Jaguar's C-X75 Gets One Step Closer To Production

Jaguar’s million-dollar-plus C-X75, like Porsche’s 918, is the stuff modern auto enthusiast dreams are made of. Who wouldn’t want an automobile that delivers supercar levels of performance with hybrid-like fuel economy and carbon dioxide emissions?

Jaguar C-X75 Supercar

Like the Porsche 918, Jaguar’s C-X75 is being put into production. Unlike Porsche’s uber-hybrid, however, Jaguar will build two variants of C-X75, including a conventional plug-in hybrid using a Williams F1-developed four-cylinder turbocharged engine, lithium-ion batteries and a pair of electric motors.

The second version of the C-X75, however, is far more interesting. Power will come from both lithium ion batteries and a pair of gas-fired microturbines, driving an electric motor at each wheel. This C-X75 variant will sprint from 0 - 62 mph in 3.4 seconds, and it’s said to have a top speed of over 200 mph.

Compared to the gasoline-powered generator in the Chevy Volt or Fisker Karma, the microturbines have significant advantages.  First, they weigh only 77 pounds each, so the pair weighs significantly less than a conventional engine. They’ve got fewer moving parts, and they don’t require conventional water cooling or lubrication systems, either.

As Auto Express reports, these microturbines are now one step closer to reality, as Tata, Jaguar’s parent, has opened a new factory in Coventry to build microturbines for the C-X75. Called the Bladon Jets Engineering Center, the facility’s 15 employees will be responsible for the production and testing of the turbines.

If the concept proves to be both practical and cost-effective, it could potentially change the way we power automobiles in the not-too-distant future. Here’s hoping that Jaguar finds a way for the technology to trickle down to more affordable vehicles.

Source: Motor Authority

Jaguar Land Rover reports sale of 42,000 units in China in 2011

The British premium marquee Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) owned by Indian auto major Tata Motors, has reportedly announced that the manufacturer sold 42,063 vehicles in China in 2011. The sales figure represents 61 percent growth for the manufacturer.

Jaguar Land Rover

According to reports, JLR's strong Chinese sales performance last year is in no small part due to the manufacturer's increased efforts to improve product localization. The reports quoted Bob Grace, director of the manufacturer's China Operations as saying that the manufacturer was committed on making even further strides in 2012. He added that JLR will expand its Chinese product line in the new year.

It was also reported that JLR set new sales records for every quarter of last year, and its total sales amount for the first three quarters of the year was already more than the amount sold in all of 2010. Among its two brands, Jaguar sales grew 123 percent from 2010, with 945 Jaguars sold in December alone. Meanwhile, sales of Land Rovers, boasted by the introduction of the new Range Rover Evoque continued to grow steadily with a total of 36,087 units sold in 2011, according to reports. Source: Wheels Unplugged

Sumo Gold pushes Tata sales

Tata Motors is upbeat over the launch of new Tata Sumo Gold. The Mumbai-based multinational auto major further expects that the new model would boost sales — and is expecting to sell 18,000 units of it by the end of the current financial year. The company is targeting rural, semi-urban market and taxi segment in the urban market with this new SUV.

Tata Sumo Gold

Tata Motors’ head (utility vehicles, product group) Ashesh Dhar said on Friday that the company initially launched the product in four markets — Maharastra, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. “We got overwhelming response from all these markets,” he told BS. Prior to the launch, the company — South Asia’s largest automobile company — was selling 1,100 units of Sumo a month. “Now we are selling 3,300 units per month. Considering the sales figure, we are hopeful about selling 18,000 units of new Sumo Gold. The sales figure (including all Sumo Model combined) is likely to touch 24,000 units by the end of this fiscal,” Dhar added.

The 1945-founded Tata Motors, with auto-manufacturing and assembly plants in Jamshedpur, Pantnagar, Lucknow, Sanand, Dharwad and Pune, is targeting rural, semi-urban market and the taxi segment in urban market, he informed, adding, “We have aggressive plans to launch across India by the end of this year.”

Meanwhile, the company — earlier called Telco (Tata Engineering and Locomotive Company) — launched all new Tata Sumo Gold, the most powerful SUV in its category in Punjab and Chandigarh market. “The Tata Sumo Gold is a result of extensive consumer studies and field tests,” Dhar said.

The new Tata Sumo Gold is being launched in 4 variants — GX, EX, LX & CX — along with a warranty of 3 years or 100,000 km, whichever is earlier. Its price will be available from Rs 5.35 lakhs onwards (ex-showroom, Chandigarh).

Source: BS Motoring

Nitol group keen on Nano assembly unit in Bangladesh

With the Nano all set to hit the Bangladesh roads this February, the distributor of the Tata cars there, now plans to open talks with the Mumbai-based auto major to set up an assembly unit of the small car.

Tata Nano 2012

“Bangladesh is a viable economy. We will grow very fast here. Therefore as soon as we introduce the vehicle, in two moths we will have an idea about the market. Then we will start negotiating with Tata for the assembly plant,” Abdul Matlub Ahmed, Chairman of Nitol Group, distributor of the Tata Motors in Bangladesh said.

The Bangladeshi company has finalised the deal with Tata Motors to import and sell the Tata Nano in the country.

“We are expecting to introduce Nano in Bangladesh sometime in February. We will import about 2,000 Nano cars in the first year for the Bangladesh market. We are importing all the models and will see the market response. Then we will finally decide on the import programme on the basis of demand. Our idea is to reach at least 10,000 a year in the next couple of years,” Ahmed said.

The vehicle was scheduled to be launched in Bangladesh in October last year, but it got delayed following some pricing issues.

As high import duty will cost the common man's car about Tk 6.5 lakh (Rs 3.8 lakh), the distributor wants the car to be assembled in Bangladesh.

“Definitely an assembly unit here will be cost effective. But we are not sure about the logistics part the and the fresh investment required to make. We will have to do a lot of study,” he said.

However, Tata's spokesman declined to comment on whether the auto major has any plan to come up with an assembly unit in Bangladesh.

Although the company did not give any timeline, Tata Motors had earlier said, it was considering the option of assembling the Nano abroad through export of completely knocked down units (CKD).

The home-grown auto major started exports of completely built units (CBU) of the Nano to Sri Lanka and Nepal last year. Between April and November 2011, Tata Motors exported 1,728 units of the small car.

Apart from Bangladesh, the company plans to export the car to other Asian countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Mayanmar. It is also working on an upgraded version of the Nano for the developed markets in the US and Europe.

The car has also reportedly evinced interest from some overseas companies like the Teco Group of Taiwan, which has expressed keenness to manufacture and sell the vehicle in the respective countries.

Source: Business Standard

The Tata Indica XL Diesel Hatchback continues doing the testing rounds!

Our roving eye in the sky, EarthFusion, is back at it again, and this time around, we have a couple of spyshots of the Tata Indica XL being tested in Pune. We’ve previously as well and have even come up with a render. Curiously, Tata Motors didn’t showcase the Indica XL at the 2012 Indian Auto Expo, which could mean that it will still be some more time before this car is launched in India. The Tata Indica XL is a super stretched version of the Tata Indica hatchback, and is expected to be mainly aimed at the cabbie market.

Tata Indica XL Hatchback Spied

The Indica XL is expected to be powered by a common rail CR4 diesel engine, the likes of which powers the current Tata Indica eV2. If launched, the Tata Indica XL will not be the first Tata car to feature an elongated wheelbase. In fact, the Tata Indigo XL is a sedan based on the Indigo platform, which comes with an extended wheelbase. The Indigo XL has found more favor with the cabbie crowd than the personal car buyer thus far and this is the same direction that the Indica XL is expected to take in the future. So far, many Tata cars have been quite successful in the taxi segment.

Tata Indica XL Rendering

The Tata Indica is already a firm favorite with Indian cabbies and with the Indica XL, Tata Motors would only be hoping to make further inroads into this lucrative sector. The Indica’s biggest pluses is its frugality and access to dirt cheap spares. This will be the same strengths that the Indica XL is expected to come with. The Indica XL is expected to have a massive cabin at the rear, with plenty of space to stretch around. Rear AC vents could make it to the Indica XL, in keeping with the overall feel of spaciousness and luxury.

Source: ICB