Jaguar to produce I-PACE from 2018

Jaguar will put its I-PACE electric car into production in 2018. Described as the start of a new era for Jaguar, the company is launching the car at this month’s Los Angeles auto show.

Next Jaguar XE reinforces ally ‘road map’

The message in Jaguar’s ‘Road Map’ always claimed that the XE saloon could be built at the firm’s Land Rover plant in Solihull or Jaguar’s ‘home plant’ of Castle Bromwich. In the event, Solihull became the XE’s first port of call but with the option production could be moved to Castle Bromwich should the need arise.

Convertible extends Ingenium applications

Land Rover has unveiled the world’s first luxury compact SUV convertible.

Jaguar F-PACE: More business for vendors

Jaguar’s F-PACE performance crossover for with its lightweight aluminium architecture provides further business for suppliers of major technology and component suppliers.

No downside to light-weighting – claims Jaguar

Dr Mark White, chief technical specialist, lightweight vehicle technologies at Jaguar, and an architect in helping Jaguar to pioneer the use of aluminium body-in-white (BIW) structures claims: “There is no downside to light-weighting.”

JLR to open 300,000/y car plant on Slovakia

JaguarLandRover (JLR) is to build a new manufacturing plant in the city of Nitra in western Slovakia to build aluminium-intensive vehicles from 2018 onwards.

Jaguar boosts power/torque of XJ diesels

Eight out of 13 of the models of the revamped Jaguar XJ luxury saloon are powered by a more powerful 3-litre diesel engine.

Ford F-150 gets NHTSA 5-star rating

The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has awarded Ford’s 2015 F-150 SuperCrew (pictured below) its five-star Overall Vehicle Score in its New Car Assessment Program, the highest possible rating.

ABB stakes robot claim in XE facility

Swedish robot maker and systems supplier ABB Robotics of Milton Keynes is the principal supplier of robots to the new Jaguar ‘plant within a plant’ at JaguarLandRover’s (JLR) Solihull facility.

Rogers heads up JLR’s global engineering

Nick Rogers takes over as engineering director at JaguarLandRover (JLR) from 1 April.

JLR confirms its commitment to the UK

JaguarLandRover has reaffirmed its long-term commitment to the UK’s West Midlands, with confirmation of a £600 million investment in the region to support product creation and advanced vehicle manufacturing.

JLR stays faithful to Ford V6 diesel

Ford’s 3-litre V6 twin-turbo diesel remains at the heart of the new Jaguar XF, alongside Ingenium powertrains and the 3-litre V6 gasoline engine.

1,550 jobs boost for Ford F-150

Ford is adding 1,550 new jobs to its Kansas City Assembly, Dearborn Stamping, Dearborn Diversified and Sterling Axle facilities to meet growing demand for the 2015 F-150.

Henrob scores with F-Pace crossover Jaguar

More of Henrob’s self-piercing rivet technology will be used on the new aluminium-intensive Jaguar F-Pace crossover that JaguarLandRover (JLR) will add to its product portfolio.

Atlas Copco swallows Henrob of SPR fame

 Atlas Copco has now acquired the shareholding of self-piercing rivet (SPR) specialists Henrob Ltd of Flint in the UK.

Jaguar XE: “as strong and light as possible”

Jaguar’s XE sports saloon is the lightest, stiffest and most aerodynamic saloon car the company has ever built, the company claims.

It is also the first Jaguar to be equipped with electric power steering, tuned to provide “exceptional responsiveness and feel” but with “lower energy consumption than hydraulic systems”.

Vivaro UK plant: The “crown jewels”?

The latest issue of Autocar describes the Vauxhall Van Plant in Luton, UK, which makes the Vivaro, as the “crown jewel of the motor industry”.

If this is so, then the magazine will have great difficulty in finding superlatives to describe Jaguar’s XE facility at Solihull which, for the first time in the UK, has the distinction of making aluminium body-in-white in large numbers, something that has never been achieved at Luton, which processes steel components. Added to which, JaguarLandRover stamps its own aluminium body pressings, including body sides. The Luton van plant has not stamped aluminium in its entire life! The distinguishing feature of aluminium being that it requires an extremely clean working environment, especially in the press shop.

Solihull revs up for 2015 aluminium Jaguar

 This year, JaguarLandRover’s UK Solihull manufacturing site will be the scene of much activity as advances are introduced in the aluminium process of building body-in-white (BIW).

Up until now, JLR’s two main centres of excellence for aluminium vehicle BIW manufacture have centred primarily on the company’s Castle Bromwich site and Solihull. Castle Bromwich, in particular, has seen a previously substantial investment (by Ford Motor Company) in equipment to stamp and handle aluminium body panels, primarily using a line of Schuler presses, provided the bedrock for the technology.