Jaguar F-Type News

Price cuts and/or feature upgrades are a chance for the Jaguar F-Type despite strong early demand for the roadster. Jaguar Land Rover Asia-Pacific boss David Blackhall says Porsche's price cuts in response to the launch of the F-Type earlier this year prompted JLR to re-evaluate. 'The results seems to say (Porsche) took a look at the car and the segment and thought ‘We're going to protect our turf'." Blackhall says. 'We were comfortable with where the F-Type's price and position ended up but when the goalposts moved, we've had to respond to that." The F-Type Jaguar is priced between the Porsche Boxster and 911 cabrio, ranging from $138,645 for the base supercharged V6 to $201,945 for the V8 S. The Boxster range starts at $101,500 while the 911 drop-top kicks off at $228,900. Former Porsche Australia head Michael Winkler will take over local JLR operations from November 11. His appointment comes at a time when demand for Land Rovers and Range Rovers is outstripping supply. 'We would sell in Australia almost anything we can get across the entire Land Rover range except Defender," Blackhall says. The first shipment of 40 F-Types for Australia was pre-sold and Blackhall says a second batch of 80 also will be a sellout. 'The F-Type was never going to be a volume-seller but it is a halo car for the brand and we'll defend its position in the segment as required," Blackhall says. Quizzed as to whether basic options - such as dual-zone aircon, manual activation of the active sports exhaust and reversing camera - would be standard to bolster the value-for-money equation, Blackhall says: 'That's all on the table as part of this review. We won't rule anything out at this stage."  

Carsguide was delighted to learn this week that our free iPad app, CarsMag, has been chosen as a finalist in the Motoring Magazine of the Year category of the prestigious global Digital Magazine Awards. The shortlisting among 10 finalists caps a great 12 months for CarsMag, which has grown to more than 35,000 subscribers.The Digital Magazine Awards are the premiere competitive showcase for the digital publishing industry, and target innovation, creativity and design as prime judging factors.The other nine finalists include some of the world’s leading brands: Auto Bild; BBC Top Gear; Dream Machines; ignition; Jaguar F-Type App; Motor Sport; Ride Through Magazine; and 2010 Motoring Magazine of the Year category winner Zoom-Zoom (Mazda magazine).Some of our own favourite reading is on that list and we’re truly honoured to be on it as well, no matter which way the judging goes when the winners are announced in London on November 26.To download the free app for iPad, visit the iTunes store here. 

The Jaguar F-Type starts from just under $140,000, so we were sceptical when we heard  that one was being given away. However, it turns out to be true -- with a catch: it comes with a house you have to buy first. While it might be the most expensive Jaguar F-Type ever, this deal from Surface Developments also includes a shiny designer home on Melrose. That's Melrose Avenue in Ottawa, Canada, not the Melrose Place in California (or your sweat-soaked college flashbacks). The house itself is stunning, but Surface Developments doesn't list the price on its site. And if you have to ask, well, you know the drill... The offer of a free F-Type with purchase of the home is a limited-time deal (though it's not clear how limited), so if you're interested in some swanky Canadian digs with a ride to match, you'd better act quickly. www.motorauthority.com

Jaguar will reveal a new F-Type design study at this weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Christened ‘Project 7’, the concept features retro-themed race livery and several other performance enhancements over the recently launched F-Type convertible.The most noticeable change is a pronounced driver’s headrest fairing, referencing the early aerodynamic element used by the D-Type racer of the 1950s.A close look at the fairing line shows it appears to echo the profile of recently spied F-Type Coupe prototypes – likely an intentional nod to the upcoming hardtop. According to Jaguar design chief Ian Callum, the Project 7’s premise is more simple: "It has one purpose: to be driven fast and enjoyed. Jaguar sports cars are known for exceptional performance and clean design. Project 7 captures that spirit in its purest form."Other Project 7 enhancements include a more aggressive front apron, plus carbon fibre sideskirts, rear diffuser rear-view mirrors, and a tall bootlid spoiler.The front apron --with larger openings than the standard F-Type--appears quite production-ready and could find its way onto the upcoming F-Type R performance model. The remaining enhancements could find their way onto more extreme F-Type R-S, and F-Type R-S GT models further down the track.The Project 7’s suspension has also been dropped 10mm, and black 20 inch Blade forged alloys wear tyres with Jaguar white lettering on their sidewalls. The F-Type’s windscreen has also been lowered for a more raked profile, and the folding roof mechanism has also been ditched to make way for the headrest fairing. The Project 7’s 5.0 litre supercharged V8 has been upgraded to match the 404kW/680Nm of the existing XFR-S and XKR-S models – up 42kW and 55Nm over the existing F-Type V8 S, and could also hint at the F-Type R's spec. Purists will be disappointed that the F-Type’s eight-speed auto transmission remains for the Project 7, suggesting that the F-Type R will also be a two-pedal affair. Nonetheless, Jaguar claims 0-96km/h acceleration in 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 300km/h – figures which would likely satisfy any potential F-Type R owner.On the inside, the driver’s seat has been replaced by a composite bucket race seat, with the passenger seat replaced altogether by a harnessed helmet holder, and the whole lot trimmed in diamond-quilted leather. The Project 7’s name refers to Jaguar’s seven Le Mans 24 hour race wins between 1951-1990, and its blue paintwork is an homage to the 1956/57 Le Mans-winning D-Type racers. The Project 7 will make its first public outing along the Goodwood hillclimb route this weekend, at the hands of Jaguar’s chief chassis engineer Mike Cross.This reporter is on Twitter: @Mal_Flynn 

It's F-Type droptop is already up and running and now we can see how the car will look with a fixed roof in 2014. The arrival of the F-Type coupe, most likely priced below the convertible, also opens the way for hard-edged go-faster models including an RS. Here late in 2014 for around $130,000.

The all-new 2014 F-Type convertible sports car has proven a runaway success for Jaguar, with the company claiming to have already sold half a year’s worth of production despite the model having just been launched.To keep the momentum going, Jaguar will follow up with a new coupe variant, which has been spied undergoing testing in prototype form at Germany’s Nürburgring circuit. The prototype is for the high-performance F-Type V8 S, as evidenced by its quad-exhaust tips.An F-Type coupe is something that’s been mooted ever since the reveal of the F-Type-previewing C-X16 concept car at the 2011 Frankfurt Auto Show, which itself was a coupe. However, the biggest giveaway that the launch of an F-Type Coupe was imminent was the reveal of new patent drawings for the car not that long ago. This production version is expected to be launched on the market late next year, most likely as a 2015 model.Apart from its roof, the car should be identical to the current F-Type convertible, which means a trio of powertrains matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission. A six-speed manual is planned for the F-Type, though Jaguar is yet to confirm when it will be offered.The F-Type’s engine lineup kicks off with a 250 kW  supercharged 3.0-litre V-6 (base), followed by a 280 kWr version of this engine (F-Type S), and finally topping out with a supercharged 5.0-litre V-8 rating at 364 kW (F-Type V8 S).Note, there’s talk that the F-Type’s engine lineup will be expanded--in both directions. At the entry level, expect to see a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder join the fold while at the other end of the spectrum we should see a more potent version--or versions--of the supercharged 5.0-litre V-8.Hopefully, the price of the 2015 Jaguar F-Type coupe will undercut the $139,000 starting price of the base F-Type convertible. That should make an already enticing car even more desirable.For a taste of its performance, be sure to read our first drive review on the convertible.www.motorauthority.com 

Anyone who wants a truly affordable F-Type Jaguar will have to wait a while. The starting price for the F-Type convertible is set today at $139,000, right between the Porsche Boxster S and 911, but the bottom line is likely to fall by at least $10,000 in late 2014 when the Cat coupe arrives. The convertible is the obvious early focus as Jaguar finally gets serious about sports cars for the first time since the 1960s, with a car that reinvents the classic E-Type. There are three models of F-Type convertible - at least for now - with the V6-powered starter car at $139,000, the F-Type S V6 at $171,400 and the V8 S at $202,300. “It's a relative bargain in Australia. And it is a lot of car,” says Jaguar's brand manager for Australia, Mark Eedle. “This car does what the box says. This is all about performance.” He rejects any suggestion that the F-Type is over-priced, and says the car sits right on target and that Australian buyers are getting a good deal. “We have worked very hard to make this car as affordable as possible. If you look at some of the other markets, we're doing alright. Some people might think it's not as affordable as they hoped, but it is more affordable than lots of other countries,” Eedle says. But the timing for the F-Type announcement is not good, as the Boxster S has just had a $6000 price cut in Australia that means it's now starting at $126,500. “There is white space between the Boxster S and 911. All along we've been talking about where we are positioning the car, and the pricing is exactly that,” says Eedle. “It wasn't intended to be head-to-head against Boxster S. So it shouldn't have been expected to be on their pricing.” Carsguide gets a first drive in the F-Type later this week in Spain, driving all three models. The basic F-Type has a 3-litre supercharged V6 that makes 250 kiloWatts for a claimed 0-100km/h time of 5.3 seconds - with standard equipment including 18-inch alloys, performance brakes, sports suspension and exhaust - while the V6-powered S jumps to 280 kiloWatts and 4.9 seconds, with the supercharged 5-litre petrol V8 producing 364 kiloWatts for a sprint time of 4.3 seconds. “We're talking about the sporting bloodline with this car. It you look at the E-Type it was 1961. It's been a lazy 52-year break since then,” Eedle says. “The F-Type was designed as a true sports car, not a grand tourer. This is taking us into the hard-core driver's segment. It's 911 all over.” Eedle refuses to discuss the upcoming F-Type coupe, or the potential for R and RS models with even better performance, even though they are clearly part of Jaguar's planning. “We don't comment on future product. But Jaguar's brand ambassador Adrian Hallmark is on record as saying 'It's a car we can do so many things with',” he says. This reporter is on Twitter: @PaulWardGover