As of today the revised 2010 Jaguar XF Supercharged is on sale in the U.S. at a starting price of $68,000. The new model improves over the ’09 model, most notably, under the hood where a larger 5.0-liter engine gets supercharged for a total of 470hp – 50 more than the previous model. Torque is also up, with 424 ft-lbs available. This gives the new XF Supercharged a 0-60 mph time of just 4.9 seconds.

Other highlights include new 20-inch wheels, larger brake rotors, an updated adaptive damping suspension and revised differential controls.

Inside, occupants will be treated to upgrades like contrasted stitching on the dash an door tops, an Alcantara headliner, heated steering wheel and a Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system.

“The Jaguar XF Supercharged will offer consumers a compelling luxury sedan choice with benchmark handling ability and truly memorable performance,” says Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars. “This new luxury performance XF Supercharged sedan builds on the tremendous momentum Jaguar has achieved by introducing beautiful fast cars such as the XK sports car, the XF and the XKR and XFR models.”

Surprisingly, at 470hp, the XF Supercharged isn’t the most powerful model in the lineup, as a 510hp XFR can also be had for $80,000.

Official release after the jump:

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The folks over at Carscoop have just snagged these photos of what appears to be the 2011 BMW M5 out testing. Code-named the F10, there are a few hints that lead to the speculation that this is in fact the M5 and not a standard 5 series. The real give-away, however, are the four exhaust pipes.

Other M-features include the massive wheels, brakes and low stance.

Unfortunately even spy photographers can’t see through sheet metal and so we’re left guessing what sort of powerplant the next M5 will have. The current M5 boasts a 507hp 5.0-liter V10 and while there is some speculation that the next generation of the iconic car will use a twin-turbocharged V10, it’s more likely that we’ll see the twin-turbocharged 4.4-liter V8 that produces as much as 555hp and 500 ft-lbs of torque in the X5 M and X6 M.

Power will no-doubt be slightly more than in either of the M-powered SUVs and possibly even reach the 600 mark.

Other highlights to look for include a version of BMW’s double-clutch gearbox which first appeared on the latest M3. And in keeping with the automakers Efficient Dynamics approach, look for innovative new ways to save weight.

The F10 M5 is slated to be a 2011 model, so look for it sometime in 2010.

[Source: Carscoop]

While the North American auto industry might not have reached a turnaround yet, the future is looking brighter for one U.S. automaker – Ford. The Ford Motor Company has announced that it is expecting that sales for the month of June (due in today) will be anywhere from 10 to 20 percent lower than the same month a year ago.

That might not sound like great news, but when the industry average is still in the negative 30 percent range, Ford certainly seems to be bucking a trend.

“The underlying economic indicators, meaning fewer jobless claims, another month of somewhat higher levels of consumer confidence, suggest to us that the worst is behind us in terms of not only the economy… but also that we may have seen the low point of auto sales,” said George Pipas a sales analyst for Ford.

This news also means that Ford is continuing to gain market share in the U.S. In May the automaker posted a total share of the U.S. market at 17.4 percent, up from 15.5 percent a year earlier.

In response to a mild turnaround and increased demand in Ford product, the company will increase production during the third quarter by 25,000 vehicles to 485,000 vehicles. This amounts to a 16 percent increase over the same period a year ago.

Ford is seeking to stabilize its inventory supply at 60 days, up from the current 58 day period. The current industry average is 67 days.

While Ford posted a record loss of $14.7 billion in 2008, company executives are still forecasting a return to profitability by 2011 – and this latest news seems to confirm it is on the right track.

[Source: Automotive News1 & Automotive News2]

[Photo Credit: Anderson Ford]

We wouldn’t go so far as to say that the folks at AutoExpress are just making stuff up, but the prospect of a smaller MX-5 Miata (the MX-2) does sound unlikely.

Still, the British auto pub is reporting that such a vehicle is in the works and could be here as early as 2012. This would put ensure it arrived well ahead of possible competitors like the MINI Speedster or Nissan Urge. For the record, however, the Speedster is still just a rumor and the Urge, which debuted at the North American International Auto Show back in 2006, has reportedly been scrapped.

Motivation could come from an engine as a 1.6-liter four-cylinder or as small as 700ccs. The 1.6 option would be the high-performance model with as much as 160hp.

AutoExpress cites a company insider who says we should expect to see an MX-2 concept soon.

[Source: AutoExpress]

BMW has done an excellent job at keeping its upcoming X1 crossover under wraps, until now. A large collection of photos showing two different X1 models has made its way onto the web and we have them all.

We recently had a chance to test a prototype version of the BMW X1 in Spain and we were impressed with its genuine car-like driving dynamics.

The X1 is based on the current 3 Series platform and will be offered with numerous engine choices in Europe. We drove the xDrive 23d model with 204hp and 295 ft-lbs of torque and lamented that it won’t be offered in North America. Instead we will get the standard 3.0-liter inline-six gasoline engine with 230hp and 200 ft-lbs of torque.

The X1 isn’t slated to go on sale until 2011 or at least 2012, but we should know more about the crossover at this Fall’s Frankfurt Auto Show.

As for the looks of the new crossover, we have to say we’re impressed, as it incorporates much of BMW’s new design philosophy and has a bold appearance thanks to a rather flat front end and large kidney grilles.

See our Review of the BMW X1 Prototype here:

BMW X1 Prototype Fist Drive

GALLERY: BMW X1

[Source: xBimmers]

If we told you Jaguar built a special one-off version of the new XKR grand tourer for the Goodwood Festival of Speed and painted it green, you would no doubt assume it would be a typically-British green. You know, British Racing Green, a color so dark it looks black in the shade.

Oh no… the one-off 2010 Goodwood Special Jaguar XKR is lime green. How uncouth!

Jaguar hasn’t released all the details on this special edition, but expect output from the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 to exceed the stock car’s 510 ponies. Jaguar also promises it will be much louder than stock.

Additionally, the Goodwood Special XKR will get a set of dark-colored 21-inch wheels with a lowered ride height and dark “satin graphite” paint for the mirrors, window surrounds, grilles and headlight casings.

“The XKR ‘Goodwood Special’ has been developed as a one-off to explore the harder side of the XKR’s character and allow our engineering team to explore some performance boundaries,” said Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars. “The Festival of Speed gives us the opportunity to have fun in a high performance car without all the practical and legal requirements of driving on the road getting in the way!”

Jaguar will present the car at the Goodwood Festival of Speed on July 3-5th alongside the 1957 Le Mans winning long-nose D-type, a Le Mans-winning Jaguar C-Type, the one-of-one Jaguar XJ13 race car and the 225mph Bonneville XFR. All of the vehicles will partake in the Goodwood HillClimb.

Official release:

Continue Reading…

Suzuki will bring a more driver-oriented SX4 Sportback model to market this year based on the SX4 Crossover. This five-door hatchback will get a new 2.0-liter four-cylinder making 150hp and 140 ft-lbs of torque and get a combined 26 mpg.

Buyers can opt for a CVT automatic transmission with paddle shifters or stick with the standard six-speed manual. The ride height will be lower than that of the Crossover model, with stiffer springs and shocks and a rear sway bar to enhance cornering capabilities.

The SX4 Sportback will ride on 17-inch wheels with 205/50/17 Dunlop rubber.

Outiside the SX4 Sportback will trade the Crossover’s roof-rack for a subtle aero kit. There will also be small changes to the front bumper and grille. A new rear spoiler will also be a part of the option.

Inside it will get power windows and locks, tilt steering, rear passenger floor vents and a new instrument cluster with faux-aluminum trim. XM Satellite radio compatibility will be standard, as will navigation.

The SX4 Sportback will launch as a 2010 model and is slated to go on sale this Fall.

[Source: Edmunds]

Hyundai will bring its top-level Equus luxury sedan to North America next summer. While buyers of German luxury sedans like the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes S-Class aren’t likely to buy Korean (not yet anyway), Hyundai thinks it will attract enough Lexus LS buyers to make the Equus a viable business plan.

According to a company insider the Equus, which is based on the Genesis platform, will come equipped exclusively with the company’s 375-hp 4.6-liter V8 engine. Pricing is expected to be just below the $60,000 mark – $5,000 less than the Lexus.

In comparison, a fully-loaded Genesis sedan costs about $43,000.

Currently the Equus is one sale in Korean with pricing ranging anywhere from $50,000 to $81,000.

Hyundai had the Equus on display at the New York Auto Show this year to see what sort of interest there was in the car. The reactions must have been positive because not long afterward the Korean automaker announced that it would bring 100 models to the U.S. for dealers to show off. Some of those models are equipped with such luxurious amenities as tilting rear seats with massages and LCD screens mounted in the headrests.

Hyundai has already surprised the luxury segment with the mid-level Genesis luxury sedan, but the question remains whether it can take on the top-tier cars or if the Equus will be the next VW Phaeton.

[Source: Autoweek]