The reports are true: a 3.0-liter diesel Jaguar XK is on the way. The new XK, long due for a serious refresh, will show up in 2009 with the minor addition of the JaguarDrive selector a la XF and the major addition of a diesel engine to boost fuel economy and sales, along with two new V8s.
Since Jaguar's 2.7-liter V6, which puts out 204 hp and 320 lb-ft., is only getting bored out to 3.0 liters it probably won't match the numbers put up by BMW's 3.5-liter, at 286 hp and 427 lb-ft. But the larger lump should goose the horsepower number and seriously increase torque (we hope) at least to the level of Audi's 3.0-liter V6 diesel, which turns out 240 hp and 369 lb-ft.
If diesel economy and pump prices still don't register with you, there will still be two gas options to fuel the fires. The 4.2-liter V8 goes away to make room for the new 5.0-liter with 400 hp, and if you want whipped cream and cherries on top, hit Jaguar up for the supercharged XK-R with 500 hp.
The next Porsche 911, the 998, is doing the rounds on German public roads. By the looks of it, the headlights are more vertical than the current model, and based on what's covered, the front and rear bumpers and valances will see the majority of the work. Intriguingly, the side mirrors on the car are from the 993, which we imagine are for testing purposes only. If the lower rear valance is any indication, the exhaust outlets could come in for revision, as well.
CAR just tested the newly updated Farbio GTS 400 and they seem to have enjoyed it. The original Farbio GTS was already available in normally aspirated or supercharged form, but the old engine put out just 384 hp with the blower. This year's new GTS 400 flagship puts ot 410 hp thanks to new pistons and connecting rods, among other things. Former Marcos and Invicta head Chris Marsh is the man behind this V6-powered carbon fiber-bodied supercar. He bought Farboud from its founder Arash Farboud and restructured the company, renamed it Farbio, and moved it to the Cotswolds near Bath.
He has stuck with off-the-rack, treid-and-true components wherever possible to make this lightweight supercar somewhat affordable, reliable and workable. Still, at £94,000 or 110,000 Euro, it's no Hyundai Accent. Some will say that's way too much for a little-known brand, especially when that amount could get you something like an Audi R8, but where's the fun in that? These cars appeal to the person who wants something different. If this sounds like your cup of tea, know that the GTS 400 will now do the the sprint from zero to 100km/h in just 3.7sec while charging to a top speed of 180 mph. The force-fed V6 is also said to be good for 24 mpg imperial. While many of the details remind us of other supercars on the market, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Knowing these cottage builders still exist is one of the things we are most thankful for this time of year.
Coming to the meaty part of the 911 model line revamp, the 2010 GT3 RS has been spotted after some time in wardrobe wearing slightly different clothes. These are subtle alterations, with LED daytime running lights, bigger intakes, a new air dam lip up front and revised taillights out back. The bigger news is that the GT3 RS will get more power with the addition of direct injection, and even faster gear changes when equipped with the PDK gearbox. And that means even faster acceleration, because you can never get enough of that. The car should start making its rounds around the auto show circuit next year.
A new coachbuilding company in Russia called E-Go has come up with a new car built on a Mitsubishi platform. Called Revolt, by E-Go, we don't find it the least bit offensive, although we do think the rear end is a little funky. The Revolt -- in spite of the company's catchy name and word "volt" lurking around in there -- is not electric. Rather, a 3.0-liter V6 gets two turbos slapped on to run some 550 hp through a six-speed gearbox. It has an active air suspension and rides on 19-inch wheels from Japanese wheel company Work, with 325/30 rubber out back. Stopping power should be prodigious, thanks to six-piston calipers up front and four-pots in back. Most interesting, the car's electronics are being developed by engineering firm National Instruments, and you will be able to control them all via a touch screen monitor in the steering wheel. We can't wait to see what that steering wheel must look like, and whether they can make the car drive for you while you punch in new data. Word is that E-Go "has already started building cars," but as usual, we'll wait and see.
Such is the logic of luxury economics: charge tens of thousands of dollars more for the same product, sell fewer of them and boost the balance sheet and your brand's long-term viability. That is what Aston Martin's considering for the next phase of its business plan, which runs from roughly 2011 to 2019 and will see the launch of DB9 and Vantage successors, the Rapide, and the renewed Lagonda brand. The Vantage and DB9 are big sellers for Aston, but the company might be unsure of how to sustain the momentum. One option is to move the price of the $113,000 Vantage closer to the $171,000 DB9, and move that latter car closer to the $265,000 DBS, sell fewer of them but make more money. The DB9 does strike us as a (relative) bargain – it's cheaper than a Bentley GT -- but pricing the Vantage closer to the DB9 would seem to wreck its business case as a 911 fighter. Another option could be to replace the Vantage or DB9 with a mid-engined sports car, which could be drool-worthy and well worth the price bump... but perhaps un-Aston-like. AutoWeek also appears to report that the One-77 isn't sold out, writing "Although Aston has said that it would make a maximum of 77 cars, insiders privately say the market is closer to 25." We don't know how that could be, unless a bunch of the 100 people who applied to buy the car were just kidding...
Finding the ideal luxury sports car is a Goldilocks proposition: cars that fulfill either descriptive – luxury or sports – are piled high as Annapurna. For instance, the Ferrari F430 is a luxurious sports car, but it's not a luxury car. The current CL63 is a sporty luxury car, but it's not a sports car. Try to find a conveyance in which the little girl with the golden locks would sigh "This one is just right" – a car that has the sporting reflexes to keep her heart beating and a cabin supple enough for her to unwind in when the twisties are finished – and you see the field is disturbingly minuscule. Against all odds, the SL63 is that car: Goldilocks' Golden Mean.
The Panamera is doing development time in Seoul, South Korea. In a city where it seems everyone has a cell phone camera, it's no wonder that someone caught it on film. This time it appears to be wearing nothing more than a blue paint job and some pre-production panel gaps while filling up at a gas station. We know our opinion has swung on this car - first we didn't like it, and then we kinda did - but for now we're holding steady. It still looks better from the front than the rear, but this car is going to sell. Follow the jump to watch the video, and to our South Korean readers, there is a blue intruder among you, so please get him on video again and report to us...
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Aston Martin has stepped in to clarify recent rumors of its Lagonda revival. We know that a Lagonda concept is due to be shown at next year's Geneva Motor Show, and of late it was speculated to be something SUV-ish. An Aston spokesperson has laid out the plan, and this time neglected to mention the acronym "SUV" at all. Two upcoming Lagondas will probably be sedans and use Aston's VH platform, tending to the luxury side of sporting while Aston solidifies its grip on the sporting side of luxury. An upscale and up-priced version of the Rapide will come in 2011, followed by a $100,000-or-so S-Class challenger in 2012. Now that we've got the SUV thing out of the way, let's hope Aston stays on the right course and creates cars that don't look anything like more DB9 clones.
With GM facing well-publicized challenges -- along with just about everyone else who needs a little thing called money -- certain high-profile and expensive programs are crowding up on the back burner. Even America's sports car, the Corvette, is not exempt, with CAFE regulations clouding the view inside the 'Vette Nation's crystal ball. Motor Trend, commenting on the C7 Corvette's delayed arrival, has said that the new coupe won't appear until the 2014 model year at the earliest. The mid-engined route has also been scrapped, since it would simply cost too much to re-engineer the entire car for the purpose of easier integration of fuel saving tech like cylinder deactivation. That means a six-cylinder is still being talked about -- by GM outsiders only, at this point -- as an option for the C7. If we take the Camaro as an example, that 2014 introduction date could mean late 2012, but that still only gives you four years to mentally prepare for a budget- and economy-minded V6 Corvette. Get cracking.
