Jaguar recalling nearly 6,500 XJs due to defective windshield wipers

Jaguar has issued a recall covering 6,475 2010-11 XJ sedans built between July 28, 2009 and November 3, 2010 due to defective windshield wipers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration details the exact problem with these XJs, saying:

“The front wiper arms to spindle fixings were not torqued to specification during manufacturing. As a result, the securing nuts could fail to perform as intended, resulting in a loss of wiper arm synchronization and a clash of the wiper arms.”

Clashing wiper arms mean they could detach from the vehicle altogether, which is perhaps the last thing any driver would want to have to deal with on a rainy (or snowy) day. The full recall is expected to commence on or before December 13, and dealers will ensure that the wiper arms are securely fitted to the spindle. To read the full details, follow the jump for NHTSA’s release.

Of Course They Are: Jaguar reportedly investigating C-X75 production

Remember the Jaguar C-X75 Concept at the Paris Motor Show? Of course you do. The company repeatedly said it was “a pure concept” that wouldn’t ever learn what the word “production” meant. Well, along with Galileo, Jaguar is reportedly joining the list of those who took it all back – well, almost – by admitting it’s studying the production feasibility of what would become the X-75.

The stats again: Two 96-horsepower micro gas turbines powering batteries which in turn feed a quartet of 195-hp electric motors at the wheels for a shuddering 780 hp and 1,187 pound-feet, a 3.4-second run to 62 miles per hour, a top speed of 205 mph, an electric range of 68 miles and a range-extended blast of 560 miles. Autocar says that although Jag is studying only making 1,000 or 2,000 per year and could charge a fortune for every one of them, it’s those turbines that could decide – or more likely, terminate – the car’s fate.

See, Jag doesn’t want to stick a plain old combustion engine in it. Otherwise it would have to be redesigned because the turbines’ small footprint don’t allow room for what would need to be a very powerful V8 or a large V12. Even though the company says developing the turbines for production would cost less than doing so for an ICE, it will take up to eight years to get them ready – for even a low-volume item. Of course, we can’t imagine Jaguar is going to stand up at the 2016 Paris Auto Show and declare “The six-year-old concept car you loved in 2010 will be here in two more years! Get ready!” As far as we’re concerned, we’re happy to imagine gas turbines coming in some kind of Jaguar at some kind of date, whenever it is.

Jaguar C-X75 Concept

Yesterday’s big surprise at the Paris Motor Show was the range-extended electric supercar from Jaguar, theC-X75 Concept. Built to celebrate the marque’s 75th anniversary, the concept looks forward to the future while honoring Jaguar’s heritage and design. Featuring four electric motors producing 195 horsepower at eachwheel, along with two micro-gas turbines that – in theory – charge the batteries, the C-X75 can top 205 mph and has a projected combined range of 560 miles. Jaguar says it has no plans to produce the car, although it would be more than a worthy successor to the notorious XJ220.

From our vantage point, we’re split on the looks. While most of us think it’s stunning – especially in person – there’s a vocal minority that doesn’t think it looks “Jaguar” enough. Truth be told, it doesn’t necessarily look like any Jaguar road car ever built, but it’s easy to see that inspiration was taken from the 1966 Jaguar XJ13 race car.

You can see all of our photos from the live debut in the gallery below, or for full details on the car hit the jump for the press release.

Review: 2011 Jaguar XJL

There’s a sect of motoring nihilists out there who would have us all believe there isn’t a single thing in the automotive universe that hasn’t been done before. It’s the “Simpsons did it” meme on methamphetamines, though instead of a yellow animated family, our cast is populated by the likes of Plymouth, Cord, Studebaker, Hudson and any number of other equally innovative yet forgotten brands. Think adaptive headlights are a trick piece of tech? Think again – Willys-Knight employed a third directional headlight as early as 1928 on its 70A, and Citroën made use of similar methodology on cars like the DS and SM way back when.

Few segments seem to have accepted this grim reality quite like the luxury sedan world. Automakers that once strove to create unique products now seem to be operating from the same design template. Line up the profiles of the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 and the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, and the vast majority of the car-buying public would have no idea which car was which. Each vehicle is attractive in its own right, but we wouldn’t accuse any of them possessing the same kind of gravitas as, say, a ’38 Mercedes-Benz 770.

Which is one of the big reasons we’re smitten with the 2011 Jaguar XJL. Whereas the only way you’re going to stop traffic with a 7 Series is to put the drivers around you to sleep, the newest interpretation of the stately Jaguar flagship is the kind of beauty that sends jaws clattering across the concrete.

Pebble gathers a dozen Jaguar XK-SS roadsters for Jag’s 75th

Okay, full disclosure – We have to tell you that we have a conflict of interest on this one. The Jaguar XK-SS is one of this author’s top ten sports car designs of all time. This partially-civilized, D-Type-derived, semi-comp car is just plain awesome. Seeing one of them at a museum or event is like glimpsing the Pietà as you enter the Vatican – Its beauty can overwhelm you if you’re not prepared to see it. Imagine our delight, then, when we learned that the organizers of the 2010 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance had put together a small gathering of XK-SS roadsters to celebrate Jaguar’s 75th birthday. It’s their birthday, and we get the presents.

Just 25 of these incredible machines were built during their short run – a tragic fire at the factory took nine of them and halted development of not just the XK-SS, but of the D-Type as a whole. Try as they might, the Pebble Beach folks simply couldn’t get all 16 of the survivors together for this occasion…but how does a full dozen sound? Any event that has one SS in the field is pretty remarkable in our books. Having more than one is almost unheard of. Having a dozen on hand, all in one place at one time… in an almost perfect line on the Pebble Beach golf links with nothing behind them but the course and bay? Sublime.

Why does the XK-SS draw such admiration? Well, all you need do is look at it and you have your answer, but there is much more to the story. When Jaguar withdrew from racing at the end of 1955, they had a few spare D-Type chassis on hand. They also had something of a budget crisis at the time. Why not make a few changes for road use and offer the unfinished cars to the public? Jaguar added an extra seat, another door, a full-width windshield, luggage rack and folding top and the SS was born. It weighed but 2,000 pounds and had the D-Type’s 250-horsepower 3.4-liter straight-six under its shapely bonnet. It only weighed about 100 pounds more than the full-on racer and was sold at a 30 percent discount over the D.

Report: Engine shortages holding back Jaguar Land Rover sales

The turnaround at Jaguar/Land Rover is happening even faster than the company’s owner, Tata, had planned. A year ago, JLR posted a net loss of £64 million ($101M U.S.) in Q2; compare that to this year’s second quarter and its £233.8 million ($369M U.S.) net profit on 57,135 vehicles sold.

While we’re sure they aren’t complaining, the boost has left JLR in bit of a lurch: production has bottlenecked because it needs more engines from Ford, after already buying “considerably more” than it expected. Ford hasn’t offered any comment, but it is reported that the two companies are working together to figure out how to get Jaguar the powerplants it needs.