000 First Edition vehicles sold out. The Jaguar F-PACE is Jaguar’s first performance crossover and its lightweight body structure comprises 80 per cent aluminium. It is the only aluminium-intensive design in its sector and is manufactured at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull Plant in the UK.

    According to the Coscharis Jaguar Land Rover Marketing Manager, Aregbeshola Cletus, a follow up test drive plan has been scheduled for the last week of July, especially for customers who would have indicated interest during the launch.

  • Jaguar Land Rover reports record sales in Europe

    Jaguar Land Rover reported record sales last year as the brand’s revival under India’s Tata Motors continued.
    JLR’s global volume rose 24 percent to 487,065 as gains in Europe and the U.S. offset falling demand in China, the company said in a statement.
    New models such as the Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport boosted sales, JLR sales chief Andy Goss said in the statement.
    Mainland Europe was the company’s largest sales region with volume up 28 percent to 110,298. Sales in the UK, the company’s biggest single market, rose by 21 percent to 100,636. JLR’s volume in North America increased by 25 percent to 94,066.
    Volume in China fell 24 percent to 92,474 as sales were hit by a slowing market and a major industrial explosion at the Chinese port of Tianjin in last August that destroyed JLR models stored there.
    Land Rover accounted for the bulk of JLR sales with record sales of 403,079, up six percent on the year before.
    Jaguar has its strongest year in a decade with volume up by three percent to 83,986. The brand’s best year was 2002 when it sold 103,000 units shortly after the launch of the X-Type. Jaguar expects its new XE and XF sedans, and F-Pace SUV, to lift sales this year. Analysts IHS Automotive forecasts Jaguar sales to reach 200,000 by 2018.
    JLR has said it expects to increase sales to about 850,000 by 2020 as it adds new models and expands production abroad.
    The company plans to open a factory in Slovakia in 2018 and will this year start production of the Land Rover Discovery Sport in a new plant in Brazil. The company opened a factory in China in 2014. The plant builds the Range Rover Evoque.
    “With China slowing even further, 2016 may be a difficult year for Jaguar Land Rover,” said Deepesh Rathore, director at Emerging Markets Automotive Advisors. “The good news for JLR is that their portfolio and volumes are still small and so, as they add new models, they will continue growing, albeit at a slower pace.”
    JLR’s best-seller last year was the Range Rover Evoque compact SUV with global sales of just over 108,000, down 13 percent on the year before. In second place was the Range Rover Sport large SUV with sales up six percent to 87,319. No. 3 was the Land Rover Discovery Sport with sales of 69,501.
    Last year was JLR’s its sixth consecutive year of sales gains after Tata Motors, which bought the automaker from Ford Motor in 2008, invested heavily in the company’s revival.

  • 5,800 Jaguar, Land Rover cars hit in China blasts

    Carmaker Tata Motors Ltd said last  Friday that  ‘many’ of the 5,800 Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles it had at Tianjin port in China were likely to have been damaged in the recent chemical explosion that killed more than a hundred people.

    The company said it has yet to determine the exact extent of the damage, joining other global carmakers such as Volkswagen AG, Hyundai Motor Co, Toyota Motor Corp, Daimler DIAGn.DE and BMW AG that are still counting up their losses. The Jaguar Land Rover cars had recently been shipped to China and were stored at various locations in Tianjin port, Tata Motors said in a statement to the Indian stock exchange.

    Tata bought the British luxury carmaker JLR in 2008.

    “Whilst we believe many of these vehicles may have been damaged, we are presently unable to quantify the numbers of units affected,” a JLR spokesman said in the statement, explaining that access was still restricted to areas near the site of the explosion. The number of cars damaged at China’s largest auto import hub could climb to above 10,000 when accounting for all vehicles in the area. This will affect deliveries at a time when China’s auto market has been shrinking due to slowing economic growth and the recent stock market slump.

    Shares in Tata Motors extended losses to more than four percent after the statement, and ended nearly three percent lower in a weak Mumbai market.

  • Jaguar Land appoints new Marketing Director

    Jaguar Land appoints new Marketing Director

    Lisa Mallett has been appointed Marketing and Communications Director for Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and Sub Sahara Africa (JLR SA and SSA).

    A part of the JLR team since 2012, when she started as the Product and Pricing Manager for SA and SSA, Mallett steps into the vacancy left by Peter Biven who returned to the United Kingdom last year.

    With a degree in Information Management, Marketing Management, and extensive experience in the local motor industry, Mallett has helped JLR change its image during a crucial time in its history.

    “It’s a really exciting time to be part of the Jaguar Land Rover team here in South Africa,” said Mallett. “We’ve already started this year on a high note, successfully claiming the South African land speed record for production cars with the F-TYPE R, as well as CAR Magazine honouring us as Company of the Year, and recognising Range Rover Sport as the best car in its category. And that’s just the start – we have many more exciting things on the cards for both brands.”

    Mallett’s automotive marketing and product planning experience in the South African motor industry dated back to 2006, when she joined Toyota South Africa. There, she moved through the ranks ultimately being appointed as senior manager Marketing and Communications for the company’s luxury brand Lexus.

    “Lisa has already proven her value to the team over the last few months. In addition to her previous responsibilities, she also acted as interim Marketing and Communications Director,” said Richard Gouverneur, Managing Director Jaguar Land Rover SA and SSA.

    “Her experience in the South African motor industry, and superb insight when it comes to product planning, will both come into play in the next few months as we launch some of the best products we’ve ever made,” he said.

  • Jaguar unveils F-PACE

    Jaguar has confirmed it will introduce an all-new model to the Jaguar line-up, to go on-sale in 2016, named the Jaguar F-PACE.

    Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum, said an overwhelmingly positive response to the C-X17 concept car last year gingered the company to introduce new model.

    “The Jaguar F-PACE, inspired by the F-TYPE, represents a perfectly judged balance of performance, style and practicality. It offers a unique combination of Jaguar sports car inspired exterior design, fused beautifully with a thoroughly practical and spacious luxury interior. The F-PACE is our family sports car,” Callum said.

    “The Jaguar F-PACE couples class-leading interior space and exceptional on-road dynamics with five-seat usability to produce a true performance crossover.  It will encapsulate everything that Jaguar stands for: beautiful design, precise handling, a supple ride, luxurious interior finishes and cutting-edge technology,” he added.

    Speaking in Detroit, Jaguar Land Rover Global Sales Director, Andy Goss announced that the company will celebrate Jaguar’s 80th year anniversary this year. “We have started it by announcing our first performance crossover which we consider to be the ultimate practical sports car – a car that builds on the marque’s founding ideals of Grace, Pace and Space to become one of the most innovative Jaguars we have ever developed. The F-PACE has now began its engineering and development testing programme ahead of the new model going on sale in 2016,” Goss said.

    The F-PACE will be manufactured in Solihull, United Kingdom. Jaguar sub-Sahara Africa can confirm that the all-new F-PACE will go on sale locally.

  • Iyanya reacts to Jaguar’s accusation

    Kenyan top act, Charles NjaguaKanyi, has claimed that Nigerian superstar, Iyanya, worked with him merely to gain inroad into East Africa, saying this was against their initial agreement.

    The artiste, popularly called Jaguar, made the claim while speaking to a Kenyan news medium, The Star. He said the remix of One Centimeter, which features the Nigerian entertainer, isn’t getting much airplay in Nigeria despite its greatness in East Africa. He also said that Iyanya hasn’t done anything to ensure the song has enough presence in Nigeria.

    Among other allegations, Jaguar said Iyanya insisted the video be shot in Nigeria, and by Clarence Peters. The Kenyan artiste claimed he agreed for the video to be shot in Nigeria, but didn’t bow to Iyanya’s demand that Clarence Peter shoot the video. The One Centimeter remix was directed by a Kenyan director by the name of Thome.

    However, Iyanya has come out to state that Jaguar’s allegations are baseless. Speaking with The Nation, Iyanya explained how he visited Kenya on a tour, heard the song and liked it instantly. He said he then proposed to Jaguar that he would like to do a collaboration with him, which he agreed to.

    “When we were done with the song, he called me to say that the song is not being aired in Nigeria. I explained to him that things are done differently this way. I told him I have given the song to the right people; it is left to them to decide when they will air it. Promoting a song costs money. When he said I was exploiting him, ask him if he gave me any money to promote the song in Nigeria. I didn’t even collect a dime from him to do the collaboration, and he is here accusing me of exploiting him,” Iyanya stated.

  • Jaguar partners UK singer on new XE

    Jaguar partners UK singer on new XE

    Jaguar has launched FEEL XE, a platform created to harness the spirit of British creativity and innovation using an inspiring collective of figures from the worlds of music, film and design.

    Jaguar will be collaborating with artistes and personalities including Emeli Sandé, Stella McCartney and Idris Elba to create experiences that express the ‘Exhilaration’ that is at the heart of the XE, the brand’s new mid-sized premium sports saloon.

    The XE is a sports saloon that has been designed, engineered and manufactured in the United Kingdom. With class-leading design and innovation, Jaguar is delivering game-changing driving experience and performance, qualities that FEEL XE will express through creative interpretations of the feeling of Exhilaration.

    Multi-platinum, British singer songwriter Emeli Sandé will create the first FEEL XE project. Emeli and Jaguar are looking to the public for inspiration as Emeli begins to write a FEEL XE song about the feeling of Exhilaration to support the reveal of the Jaguar XE. In order to secure inspiration, Emeli and Jaguar will ask the public “What makes you feel Exhilarated?”

    Using #FEELXE, the public can share words, pictures, sounds and films with Emeli through social media that express what makes them feel Exhilarated. As Exhilaration can mean many different things to many different people, Emeli and Jaguar are expecting a diverse range of submissions.

    In reference to her involvement in the project, Emeli said: “I’m excited about working with Jaguar on the FEEL XE campaign and with an incredible British brand. The new XE is innovative in its design and I can’t wait to start collaborating with the world, looking at what defines Exhilaration for them, and premiering the track in London at what is going to be an incredible event!”

    Emeli’s FEEL XE track will be performed for the first time at a secret location alongside the Thames as part of a spectacular, audio-visual event. The conclusion of this performance will mark the global reveal of Jaguar’s new XE mid-sized premium sports saloon, part of a series of dramatic Jaguar XE stunts and events across the capital.

    Emmy nominated British actor Idris Elba will create a FEEL XE project with his production company Green Door Pictures. It will be inspired by his passion for cars and innovation, an interest that he first explored in the recent BBC2 ‘King of Speed’ series.

    Jaguar Land Rover Public Relations Director Fiona Pargeter, said: “XE is a very special car and we wanted to ensure it had a very special launch. We are very excited to be working with such amazing global talent to create interesting and engaging experiences that we can share around the world. Emeli is an incredible artist and one who embodies the creativity and elegance that is at the heart of the Jaguar brand and the new XE.”

  • Jaguar invents aluminium alloy

    Jaguar invents aluminium alloy

    The new Jaguar XE redefines the standard in its segment. Designed around Jaguar’s modular vehicle architecture, the XE is the only car in the class to use an aluminium-intensive monocoque, with lightweight aluminium accounting for 75 per cent of the structure.

    This milestone in body engineering, a product of Jaguar’s world-leading expertise in high-volume production of aluminium vehicles, ensures that the Jaguar XE combines outstanding design with benchmark levels of ride and handling.

    Lightweight construction is a core element of Jaguar’s DNA and Jaguar is at the cutting-edge of aluminium technology in the automotive industry. The Jaguar XJ, XK and F-type have all been developed using exceptionally stiff bonded and riveted aluminium structures: now the XE becomes the latest model to use this aerospace-inspired technology.

    The weight reduction realised ensures that the XE is the most fuel-efficient Jaguar yet with fuel consumption and CO2 emissions on the NEDC combined cycle of less than 4 litres/100 km and under 100g/km respectively.

    “The Jaguar XE body uses over 75 per cent aluminium content, which far exceeds any other car in its class. This gives us a body structure with unrivalled low weight: it is light but also immensely strong with extremely high levels of torsional stiffness. We have made sure our aluminium-intensive body structure exceeds all global safety standards without compromising on vehicle design or refinement,” Dr Mark White, Jaguar’s Chief Technical Specialist said.

    The Jaguar XE’s aluminium-intensive body is beautiful to look at, but the structure also delivers exceptional torsional stiffness. The light but strong architecture incorporates highly advanced suspension systems delivering unparalleled levels of ride quality, handling and steering.

    The Jaguar XE is also the first car in the world make use of a new grade of high strength aluminium called RC 5754 which has been developed specifically for the XE. This new alloy features a high level of recycled material and makes a significant contribution to Jaguar’s goal of using 75 per cent recycled material by 2020.

    Designed and engineered in the UK, the XE will be the first Jaguar to be manufactured at a new purpose-built production facility at the company’s Solihull plant in the West Midlands in the UK.

    The world premiere of the new Jaguar XE will be held in London on September 8, with a South African on-sale date of late 2015.