Daily News: Monday 7/24/17

2018 Jaguar XJR575 Debuts at SpeedIt’s not often that praises can be sung for a car company’s PR Team of all things, and yet that is exactly what I find myself doing. Jaguars PR Team deserves a pizza party or something because for the last two products the company has released, the manner of that release has been amazing. Less than two weeks ago, Jaguar barrel-rolled their new E-Pace SUV not only into the public’s eye, but also into the record books for a production vehicle. While todays reveal of Jaguar’s new full-size super saloon may not be as exciting as a flip, conducting the reveal interview during a zero to top speed run is by no means pedestrian. Wayne Burgess, Production Studio Director and SVO Projects Director at Jaguar was the lucky executive to mat the big cat all the way to its top speed of 186mph while being interviewed by his passenger, the reporter Amanda Stretton. This interview revealed details of the car, such as the 575hp, 517lb-ft of torque producing, supercharged 5.0L V8. An electronically controlled differential is fed power by an automatic transmission, enabling the car to hit 186mph in 44 seconds. It was not a long interview.

The car has the normal special interior, exterior, and wheel choices on top of the performance upgrades. Further announcements for the rest of the core 2018 Jaguar XJ range and U.S. pricing will follow later this year.

Ford Updates 2018 Mustang LineFor the past few years, the Mustang has been the bottom-dog of the muscle car pack, featuring the smallest displacement engine, which produced the least amount of horsepower. Ford has decided to rectify half of that equation, increasing the horsepower levels of the V8-powered Mustang GT by 25hp, causing an increase from 435hp to 460hp. Torque is also increased, by 20lb-ft, raising the total to 420lb-ft of torque. This upgrade pushes the most powerful Mustang GT ever above the Camaro SS by 5hp, although the big, meaty Mopar products still outproduce it by 25hp. This new engine can launch the car to 60mph in under 4 seconds when equipped with the new-for-2018 10-speed automatic gearbox while in Drag Strip mode. This 10-speed is the real secret to the cars accelerative prowess, as the 5-mode, paddle-shifter equipped 10-speed automatic allows the engine to continuously produce max torque between and through gearshifts when in Drag Strip mode. This bang-shifting automatic is now the strip-performance transmission of choice.

The 10-speed automatic is also available on the EcoBoost model, carrying the Drag Strip mode along with it. This mode, when combined with a 30lb-ft increase in torque, enables a 0-60 time of under 5 seconds. Special “Mustang-specific” Michelin Pilot Sport 4 S tires also aid in the off-the-line performance of the cars. The car is being delivered to dealerships beginning this Autumn, while the online configurator has gone live today.

Mercedes Ditches DTM Racing for Formula EMercedes-Benz has been shifting energy from conventional gasoline and diesel development towards EV and hybrid development throughout the company, and today it was announced that the racing efforts of the group would likewise be seeing such a shift. While the company reserved a slot for Season 5 of Formula E, they decided to extend their option and officially enter a team into the 6^th Formula E season for the 2019/2020 calendar. Doing so, they also announced their intention to cease competing in the German Touring Masters (DTM) racing league, leaving Audi and BMW as the sole competitors. I love DTM racing, and while I am hopeful Audi and BMW will take the mantle of the series on their lonely shoulders, this may be the end of the Touring car racing series.

I hope I am wrong.