Jaguar has patented the words C-XJ and C-XE. What this means for us looking through the British pussycat’s cage is that two new concepts will soon be unveiled to the public. The one is of course the new 2011 XJ big daddy leaper which has been extensively spied on a number of occasions already. The second one is XE. Lots of guesses on this one, but a likely candidate is a smaller XK, something of a Porsche Boxster or BMW Z4 rival perhaps? Or just a step below XK, say something to rival a 911 instead. The X would be Jaguar’s way of labeling its cars, and the E stems from the classic E-Type. Others contend that it’s the X-Type replacement.

We know that Jaguar parent Tata is interested in ramping up models of the big cat in the coming ten years or so, and that the current fuel crisis is forcing all auto makers to look much more closely into cutting fuel consumption figures and CO2 emissions. Jaguar so needs a small car programme and this could be the sports car answer to that question. Such a car could conceivably be built in England, but don’t count India out. Although both Jag and Tata insist there are no immediate plans to manufacture on the sub continent, the agreement that stipulates this is not a closed one, and does in fact, expire in a few years’ time, which could pave the way for Jaguars and Land Rovers to be at least assembled from CKD (completely knocked-down) units cost-effectively in India.

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Today, Jaguar announced that it is recalling more than 7,900 MY2009 XF sedans in the United States for a defect in the rear safety belt assembly. Although Jaguar says there have been no accidents or injuries reported due to the problem, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration noted that in the event of a crash, a seat occupant may not be properly restrained thus increasing the risk of personal injury. Jaguar’s dealers will inspect the rear safety belt assembly and make the necessary repairs. Concerned owners may contact jaguar at 1-800-452-4827

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Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the XK nameplate that was introduced in 1948 with the iconic XK120 sports car, Jaguar has launched a special series of the current XK model for the UK market. Aptly named XK60, the special edition series is available with Jag’s naturally aspirated 298 PS 4.2-litre V8 engine, in both coupé and convertible forms. The XK60’s features include bespoke 20-inch Senta alloy wheels, a sporty alloy gear knob and selector-gate surround, a new front spoiler and rear valance panel, chrome-finished side vents and bright upper and lower front grille meshes, special tailpipe finishers and appliqués on both sides of the car. Prices are set at £60,995 for the XK60 Coupe and £66,995 for the Convertible

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 The much hyped Jaguar XF-R made its first official appearance at this past weekend’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK. Due to be unveiled in early 2009, the XF-R is Jaguar’s answer to the BMW M5, Audi RS6 and Mercedes-Benz E63 AMG models. Though official information is scarce for now, the XF-R is said to be equipped with a new direct injection, supercharged 5.0-litre V8 delivering a tad over 500Hp which should be good enough to offer a 0 to 100 km/h (62mph) sprint time of well under 5.0 seconds.

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Now that Jaguar and Land Rover are no longer part of the Ford family, they can’t rely on the engineers in Dearborn to provide them with technology they need to reduce fuel consumption and emissions. The new owners from Tata also don’t have that expertise in house. With CO₂ emissions limits coming to Europe, Jaguar and Land Rover are in the process of hiring 600 people, many of whom will be engineers with the knowledge required to develop hybrid and electric drive systems as well as other new powertrain technology. The Land Rover LR2/Freelander will get a start-stop system this fall and a production version of the LRX concept is expected to debut in the next couple of years. Jaguar so far hasn’t implemented any of these types of systems in its cars, although European models do offer diesel engines.

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Jaguar and Land Rover are looking to offer hybrid vehicles for sale within the next five years. It seems reasonable to conclude that they will parlay the experience gained from the government-sponsored testing that they recently were awarded into real production systems. According to reports, Jaguar is considering using a system similar to the one that Mercedes-Benz is working on for its flagship S-Class hybrid. The S-Class is expected to pair a 3.5 liter V6 engine to the ZF transmission, while Jaguar is said to be considering both a 3.0 liter diesel engine and a 5.0 liter gasoline direct injected V8.

Land Rover, on the other hand, seems ready to create its own home-grown hybrid system using something it calls the “Electric Rear Axle Drive.” One thing that seems certain is that Tata Motors has plans to keep its two new luxury marques on the top of the technology curve, which could mean good things for the two ailing brands.

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Last month, we got a sneak peak at Arden’s interpretation of the Jaguar XF, with its aggressive front fascia, LED running lights and rear brake cooling ducts integrated into the side skirts. Now, we’ve got the official details on the AJ 21 and as is almost always the case, the mods are hardly skin-deep.

The top of the line, supercharged V8 engine has been stroked out from 4.2- to 4.5-liters, with output cresting the 500 hp mark. To make better use of those additional ponies, Arden developed a sports suspension to keeps things planted at speed, while 21-inch “Sportline” wheels are up to the task of combining a bit of style with a dose of functionality. Arden is developing packages for the entire range of XFs, but if we had to choose one, this is it.

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