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Jaguar XE: 2016 US Arrival for Sports Sedan

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All-new Jaguar XE debuts in Geneva.

Jaguar XE
An aluminum-intensive Jaguar XE arrives in the US in 2016.

The Geneva Motor Show is serving up a number of hits this week including new products from Opel, Lamborghini, and Mercedes-Benz, to name a few. Jaguar has also gotten into the mix, announcing that its new compact sports sedan will be called the XE, featuring what the automaker says is an aluminum intensive unibody layout.

The all-new Jaguar XE will be built in the United Kingdom with its engines produced at a new Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing plant, also in the UK. Owned by Tata Motors, Jaguar as well as Land Rover have maintained independence while benefiting from the backing of a much larger automaker.

The Jaguar XE goes on sale in 2015 in Europe. The sedan arrives stateside in 2016.

***Reference — The Wall Street Journal: Jaguar Land Rover Increasing Engine Plant Investment***

Jaguar XE: From Concept to Reality

The upcoming model is based on the C-X17 concept car introduced in 2013, featuring an aluminum intensive structure. Jaguar claims that the sedans lightweight layout improves handling, performance, refinement, and efficiency. Specifications were not announced at Jaguars news conference.

Ian Callum, Director of Design, said: The new Jaguar XE is every bit a modern Jaguar car; more compact in size but visually striking. Customers will expect a great deal from a compact Jaguar car it must be practical but premium. We never forget we are designing a Jaguar car 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 weve done just that with the Jaguar XE.

Ingenium Engine Range

The new engine manufacturing center will produce both four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines that are lightweight, low-friction and emit fewer emissions. Both are part of Jaguars Ingenium engine range.

The all-new Jaguar XE compact sport sedan will bring Jaguar into the largest segment of the luxury car market with a dynamic new entry that will challenge the status quo of luxury car brands, said Jeff Curry, Brand Vice President of Jaguar North America. Jaguar is charting an exciting new path with the recent launch of the Jaguar F-TYPE and the introduction of the Jaguar XE, which completes our sedan line-up. We offer a more exclusive, distinct choice in the luxury car marketplace combining progressive British design, a high performance character and advanced aluminum technology.

***Reference — Jaguar & Land Rover: Jaguar XE Confirmed As Name For Compact Sports Sedan With All-New Ingenium Engine Family And Advanced Aluminum***

Jaguar Naming Convention

In selecting the XE name, Jaguar retains its naming convention, joining the XF, XJ, and XK in the product line up. F-Type coupe and convertible models are also sold. Full product details will be released later this year just prior to production.

Jaguar Land Rover N.A. LLC US sales are up 12.6 percent year to date. Jaguar sales rose by 35.2 percent in Feb. 2014 alone, the same month when overall US sales were flat. Globally, Jaguar sales were up by 42 percent in 2013, based on 76,668 units sold, for its best year since 2005.

British automotive building is on a rebound and is expected to exceed the previous peak annual production of 1.72 million units in hit in 1972 by 2017 reports Reuters.

***Reference — Reuters: Britains Jaguar Land Rover Taps Global Markets for Record Sales***

Photo courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover.

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Smokefree Car Bans: When Children Are Present

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Taking the puff out of smoking.

smokefree car

Britain will soon be enforcing what some Americans want to see on the books: legislation banning smoking in cars with children present. The British initiative was started by health campaigners and received support by the opposition Labour Party. That ban is expected to kick in by May 2015, just before the next UK general election.

Smokefree Cars

In advocating for the measure, supporters cited data revealing that children riding in cars with smoke present were more likely to suffer health problems. Specifically, passive or secondhand smoking can cause ear infections, an increased risk and severity of asthma attacks, respiratory problems and infections, and an elevated risk of sudden infant death syndrome notes the Centers for Disease Control.

The CDC says that all secondhand smoke not just in-cabin smoke causes an estimated 150,000 to 300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia annually for children aged 18 months or younger. Some 7,500 to 15,000 hospitalizations annually are also related to secondhand smoke for this age group.

State Smokefree Car Laws

In the United States, several states have laws in place that ban in-car smoking when children are present. On Jan. 1, 2014, Oregon began enforcing a law that makes it illegal to smoke in a car when children are present. It is a secondary law or what a police officer may cite only if the driver was stopped for another offense or violation.

Oregon defines children as anyone younger than 18. The maximum fine for the first time offender is $250. It rises to a maximum of $500 for each subsequent offense. California, Utah, Maine, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Puerto Rico also have smokefree car laws.

Campaigning for a Cause

Lobbying against smoking in cars is the Americans for Nonsmokers Rights (ANR), an advocacy organization formed in 1976 to preserve nonsmokers’ rights. ANR recognizes that laws alone will not stop secondhand smoking in cars and believes that educating the public about the health hazards would improve decision making about smoking in ways that harm other people.

Not everyone thinks that smokefree car laws are the way to go. British American Tobacco (BAT), whose brands include Lucky Strike, Kent, Pall Mall, and Viceroy, agrees that children should not be exposed to cigarette smoke in cars and other confined places. However, the company says that is concerned that the ban will someday be extended to include smoking when children are not present.

Smokefree New Zealand

The BAT position, however, appears to have little support and may do nothing to stop legislation from being enacted elsewhere. South Africa, Canada, Cyprus, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates, also restrict smoking in cars with minors present. And where laws are not in place, educational campaigns may be used to persuade drivers to not light up as in New Zealand where the government has targeted 2025 for when that nation plans to become smoke free.