GENEVA - JAGUAR announces the name of the new baby Jag, we welcome the new XE

Jaguar XE Confirmed as New Name for Premium Sports Sedan with State-of-the-Art 'Ingenium' Engine Family and Advanced Aluminium Construction Technology

• Jaguar announces the name of its all-new mid-sized premium sports sedan as the Jaguar XE
• The Jaguar XE will be the first aluminium monocoque product in the segment and is set to be the most advanced, efficient and refined sports sedan in its class 
• This will be the first product from the new advanced aluminium architecture which was showcased for the first time in the C-X17 concept car at the Frankfurt Auto Show in 2013
• The new family of high-output, fuel-efficient petrol and diesel engines will be named Ingenium. The Jaguar XE will be the first user of the Ingenium engines in four-cylinder two-litre petrol and diesel variants. They will be built at Jaguar Land Rover's new UK Engine Manufacturing Facility 
• The full engine line-up will enable Jaguar to offer vehicles with class-leading performance, including top speeds of over 300km/h (186mph), and emissions lower than 100g of CO₂ per km 

Today Jaguar confirms that it will bring an all-new mid size sports sedan to production; the Jaguar XE.

Speaking at the Geneva Auto Show Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover, confirmed: “We announced just a few weeks ago that our new Engine Manufacturing Centre would produce a new family of premium, lightweight, low-friction, low emission four-cylinder petrol and diesel units. The first of our Ingenium engine range will be used in our all-new mid-sized Jaguar sports sedan. That car will be called the Jaguar XE, and it will be unveiled in production form later this year.”

The XE will be the first product from the new advanced aluminium architecture which was showcased in the C-X17 concept car in 2013. Its global rollout will begin in 2015, and it will be the first aluminium monocoque vehicle in the segment. It brings our customers all the benefits of aluminium: lightness and stiffness for unbeatable handling, performance, refinement and efficiency. The new engine and aluminium chassis complement each other perfectly.

Power will be provided by engines with a wide range of capacities and output, all delivering inspirational performance and offering the latest innovations in fuel-efficient technologies without sacrificing drivability.

Utilising the most flexible engine architecture ever produced by Jaguar Land Rover, with an advanced design configured to suit in-line and transverse installations for rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations, the new engines will be both efficient and powerful – including top speeds of over 300km/h (186mph), and emissions lower than 100g of CO₂ per km.

Kevin Stride, Jaguar's Vehicle Line Director for XE, said: "The engineering development of the XE has focused on delivering customers with the most advanced, efficient and refined sports sedan in its class. We are excited about our progress to date and are looking forward to soon being able to demonstrate what we have achieved."

Ian Callum, Director of Design, said: "The new Jaguar XE is every bit a modern Jaguar; more compact in size but visually striking. Customers will expect a great deal from a mid-size Jaguar - it must be practical but premium.  We never forget we are designing a Jaguar and that means it must be as exciting to look at and drive as it is brilliant to run and practical to own. We believe we’ve done just that with the Jaguar XE.”

The name of the Jaguar XE follows a logical progression, positioned alongside the XF and XJ saloons in the range. Full XE technical and range details will be announced later in 2014. The global roll-out will begin from mid-2015.

Mclaren P1™ facts and figures as first car handed over.

• 0-100 km/h (62 mph) sprint in just 2.8 seconds
• Braking from 100 km/h to zero takes just 30.2 metres – less than a third of the recognised stopping distance
• The McLaren P1™ reaches 300 km/h (186 mph) in 16.5 seconds – a full 5.5 seconds quicker than the iconic McLaren F1
• Bespoke tyres and braking system, developed in conjunction with technical partners Pirelli and Akebono, ensure optimised performance
• First customer takes delivery of groundbreaking McLaren P1™ from company’s headquarters in Woking, England

Following an extensive testing and development programme, McLaren Automotive has now confirmed the performance figures for the McLaren P1™ in the latest stage in the launch of the groundbreaking model. These figures show that the third model in the range accelerates to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.8 seconds, 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.8 seconds, and 300 km/h (186 mph) in just 16.5 seconds.

Groundbreaking levels of performance

The McLaren P1™ has been designed from the outset with one clear goal: to be the best driver’s car on road and track. The confirmation of the performance figures underlines this, and gives further insight into the potential of the latest model from the Woking-based firm.

Fitted with a twin powerplant powertrain generating 916 PS (903 bhp) from the highly efficient 3.8-litre twin turbo V8 petrol engine and the lightweight electric motor, the McLaren P1™ storms from a standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 2.8 seconds, and hits 200 km/h (124 mph) in 6.8 seconds – quicker than many hot hatches reach half that speed.

The relentless acceleration, delivered as a result of the instant torque offered by the electric motors and the optimised turbos, sees the McLaren P1™ reach 300 km/h (186 mph) in just 16.5 seconds. By way of a benchmark, this is a full 5.5 seconds quicker than the legendary McLaren F1. Top speed is electronically limited to 350 km/h (217 mph).

Despite these impressive figures, the McLaren P1™ still returns 34.0 mpg (8.3 l/100km) on the EU combined cycle, with CO2 emissions of 194 g/km. The electric motor offers a range of 11 km (6.8 miles) in full electric mode on the NEDC cycle, which sees emissions drop to zero.

The braking figures are equally as impressive for the McLaren P1™, with the levels of performance provided by the bespoke Akebono system. The specially formulated carbon ceramic discs, coated in silicon carbide, can bring the McLaren P1™ to a halt from 62 mph (100 km/h) in a distance of just 30.2 metres. This figure is even more impressive when compared to the recognised stopping distances, which suggests that more than three times the distance – 102 metres – is required to bring a car to a halt from 100 km/h (62 mph).

An overview of the performance figures for the McLaren P1™ is as follows:

In a year of celebration for McLaren, this week has seen another significant milestone in an important chapter of McLaren Automotive with the first customer delivery of the groundbreaking McLaren P1™. Series production of the latest addition to the McLaren range commenced over the summer, and the first car, finished in a striking Volcano Yellow and contrasting visual carbon fibre, rolled off the bespoke production line at the end of September – a fitting tribute during the month of the 50th anniversary celebrations.

The first example of the McLaren P1™ was collected from the McLaren Technology Centre by its UK-based owner.

“We designed the McLaren P1™ from the outset with one clear goal: to be the best driver’s car on road and track. The confirmation of the performance figures underlines this.

“I am very proud of our Woking based team and everything they have achieved with this ambitious project.  The handover of the first McLaren P1™ is another milestone in our 50 year history,” commented Mike Flewitt, CEO, McLaren Automotive Ltd.

The production process

A total of 375 examples of the McLaren P1™ will be produced, and will be hand-built in the state-of-the-art McLaren Production Centre (MPC) in Woking, England. This £40 million Foster + Partners designed facility is an ultimate embodiment of McLaren values, fusing precise production techniques with hand craftsmanship and incredible attention to detail.

The McLaren P1™ is custom-built by a carefully selected team of 82 technicians in a four-stage assembly process. From start to finish, the build takes 17 days of skilled work. Once running at full capacity, the McLaren P1™ line will see one car completed each day, with production due to run until mid-2015.

Stage 1: Structural Assembly

The bespoke manufacturing process commences with the preparation of the carbon fibre MonoCage chassis. The one-piece MonoCage weighs just 90kgs, and includes the integrated roof structure, an integral roof snorkel and air intake ducts, as well as providing a fully sealed compartment for the battery.

Stage 2: Painting

In total the McLaren P1™ consists of seven lightweight panels, all of which are made from carbon fibre – front and rear clamshells, bonnet, doors, front and rear bumpers. Due to the extended painting processes involved, and to minimise disruption to the facility within MPC used for the 12C and 12C Spider, each McLaren P1™ is prepared and hand painted in a dedicated paintshop in the McLaren Technology Centre while the chassis structure is being prepared.

The complete set of body panels for each McLaren P1™ is painted together to ensure a perfect colour match. This process takes three days, including surface preparation of the carbon fibre panels to ensure flawless paintwork on every single car.

Stage 3: Trim Assembly

The fully prepared carbon fibre MonoCage chassis and the hand-painted carbon fibre body panels are brought together on a dedicated production line within the MPC. This ten-stage process is the most recent addition to the MPC, and sees the sub-assembly of battery, front sub-frame, doors, rear clamshells and bumpers fitted as it moves along the line.

Two dedicated McLaren technicians work on each of the production stages for the McLaren P1™, with each step taking a full working day to complete.

Stage 4: Final Assembly

As each car reaches the end of the McLaren P1™ line, it is then subjected to the same rigorous testing regime and sophisticated quality control procedures as the 12C and 12C Spider models to ensure it meets the required quality and performance levels. This phase of production takes a total of seven days to complete.

For the McLaren P1™, this includes a full day shakedown at a proving ground, testing every element of the car’s performance. The McLaren test drivers and a team of technicians run through the different settings and modes to examine and verify the performance ahead of final delivery to the customer.

Each example of the McLaren P1™ is then put through the Monsoon Test, in which 16,000 litres of de-ionised recycled water is released on to the car to ensure all seals are correctly finished. A complete underbody check and diagnostics review is then carried out, before the final dispatch audit confirmation.

Nissan unveils LeMans prototype

Unique Nissan ZEOD RC is an innovative test bed for electric technologies

• 
  
• Nissan ZEOD RC will utilise the same lithium battery technology as used in the award-winning Nissan Leaf
• The Nissan ZEOD RC will achieve speeds in excess of 300km/h
• Multiple electric drivetrain technologies to be tested before racing in 2014 Le Mans 24 Hour and assesed for potential in LM P1
• Nissan again at the forefront of Zero Emission and battery technology

Nissan today unveiled the groundbreaking, innovative ZEOD RC - the world's fastest electric racing car that will reach speeds of more than 300km/h with electric technology at the Le Mans 24 Hours

The ZEOD RC (Zero Emission On Demand Racing Car) will make its race debut at next year's Le Mans 24 Hour. The global leader in electric vehicles for the road, Nissan will trial variants of new electric drive train technologies as part of its intended future return to LM P1 competition to challenge for overall victory at the world's most prestigious endurance race.

Nissan's invitation from the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO) to compete in the 2014 Le Mans 24 Hours was announced by Nissan Chairman and CEO, Carlos Ghosn in Japan in February. The car will compete under the ACO's ‘Garage 56' entry - an additional spot on the grid for vehicles that showcase new and innovative technology.

Run as a Nissan / Nismo full factory international program with input from Japan, Europe and the US, the Nissan ZEOD RC design team is headed by Ben Bowlby who has been newly-appointed as Nissan's Director of Motorsport Innovation and previously worked on the Nissan DeltaWing program in 2012.

While the car will not race until next year's Le Mans 24 Hours, Nissan today kicked off a unique aspect of the program - race fans getting the chance to unveil the car in the public area of the Circuit de la Sarthe. Nissan intends to draw back the curtain for fans across the globe to provide continued updates via its international partnership with YouTube and its Nismo.TV channel.

"Nissan has become a global leader in the development of zero emission automotive technology and the Nissan ZEOD RC will allow us to further develop those capabilities using the toughest endurance race in the world as a mobile test bed to test the potential of our planned LM P1 power train," said Andy Palmer, Executive Vice President and Executive Committee member at Nissan Motor Company Limited.

"The Nissan ZEOD RC is a natural progression that follows on from the development of the Nissan Leaf road car and the Leaf RC race car prototype. The technologies developed through the ZEOD RC program will form part of future innovations for Nissan road cars.

"Nissan is already a global leader in the sale of all-electric cars and we're eagerly awaiting the opportunity to showcase the lessons learnt with the development of battery technology in the world's oldest, toughest and most high profile endurance race.

"The ZEOD RC program is designed to develop multiple technologies to evaluate how they could be used for a future LM P1 class return of Nissan at the Le Mans 24 Hour. There are multiple options we are investigating. A Zero Emission on Demand option where the driver can switch between electric and petrol-powered drive is a future direction for road cars, so that will be tested in addition to pure electric power and other new technologies that we still have under development.

"As no other manufacturer is using electric battery technology in endurance racing today, Nissan is innovating again and this will provide us with significant amounts of data and information to evaluate potential powertrains for future sportscar programs and allow us to continue as the leader in Zero Emissions technology on the road."

Launched in 2010, the Nissan Leaf has become the world's best-selling all-electric car. The Leaf won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award, the 2011 European Car of the Year, the 2011 World Car of the Year, and the 2011-2012 Car of the Year Japan.

Nissan launched the Nissan Leaf RC in 2011 - a race car prototype powered by the same 107-hp electric motor that is used in the road car.

While current battery technology does not provide the energy storage capacity to race a solely electric Le Mans prototype, Nissan ZEOD RC designer Ben Bowlby believes the development of the car will be an important step in the "electrification" of the racecars of the future.

"Developing a car like this provides an incredibly challenging test bed for what could be highly-effective options for road cars of the future. Throughout the next twelve months we will be testing multiple drive train options in an extensive test program," Bowlby said.

"We have many options to consider and test. The test program is part of a longer term goal of developing a system and a set of rules for this type of technology in partnership with the ACO that would be best suited to competing at the highest level of this sport."

"Nissan is a leader in electric vehicle technology for the road, now we want to take those lessons learnt and utilise that knowledge base in the development of the new race car.

"Our design team on the Nissan ZEOD RC program has concentrated heavily on packaging and aerodynamic efficiency that will not only provide extreme performance but high levels of energy efficiency - the goal for all global automakers.

"A large part of our work in the coming months is to discuss with the ACO future opportunities for the ‘electrification' of the Le Mans rules in the future and work towards delivering appropriate technology. Garage 56 is a bold move by the ACO to showcase Innovation and allow testing of untried components and systems for future competition use. To this end they are the most forward thinking promoter in Motorsport today."

Nissan will partner with French tyre manufacturer Michelin to produce tyres for the new prototype. Nissan previously joined forces with Michelin on the Nissan DeltaWing program. The Clermont-Ferrand-based manufacturer has an enviable record at the Le Mans 24 Hour, winning the past 15 consecutive races overall.

The Nissan ZEOD RC will make its testing debut later this summer. Nissan's assault on the 2013 Le Mans 24 Hour will again target victory in the P2 class with 15 of the 22 entries powered by Nissan. In the opening rounds of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship, Nissan has dominated, taking victory at Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps.