The New Jaguar XKR and XFR

Honda celebrates 50 years in the U.S. [w/VIDEO]

It's official: Honda America is 50 years old. The company actually began its golden jubilee celebration earlier this year with a special float in the Tournament of Roses parade in Pasadena. That was followed by a little ceremony at the company's headquarters in Torrance, California this month – almost a painfully modest way to commemorate going from nothing to market heavyweight in at least five different areas (cars, motorcycles, recreational vehicles, power equipment, and racing). And all of it was done on the back of a 50 cc step-through motorcycle. Perhaps Honda wants its milestones to sing their own tunes, so you can check them out in the gallery of high-res photos below, or read about them and check out a video that spans the ages after the jump.

Mini dealership network to expand by 20% to meet demand

The next 18 months will be huge for BMW's MINI brand. Execs are looking for big sales increases by 2011, and the fuel efficient little car company is adding 17 dealerships to its retail network in that time frame to help get the job done. The additional dealerships will predominantly go to urban areas that don't currently have a MINI presence, bringing the total figure to 100 dealerships in the States. MINI is looking for a "double digit increase" from 2008's record 54,077 U.S. sales by 2011; a number that is impressive considering the current state of industry sales, but more likely due to the addition of a new model line (Clubman) as much as anything else. With more dealers in the fold, the lofty sales goals ought to be attainable, though, provided the nation's economy improves.The first new dealer network, which comes online later this year, will be in Birmingham, Alabama. The next 18 months will see still more openings in urban hotspots like Austin, Texas and Seattle, Washington. For a complete list of new locations, hit the jump to read the press release.

Jaguar, the Most Dependable Car. Really.

The New York Times
MARCH 19, 2009, 7:01 AM

Jaguar, the Most Dependable Car. Really.
By CHERYL JENSEN

Bill Pugliano/Getty Images
Just when it seemed the automotive world was in such upheaval that nothing more
shocking could happen, Jaguar and Buick have tied for the top spot in the 2009 J.D.
Power Vehicle Dependability Study.

Jaguar, once reliable only for being the butt of cocktail party jokes about poor quality,
and Buick have toppled Lexus from first place, which the Japanese brand had held for the
last 13 years. (In 2007, Buick shared the top spot with Lexus.)

The 2006 Buick LaCrosse was the highest-ranked vehicle in the midsize car segment, according to the latest J.D. Power study on dependability. J.D. Power’s dependability rankings are determined by the number of problems per 100 vehicles that consumers experience: The lower the number, the better. This year’s study is based on responses from more than 46,000 original owners of three-year-old (2006 model year) vehicles.

While vehicle dependability has always been important to consumers, this year it’s even
more so as consumers hold onto their vehicles longer. The average age of a vehicle when
it’s traded in has increased to 73 months in 2009, up from 65 months in 2006, according
to J.D. Power.

Darren Staples/Reuters Jaguars parked outside a plant in Birmingham, England.
Buick and Jaguar were tied for first place with 122 problems per 100 vehicles; Lexus was
second with 126 problems. Toyota at 129 and Mercury, 134, rounded out the top five. The
bottom five were, in descending order, Mazda, Isuzu, Land Rover, Volkswagen and
Suzuki.

It isn’t that something significantly bad has happened to Lexus quality, said Neal Oddes,
director of product research and analysis for J.D. Power and Associates, the marketing
information services company.

“Their performance is exceptional,” Mr. Oddes said. “It’s just that other nameplates are
coming up and starting to challenge the quality leader, which is great for consumers.”
In addition to ranking the 37 brands, J.D. Power gives awards in 19 segments by naming
the top three models in each segment.

“Lexus performance at the nameplate ranking may have slipped slightly, but at the model
level they are still doing exceptionally well,” Mr. Oddes said.

Toyota vehicles ranking the highest in five segments, which was more than any other
brand, were the Highlander, Prius, Sequoia, Solara and Tundra. Lexus, Toyota’s luxury
brand, came next with four segment winners, which were the ES 330 (tied with the Acura
RL), GX 470, LS 430 and SC 430.

The highest ranked vehicles in other segments were the Scion xA, Mazda MX-5 Miata,
Buick LaCrosse, Mercury Grand Marquis, Nissan 350Z, Lincoln Zephyr, Honda Element,
Ford Ranger, Dodge Caravan and Lincoln Mark LT.

The study also found that Buick, Lincoln, Mercury and Jaguar owners were less likely to
have to replace large components than owners of other brands.

All of the top three vehicles in the segments and complete brand rankings are available at
JDPower.com.

Source: (The New York Times)

VIDEO: Ian Callum talks about the 2010 Jaguar XJ

The top-of-the-line leaping cat was blessed with an aluminum chassis that was well ahead of its time, but the Jaguar XJ's historically derivative design left luxury customers less than impressed – if indeed they recognized it as a new model. Chief Jaguar designer Ian Callum, who hit the ball right out of the park when he designed the award winning XF, now has an opportunity to make things right with the flagship XJ. We've already seen spy photos of the XJ's interior and exterior, and everything so far points to the Jag's flagship model taking plenty of cues from the smaller, less expensive XF; not that that's a bad thing.The 2010 Jaguar XJ is one of the most eagerly anticipated unveilings this year, but since it won't go public until July 9, you'll have to wait until we can gather some more information. We only caught two very brief, very muddled shots of the next generation of Jaguar's "Gorgeous" design philosophy, but it's still worth a look.

It's a Small World After All: Official pictures from MINI United

To celebrate 50 years of all things small and wonderful, MINI held a little party at one of England's most iconic racetracks, Silverstone. The event was equal parts racing, music festival and fashion show, highlighted by a concert by "modfather" Paul Weller, he of The Jam and The Style Council fame.

This was the third edition of the event, dubbed MINI United, and for MINI's 50th birthday it attracted a crowd that was anything but mini. Some 25,000 enthusiasts made it to the party, driving more than 10,000 Minis and representing 40+ countries. Folks from as far away as Russia, the United States and South Africa descended on Silverstone with their customized Coopers.

It was also a golden opportunity to show off the company's newest specials, the Mayfair and the Camden, as well as the George Harrison tribute MINI. Common folk and celebrities alike partook, including iconic British designer Mary Quant, inventor of the miniskirt. Quant even admitted that the name of the short skirt owed more to her love of her own little car than to the garment's length.

Among the thousands of cars on hand, a bunch of customized MINIs were displayed, with artwork by designer Paul Smith, David Bowie, Kate Moss, Missoni and illustrator Alan Aldridge among others. There's a gallery of pics from the event below, and a full press release Here.

BMW celebrates 75 years of building roadsters

We generally think of BMW as the maker of some of the world's best sports sedans, but its put out some impressive roadsters over the years. Seventy-five years to be exact. The Bavarian auto manufacturer has been producing two-door open-seaters for three quarters of a century now, starting with 315/1 Sports model that was unveiled at the 1934 Berlin Motor Show followed by the more powerful 319/1. Two legendary roadsters came next, starting with the 328 Roadster in 1936 that was bred on the Nurburgring, and the classically-styled 507 in the late 1950's that inspired the next half century of BMW two-door ragtops.

It was nearly 30 years before BMW produced another roadster, and it came in the form of the Z1 that launched in 1988. The quirky roadster featured plastic body panels that bolted onto the steel monocoque body and doors that could retract into the side of the car. In 1995 BMW brought the roadster to the masses with the Z3, followed by the modern day Z4 that's just begun its second generation. Then, of course, there is the elegant Z8. Perhaps our favorite of all BMW's roadsters, it offered everything we would ever want from a sporty two-door convertible: a 400 horsepower V8, six-speed manual transmission, and a design that will never go out of style.
BMW has provided a wonderful gallery of photos highlighting each car, all available in high resolution. More details on each roadster can also be found in the press release here.

Come Celebrate Summer at the Keeler Block Party

New Mercedes-Benz 2010 E-Class Commercial