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.

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.

JLR to make XJ in India this year

JaguarLandRover (JLR) will start assembly of a third model at its factory in India by the end of this year.

Chief executive officer Ralf Speth said that the flagship Jaguar XJ will join the XF and Land Rover Freelander models already being made at the plant in Pune. 

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.

New blanking press feeds JLR shops

A new blanking press shop erected at JaguarLandRover’s Chester Road facility in Castle Bromwich will produce parts for future models.

The blanking process involves the making of blank panels which is the first stage of creating automotive body panels. This takes rolled coils of steel or aluminium and cuts (using a hydraulic press) outline body panel shapes ready for second pressing to create finished body panels for assembly.

This process is currently only undertaken at Halewood for JLR and the purpose of the new line is to produce panels for Castle Bromwich and Solihull. The new blanker line was required to support JLR’s projected production volumes at the site.

Hotfire vital to ‘Baby Jag’ success

The Hotfire engine, to be built by JaguarLandRover at Wolverhampton, will play a vital role in the new ‘Baby Jag’ the company will launch to compete with the BMW’s 3-Series. The engine will be in gasoline and diesel forms and could even appear in different cylinder configurations.

By the time production of the Baby Jag ramps up substantially, production could be reaching 200 cars a day or 1,000 a week – 50,000 a year. Such a figure would help to swell Jaguar’s overall production tally which in the current year should reach 70,000 vehicles compared with around 60,000 last year.

Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar’s global brand director said at the recent launch of the new Jaguar F-Type sports car: “JaguarLandRover’s aspiration is to be the fourth premium car company in the world.”