Jaguar X-Type Successor to be Named ‘XS’

Seriously, it will.

Whether Jaguar intended it or not, XS not only signifies ‘extra small’ but it also is the new name of their smallest model. Cute, isn’t it?

Meant to take on the BMW 3-series and the Mercedes-Benz C-class, the XS will also spawn a coupe and convertible as well – at least that’s what the rumours are saying at this point. Myself, I’d wager they wouldn’t dive in that deep, at least not for the North American market.

What do you think of the new baby Jag’s name?

[Motor Authority]

Still On Top: Mercedes-Benz S-Class Outsells Competitors Last Month

Despite the fact that it’s now a six year old design, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class is still outselling its rivals in Canada – at least according to February 2011 sales.

Audi is probably none too pleased that its recent jab at the S-Class is apparently not working to boost the newly redesigned A8′s sales.

Meanwhile, BMW doesn’t have a whole lot to be upset about as the 7-series was the second best selling full-sized luxury car last month in Canada and was the best selling unit in its class in the United States last month.

Hyundai’s venture into this very competitive market also turned out to be decent, but decent is relative. They only sold eight Equus sedans, but that’s double of what they sold the month before.

Here are the number of units sold in Canada in February 2011:

Mercedes-Benz S-Class (includes CL sales): 38

BMW 7-series: 21

Audi A8: 13

Jaguar XJ: 11

Lexus LS: 10

Hyundai Equus: 8

[Auto News Data Center]

Auto Express 2011 Performance Car of the Year Announced

As the year draws to a close, another Car of the Year (COTY) accolade is up for grabs. This one is courtesy of Auto Express, however it’s not your typical COTY award. Most COTY awards include any new model and usually the winner is based on how it handles day to day elements. Well Auto Express is tossing that formula out the window as their focusing solely on performance.

They took 20 cars that have performance as their top priority and ranked them from best to worst. Everything from cheap hot hatches to exotic supercars were considered. All were measured based on their performance abilities and value… which is odd considering they have an Aston Martin up against a Seat. Perhaps they meant best balance of performance for value.

Subaru fans will likely be up in arms at the results as the Cosworth WRX was ranked the lowest at number 20, especially since it was bested by several hot hatches including a hybrid, the Honda CR-Z.

Another surprise on the list was the Audi RS5 which ranked a bit low at number 11. Especially considering its arch rival, the BMW M3, not only cracked the top 10, but cracked the top 5 coming in at number 5.

I won’t spill the beans on who won the coveted top spot, however I will say that I definitely agree with their decision. Check it out in the video above. Notice no domestic cars were nominated? Just sayin’.

Do you agree with the performance COTY?

[Auto Express]

Oh Hi: Jaguar C-X75

Jaguar has been hinting at a new supercar for a long time now and this is what they came up with.

The C-X75 is obviously a concept but it does give us a sneak peak into what future product from Jaguar will look like as the C-X75 clearly has a new design language under Tata owned Jaguar.

The C-X75 actually has an electric range extender for a bit of added efficiency. There are actually two micro gas turbines that develop 96 horsepower each that power the li-ion battery pack. There are actually four (!) 195 horsepower electric motors as well which brings the grand total to 780 horsepower and 1,187 pound feet of torque!!!! This helps get the sub 3 tonne vehicle get from 0-100 in 3.5 seconds. It also has a top speed of 328 km/hour!

Sounds pretty impressive but it also sounds like a lot of technology that can and will go wrong too. That’s probably why it’s still on concept form. Expect the production version to be a little more mainstream.

Still cool though!

[Jaguar]

Jaguar X-Type to be Reincarnated?

This would be a very smart move.

Tata is examining the portfolio of its newest acquisition and is noticing a few omissions. Mainly, there is no entry level Jag to help usher people into the brand.

Vice-President of Tata is quoted by Autocar as saying, “It has to happen if you want to keep the brand alive”.

So basically an entry level model is pretty much a certainty. Whether or not it will be called X-type is another story as that car was merely known for being a fancied up Ford Mondeo that didn’t sell particularly well here, and did even worse with its wagon varient.

It’s going to have to be pretty good to keep up with the benchmarker in the segment, the BMW 3-series. There is plently of other extremely tough compeition as well such as the Audi A4, Mercedes-Benz C-class, Infiniti G37, Acura TSX, Lexus IS and probably the 2011 Volvo S60. Quite the list.

Our advice is to make sure you offer a manual tranmission, and you’ll be starting off on the right foot, Jaguar.

World Car of the Year 2010: Top Ten Entries Revealed

What is the best car in the world? It’s all relative and subjective and thus, impossible to determine. But that doesn’t stop automotive journalists from trying.

52 automotive journalists representing each continent in the world (except Antarctica – Penguins can’t legally drive yet) have gotten together and submitted their top ten choices for World Car of the Year in two categories: Car of the Year and Performance Car of the Year. There will then be three finalists chosen for both categories.

Find out what car made the top ten and what our pics are for the finalists after the jump!

Read the rest of this entry »

We Heart Wald International

The pic above explains why.

The Japanese company is in the business of prettying up already great looking vehicles such as this XJ by making their own cosmetic changes.

Body kits, rims and tires are just some of the things they do to achieve this.

Hit the jump to see even more examples of how to tastefully mod your BMW, Infiniti, Porsche or Rolls Royce into a work of art.

Read the rest of this entry »