Automotive

Jaguar XE SV Project 8: Look Out Everyone! (Especially Germans)

Jaguar XE SV Project 8: Look Out Everyone! (Especially Germans) Alright all you Bahn-burners, Merc pilots, Beemer drivers, and Audi flyers, Jaguar is here to say, “Not so fast, chaps!” The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 aims to be the veddy British, veddy quick answer to “Who builds the world’s fastest sedan?” And with a 200 mph top speed and a Nürburgring Nordschleife lap time in the low 7:20s, you Germans best listen up.
Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations is putting the finishing touches on the soon-to-be-released XE SV Project 8, “the fastest and most thrilling of all road-legal four-door sedans.” Let’s just take that as a factual statement for now, and leave the fuming and raging you can hear emanating from Germany as distant thunder to be dealt with later.
Bolder & Badder
The Project 8 is a big, four-door sedan with a zero to 60 time of just 3.4 seconds. That’s impressive, given how large and heavy these cats are. They weigh just under 3,900 lbs. (after going on a significant diet) and are over 15 feet long. No one is going to mistake this for a Lotus, but that made little difference to the stopwatch when the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 sedan set a lap time of 7 minutes 21.23 seconds at the Nordschleife, quicker than the old four-door record by more than 10 seconds.
Overcoming all that heft and size is a 592 horsepower version of the “normal” supercharged Jaguar 5.0-liter V8, making the XE SV Project 8 the most powerful Jaguar road car to date. That big powerplant lives in a car peppered with genuine motor racing technology, a flat underbody, a differential oil cooler, and an all-wheel drive system that puts the power to the lane. The ride height, camber, front splitter, and rear wing are all adjustable. Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 road-legal track tires wrap the forged 20-inch wheels with ceramic wheel bearings similar to those in grand prix cars. Impressive.
Jaguar’s Project 8 introduces an Electronic Active Differential (EAD) for the first time on the XE, which works with the Intelligent Driveline Dynamics system to precisely manage torque delivery to each of the rear wheels. In conjunction with enhanced front and rear driveshafts, the EAD is designed to distribute power and traction in varying situations. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Building The Beast
The high-tech racing stuff doesn’t stop there. There are two-part upper wishbones, ball joints in place of rubber bushings, twin coil springs, special dampers and lower suspension bushings, a rollover protection system, and the latest spec carbon ceramic brakes: all new and all bespoke to the XE SV Project 8. The only body components used from the standard XE are the aluminum roof and aluminum front door skins. The vented hood, flared front fenders, and bumpers are made from carbon fiber. Driver feel is up, according to Jaguar, and the handling response is sharper.
“Power delivery and gear shifts are the most visceral we have ever offered on a Jaguar – every 1/100th of a second improvement in shift time adds up over a complete lap of the Nürburgring,” said Mark Stanton, Special Vehicle Operations Director. “Rest assured, no stone has been left unturned in our mission to make this the most rewarding Jaguar driver’s car ever.”
With no more than 300 being made, each one will be hand-built at the company’s Technical Center in Coventry.
“The good thing about building only 300 cars, all hand-made, is that you can keep developing the car right up to the start of production,” said David Pook, Project 8 Vehicle Dynamics Manager. “And we’ve done just that. The springs have got stiffer and so have the engine mounts. The suspension arm bushes have changed. The brakes have been refined for the exact pedal feel and performance we want. This has all been done to make the car even more responsive and to handle even better.”
The Jaguar XE SV Project 8 utilizes torque vectoring control via the braking system to minimize understeer by independently braking inside wheels during cornering. It works with the Electronic Active Differential to control torque delivery to the rear wheels. Photo: Jaguar Land Rover.
Pricing & Availability
Two versions of the Project 8 are available globally. The four-seat version coming to North America contains all the motorsport tech, but outside the U.S., there is a two-seat Track Pack version that drops almost 27 lbs. and includes carbon fiber racing seats, a four-point safety harnesses, and a boost in torsional rigidity by 27 percent. But like I said, that is not to be our version over here in the states. More’s the pity.
The XE SV Project 8 is priced from $187,500. No, that’s not cheap, but most likely worth it. Deliveries begin this summer. Get your finances in order and get in line now.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Photos & Source: Jaguar Land Rover.

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2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback: Marketing Jargon For Days

2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback: Marketing Jargon For Days Wait, what year is this, 1985? Toyota is trumpeting their new hatchback? People still make hatchbacks as separate and notable things? I thought having a hatch out back is just what a car company does these days, what makes this 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback special?
So, yeah, “the Hatch is back!” as Toyota claimed in a far too smarmy and familiar tone that, along with hideously contorted marketing prose, permeates their press materials.
Waxing Poetics
Toyota, in print anyway, is trying as hard as that third rate high school Romeo to convince you to go to prom with him. And there’s something about trying too hard that just seems to make it all the worse. Just check out this one single paragraph:
“Corolla Hatchback has flair extraordinaire. With a theme of Shooting Robust, along with a design goal of Agile, influencing their every pen stroke, designers created a form that is simultaneously distinct, dynamic, muscular, and sophisticated. Shooting references the design’s sport coupe traits implemented in all facets.”
Flair extraordinaire, Shooting Robust, design goal of Agile. Great job guys, you’ve now actively made me not want to buy your product. The only thing the marketing geeks have going for them is the complete and total lack of exclamation points. A minor blessing, all in all.
2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback. Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Enhanced Stance
In a lot of ways, the 2019 Corolla Hatchback is pretty much all that its name implies. It’s small, flexible, and a Corolla. Ergo, it’s going to be solid, dependable, easy-to-use transportation, and all the extra marzipan slathered on top just hides more of the cake underneath. The 2019 Toyota Corolla Hatchback is built on the company’s TNGA C platform, described as a compact structure that utilizes adhesives, spot welding, and additional bracing – top to bottom and side to side – for better stability and fuel economy.
The Corolla Hatchback is lower (by 0.4 inches), wider (by 0.6 inches), and shorter (by 0.6 inches) than its predecessor, the Corolla iM. That all adds up to better grip and handling, smother ride, and more room inside. The hatch itself is made from this stuff called TSOP and ABS plastic. TSOP, in case you’re interested, is not a reference to the disco song, The Sound of Philadelphia, but instead means Toyota Super Olefin Polymer, which is a new, lightweight substance. Put it on a sports car, and we can talk more Toyota.
Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Exterior & Interior Treatments
The little Corolla Hatch comes in two flavors, SE and XSE. Either version gets you LED headlamps and taillights, a chrome rear diffuser, and alloy wheels. The XSE’s wheels are 18-inchers while other goodies include LED fog lights, a chrome front grille surround, and an Adaptive Front Lighting System. Your color choices are Blizzard Pearl, Silver Metallic, Midnight Black, Galactic Aqua Mica, Scarlet, Oxide Bronze, and the new-for-2019 color Blue Flame.
The interior is all about “Sensuous Minimalism.” No, seriously, that’s what they said. There’s a standard eight-inch multimedia touchscreen for vehicle settings, audio controls, navigation, smartphone integration, and the Entune 3.0 apps. The center tray ahead of the gearshift holds small items and has a wireless device charging area. Front door cup holders accommodate 24-ounce bottles and the rear door cup holders accommodate 16-ounce bottles, because America.
The XSE ups the ante with dual-zone climate control, leather seating, and heated front seats (yay!). A seven-inch TFT Multi-Information Display shows vehicle info, turn-by-turn navigation, and various vehicle settings like Lane Departure Alert, Lane Tracing Assist, Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, Blind Spot Monitor and that sort of junk.
Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.
Power & Performance
All of this is propelled a 2.0-liter Dynamic-Force (laugh!) inline four-cylinder plant with direct injection. The engine is smaller and lighter than the 1.8-liter four-cylinder it replaces, and puts out 168 horsepower and 151 lb-ft. of torque. The chassis seems to be all parts bin sourced and bean counter approved with a front MacPherson strut setup and a multi-link suspension with stabilizer bars out back.
Here is how Toyota describes it in their press materials:
The end result: A Corolla Hatchback that possesses an uncanny blend of balance, composure, and feel that’ll have its driver pining for windy roads – time and time again.
Really? Who cares?! Just listen to that media hype. Tell people you “drive a hatchback.” Toyota thinks that’s what all the cool kids will be interested in anyway. The chassis and powerplant engineers at Ferrari certainly won’t be upset or worried by what the cool kids are doing.
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He is the author of Bricks & Bones: The Endearing Legacy and Nitty-Gritty Phenomenon of The Indy 500, available in paperback or Kindle format. His forthcoming new book The Future In Front of Me, The Past Behind Me will be available soon. Follow his work on Twitter: @TonyBorroz.
Photos & Source: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

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Magna & Innoviz Technologies To Supply BMW Group With LiDAR

Magna & Innoviz Technologies To Supply BMW Group With LiDAR Magna and Innoviz Technologies will supply BMW Group with solid-state LiDAR solutions as the automaker moves toward autonomous vehicle production. LiDAR, because of its range and accuracy, is considered an essential element for autonomous cars. The venture is among the first of its kind, moving solid-state LiDAR technology away from something seen only on prototype and concept vehicles to full production cars.
Comprehensive Solutions
Magna officials say they reamin committed to flexible, scalable solutions that turn advancements like LiDAR into automotive-grade products. Magna, a global automotive supplier with a presence in 28 countries, has the ability to create a completely autonomous platform, or provide individual building blocks of the overall system, as is the case with BMW. Magna worked with Innoviz Technologies to deliver a viable solution for BMW’s future autonomous vehicles.
“We value the opportunity to support a premier brand such as BMW with our innovative technologies in sensors and systems,” explained Kelei Shen, President of Magna Electronics. “Our strong systems and integration knowledge and complete vehicle expertise give us the ability to provide scalable solutions for different levels of autonomy.”
“BMW is setting a high standard in autonomous vehicle development, and their vote of confidence in our LiDAR demonstrates how advanced our technology is,” added Omer Keilaf, co-founder and CEO of Innoviz. “The Innoviz and Magna teams collaborated to meet BMW requirements in quality and validation and functional safety.”
Innoviz Technologies has a production site in Haifa, Israel with the ability to produce a few thousand devices per month; officials say they are planning a second facility in China and want to open it next year. Photo: Magna & Innoviz Technologies.
Invaluable Experiences
Innoviz has unique origins, being founded by former members of the elite technological unit of the Israeli Defense Forces. The company’s leaders and employees are experts in electro-optics, computer vision, MEMS design, and signal processing among other disciplines. In the military, Keilaf’s team was tasked with complex projects and tight deadlines, working around the clock to implement new technologies in service to their country.
“I come from a small unit but we were developing very unique hardware and technology – it’s like if MIT had an army,” he told us in a September 2017 feature. “You had to manage sometimes hundreds of people working on a certain project, and all of them needed to see something at the end that works perfectly.”
The experiences in the military inevitably shaped Innoviz and their success as a company. Today, they are backed by strategic partners and top-tier investors like Aptiv (Delphi), Magna International, Samsung Catalyst, SoftBank Ventures Korea, 360 Capital Partners, Glory Ventures, and Naver. The company’s LiDAR technology will benefit future BMW owners by functioning in the most challenging environments, like bright and direct sunlight or varying and unpredictable weather conditions.
“Automakers have been looking for a LiDAR technology provider to deliver a mass-market solution, and we are proud to see our product coming to series production,” Keilaf said.
Innoviz Technologies demonstrating their LiDAR solution at AutoSens Detroit, May 2017. Photo: Carl Anthony for Automoblog.net.
Diverse Portfolio
Magna has been developing and manufacturing advanced driver assistance systems for automakers for nearly two decades. In August the company unveiled MAX4, a fully integrated and scalable platform that can enable up to Level 4 autonomous driving in both urban and highway environments. MAX4 contains radar, LiDAR, cameras, ultrasonic sensors, and an ADAS central computing module which can be supplied in part or as a whole system.
The company specializes in body exteriors, seating systems, and power and vision technologies among others. Magna’s common shares trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (MG) and the New York Stock Exchange (MGA).
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan. He studies mechanical engineering at Wayne State University, serves on the Board of Directors for the Ally Jolie Baldwin Foundation, and is a loyal Detroit Lions fan.
Photos & Source: Magna, Innoviz Technologies.

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2018 Honda Odyssey Production Begins

2018 Honda Odyssey Production Begins

The Honda Odyssey is the most popular minivan in the United States. Retail sales data from Urban Science shows Honda has lead the minivan segment for the last seven years, and they show no signs of slowing down. This week, more than 1,500 associates at Honda Manufacturing of Alabama (HMA) kicked off 2018 Odyssey production.
“This is a celebration for our entire Honda team of associates who have been committed to bringing an all-new, high tech, family-friendly Odyssey to our customers,” said Jeff Tomko, President of HMA.
Exclusive Rights
HMA opened on November 14th 2001 in Lincoln, Alabama, assembling what was then the second generation Odyssey. Today, HMA has built more than 4 million vehicles and engines as the sole production outlet of the Odyssey, Pilot, and Ridgeline. The 2018 Odyssey is the fourth all-new model to emerge from HMA in the past five years. HMA also builds the Acura MDX and its corresponding V6 engine.
The facility has undergone various upgrades to boost performance and quality assurance. With regard to the 2018 Odyssey, this includes a new and refined process for the acoustic spray foam. The material is installed in 14 different locations within the Odyssey’s body to enhance cabin quietness and reduce road noise.
“I congratulate all of our associates for their commitment to quality for this new vehicle, which ushers in a new level of features and functionality with the goal of creating new value for our customers,” Tomko said.
All 2018 Odysseys in EX and above trims will have Honda Sensing as standard equipment. The package includes Collision Mitigation Braking, Lane Keeping Assist, Road Departure Mitigation, and Adaptive Cruise Control. Photo: Honda North America.
Performance Tech
The 2018 Honda Odyssey, in its higher trims, features a new i-VTEC V6 with 280 horsepower – an increase of 32 horsepower over the outgoing model. The engine is paired to a new 10-speed automatic, the first of its kind for a front-wheel drive minivan. The transmission is produced at Honda Precision Parts Georgia (HPPG) in Tallapoosa, Georgia.
Honda is specific in their design approach with the Odyssey, focusing on beneficial features for growing families. The 2018 Odyssey’s Magic Slide second-row seating system, for example, offers a reconfigurable array for more passenger comfort, easier cargo hauling, and smoother access to the third row. Other features families will find useful are the CabinWatch and CabinTalk systems. CabinWatch lets Mom and Dad keep tabs on the kids via an infrared camera (don’t act up kids!) while CabinTalk allows them to chat with rear passengers through the speakers and rear entertainment headphones.
On the daily commute, drivers can keep passengers comfortable with the Odyssey’s CabinControl app. Through smartphone integration, the app controls entertainment, navigation, and rear climate settings. CabinControl also links to the Social Playlist, a virtual jukebox spinning the preferred music of up to seven family members.
Expect the 2018 Honda Odyssey before long at Honda dealerships nationwide – if you are interested in a 2017 model, see our product and performance overview on the vehicle. Americans have purchased more than 2.5 million Odyssey minivans since its 1994 debut.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Photo: Honda North America.
Photos & Source: Honda North America.

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Nissan To Expand NISMO Road Car Business

Nissan To Expand NISMO Road Car Business

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. is developing a new operation aimed at expanding its NISMO road car business. NISMO Cars Business Department is part of Autech Japan, Inc., a Nissan group company that makes converted vehicles. The division intends to build a greater range of models available to customers in more markets, according to Nissan.
NISMO Cars Business Department will recruit enterprising talent from Nissan, Autech, Nissan Motorsports International Co., Ltd. and other Nissan ventures to develop the vehicles.
Prospects & Performance
The idea is to introduce NISMO road cars to new global segments and market them accordingly. At the same time, Nissan will look to boost their NISMO presence in existing markets like Japan, North America, Europe, and the Middle East. The performance aspects and styling cues of NISMO’s road cars are derived through NISMO motorsports. The focus of the brand revolves around offering drivers a quality and reliability that matches the performance.
“As a Nissan sub-brand, NISMO further builds upon the core values of Nissan cars,” said Takao Katagiri, President and CEO, Autech Japan and Nissan Motorsports International.
Joint Efforts
Nissan unveiled the NISMO brand in 2013; NISMO cars account for about 15,000 units per year in sales. Models so far include the GT-R, 370Z, JUKE, and Sentra in the United States. The Note and Patrol are also on the NISMO roster but are sold outside the American market. In addition to shortening the development process, Nissan plans to raise the bar with regard to marketing and promoting the vehicles. NISMO Cars Business Department will team with Nissan Motorsports International on a range of projects, including showing the cars at Nissan dealerships and holding events for NISMO car owners.
“With the combined expertise of Nissan group companies, NISMO road cars will make customers enjoy Nissan cars more than ever,” Katagiri said.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Photo: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
Photos & Source: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.

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Chevy Bolt EV Owners Hit Record Miles As EV Demand Increases

Chevy Bolt EV Owners Hit Record Miles As EV Demand Increases

The Chevy Bolt EV appears to be gaining traction – literally that is. The automaker reports that nearly 3,500 Bolt EV owners in the United States have driven a cumulative 4,570,300 miles as of April 2nd, 2017. The vehicle went on sale recently too – in December 2016 – but the figures are solid for a vehicle only four months on the market, and for one not sold nationwide just yet.
The miles driven by Bolt EV owners added up to more than 175,000 gallons of fuel saved, based on figures from the EPA.
Record Breaking
The Chevy Bolt EV is EPA-estimated at 238 miles of range, although one owner pushed that threshold substantially, traveling 310 miles on a single charge. While these numbers are not typical it is still a feather in Chevy’s cap, especially as younger adults show a remarkable interest in electric vehicles – up to 50 percent according to an extensive study by the Consumer Federation of America.
The study also found the more consumers are educated about EVs, the more they desire to own one.
Accessible Capability
Still, some surveys show mixed emotions on electric vehicles. A fall 2013 study by Navigant Research called the Electric Vehicle Consumer Survey shows consumers like the idea of EVs but might be hesitant to purchase one based on available features. It would appear, however, Chevrolet designed the Bolt EV accordingly. The vehicle comes with a 10.2-inch MyLink color display, Bluetooth compatibility, and a surround vision camera that provides a bird’s-eye view for the driver. An EV-specific navigation feature shows the best routes for range and nearby charging stations.
“Our early Bolt EV customers are proving the crossover’s functionality, flexibility, and long-range capabilities on a daily basis,” said Steve Majoros, Director of Marketing, Chevrolet Cars and Crossovers.
Photo: Chevrolet.
Nationwide Release
The average Bolt EV owner drives approximately 53 miles per day and with an estimated range of 238 miles, it’s more than enough for most commutes. Currently, the Bolt EV is only available in California, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and Virginia, but will see a nationwide release this summer.
“Chevrolet committed to delivering a game-changing vehicle and we’ve done just that,” Majoros added. “As we continue our national rollout of the Bolt EV, we’re making electric driving accessible to even more drivers.”
The Chevy Bolt EV is assembled at GM’s Orion Assembly in Orion Township, Michigan.
Carl Anthony is Managing Editor of Automoblog and resides in Detroit, Michigan.
Photo: Chevrolet.
Photos & Source: Chevrolet, Consumer Federation of America, Navigant Research.

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Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan: Pursuit-Rated, Fuel Efficient

Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan: Pursuit-Rated, Fuel Efficient

Attention gearheads! Pictured here is Ford’s new hybrid police cruiser. It’s also pursuit-rated. If you are a gearhead of the big right foot variety, be on the lookout for this car. Maintain situational awareness at all times and know your enemy.
In all seriousness, it’s actually no big deal for lead-footed gearheads out there. So Ford made a hybrid cop car. Functionally, it means nothing to getting a ticket. It still looks like a cop car and, as far as I’m concerned, if you can’t spot a cop in time to slow down, you should get a ticket anyway. Pay attention, dingus!
Hot Pursuit
What is cool, however, is that Ford is very serious about its hybrid technology; serious enough to deploy it across a broad spectrum of uses. Ford is dropping $4.5 billion and rolling out 13 new electric vehicles world-wide over the next five years, including an F-150 and Mustang hybrid, Transit Custom plug-in hybrid, and a supposed “self- driving hybrid.” An all electric small SUV with a projected range of at least 300 miles is also planned. Finally, we have the industry’s first pursuit-rated hybrid police car, the all-new Police Responder Hybrid Sedan.
They continually hit on that “pursuit-rated” bit. Pursuit cop cars are different from your run of the mill cruisers and prowlers. Cruisers and prowlers are what you see tooling around your city and can, in a pinch, be counted upon to chase after bad guys for a mile or two. Pursuit cop cars, on the other hand, are designed from the get-go to chase after and maintain contact with a suspect vehicle at high speeds for extended distances. State Patrol cars are almost always pursuit-rated. They are the hot rods of the cop car motor pool, featuring such goodies as uprated shocks, struts, sway-bars, and brakes as well as beefed up transmissions and differentials, along with heavy duty oil and transmission coolers. Pursuit cop cars are built to go flat out from Butte to Billings and back without breaking a sweat.
The Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan was certified by police agencies to operate for longer periods at varying rates of speed. Similarly, it was certified to handle obstacles like curbs and flooded intersections. Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Double Duty
FoMoCo rolled out the all-new Police Responder Hybrid Sedan in Los Angeles and New York recently. An admittedly odd choice for a hot rod, but it plays to the other; some would say the real strength of the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan: it gets great gas mileage. Cop cars are usually big fat sedans to begin with. On top of that, you need a back seat large enough to stuff perps into, plus you need a trunk for all your ancillary gear, plus a front seat with room for all the radios, cameras, computers, SCMODS links, that big, bad, vertically mounted pump-action shotgun and two coffee swilling, doughnut absorbing peace officers sworn to serve and protect.
Or to be more succinct, cop cars are already heavy and inefficient to begin with.
The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan will help cities lower emissions and offer potential fuel savings, both while driving and idling. A city’s fleet can drink fuel like it were free, so the cost savings could be very great indeed, and cutting down on the emissions from all those cop cars, idling or otherwise, could be just the cherry on top. Ford says their patented hybrid technology is forecasted to deliver a combined figure of 38 miles per gallon, which is more than double that of today’s Police Interceptor. It could mean a police force’s fuel budget/savings just effectively got doubled.
“Our mission to create safe and healthy communities in Los Angeles is achieved through sustainable approaches in community policing, and that includes embracing new technologies,” said Charlie Beck, Los Angeles Police Department Chief. “Patrol vehicles are a police officer’s office, and we expect them to not only be economically and environmentally efficient, but also an effective tool for fighting crime in major metropolitan areas.” Photo: Ford Motor Company.
Performance Tech
While the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan is idling, its lithium-ion battery helps power the high electrical loads of a police vehicle, reducing engine run time and saving an estimated 0.27 gallons of fuel per hour. Cities that buy Police Responder Hybrid Sedans could see nearly $3,900 a year in fuel savings per vehicle relative to the (possibly outgoing) Police Interceptor. Ford also provides an online fuel calculator that allows customers to determine how much they may potentially save. Handy, no?
The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan uses one of those weird but cool Atkinson-cycle, 2.0-liter engines, mated to an electric motor fed by the lithium-ion battery pack. The hybrid system itself is tuned for law enforcement’s unique duty cycle and can run in battery-only mode up to 60 mph. Ford makes no mention of what the 0 to 60 times are, but using just electrics alone, this thing could detonate to that speed very promptly. Ford does say the Police Responder Hybrid Sedan automatically switches to maximum performance with the engine and battery working at peak acceleration levels when needed.
The Police Responder Hybrid Sedan can be ordered this spring and will be delivered to police departments nationwide next summer. Keep your eyes peeled!
Tony Borroz has spent his entire life racing antique and sports cars. He means well, even if he has a bias towards lighter, agile cars rather than big engine muscle cars or family sedans.

Photos & Source: Ford Motor Company.

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Jaguar teases new XF Sportbrake in Wimbledon, but we probably won't get it w/ video

Jaguar teases new XF Sportbrake in Wimbledon, but we probably won't get it w/ video Jaguar teases the latest long-roof variant of the latest XF sedan. Like many other long-roofs, don’t expect this one to come stateside.
What’s going on?
Europe has a habit of producing sweet wagon versions of cars we already like stateside. Here’s another example: the latest XF Sportbrake. The Jaguar XF received an overhaul not too long ago. So it makes sense the long-roof variant, the Sportbrake, was to spawn from the latest and greatest XF. And it was just teased at Wimbledon.
Like previous XF Sportbrake estates, this one will likely be off-limits to US shores due to low demand. Let’s also not forget, Jaguar already sells the F-Pace crossover, which doesn’t justify spending the resources to ship XF Sportbrakes here.
Either way, we’re still going to drool because we enthusiasts like hot wagons, because nobody else really does.
What’s known about the new XF Sportbrake?
Not many official details were spared. But it will obviously share a lot in common with the latest XF. This means the usual selection of Ingenium gas and diesel engines already offered on the XF sedan.
From the one teaser released, the new XF Sportbrake comes with a huge panoramic roof that takes up most of the top structure. Then, the rest is pretty self explanatory. Being a modern Jaguar, we already know it’s going to look great.
– By: Chris Chin

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The 2017 Honda Civic Type R sets Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for fastest front-wheel drive...

The 2017 Honda Civic Type R sets Nürburgring Nordschleife lap record for fastest front-wheel drive... Honda continues to prove they know what they’re doing with front-wheel drive.
What’s going on?
Honda is no stranger to the game of front-wheel drive. While many detest the configuration, it still works very well in its own respective ways. And Honda’s one of the few brands to prove that front-wheel drive cars can perform just as well as some of their rear-wheel or all-wheel-drive counterparts. The latest example: the hot new 2017 Honda Civic Type R.
It just took the title as the world’s fastest front-wheel-drive production car to lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife. A fitting record to sit next to other Honda greats, like the original Integra Type R.
How fast did the Civic Type R lap the Nürburgring Nordschleife?
It did the 12.9-mile Green Hell in just 7 minutes and 43.80 seconds, on April 3, 2017. It was almost three seconds faster than the Civic Type R before it.
This was partially due to the latest Civic Type R’s all-new and potent 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder with 306 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. It’s then complimented by a very aggressive, but functional aerodynamic body kit, sport-tuned front control arm and rear-multilink suspension, a six-speed manual transmission as standard, and a limited-slip differential.
Honda admits the lap vehicle was a pre-production prototype, but insist that it represents a production-ready car.
When the 2018 Honda Civic Type R hits US dealers, it will be America’s first Honda Type R model, and the first US-bound Type R model since the original Acura Integra Type R.
Production commenced for the Civic Type R in Swindon, England.
– By: Chris Chin
2018 Honda Civic Type R Nürburgring Nordschleife Lap Record Gallery

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