Auto Express August 19, 2015

SO JLR will be building the new Defender in Slovakia and, as expected, there’s been a fair bit of ‘the end of the world is nigh’ from some quarters. But for me, it’s more important that Jaguar Land Rover builds a brilliant new Land Rover Defender than where it’s built. And if we’re honest, most buyers won’t know where it’s built and are even less likely to care – much more crucial to them is what the car does and how it does it. Of course, it would be lovely if JLR were to build the car in the UK, but as a British-based firm it has to make the best business decision – even if that means building cars outside of the UK. And it’s a competitive market out…

• First drive of lighter, higher-tech new Jaguar executive model • New Ingenium engines, too, as brand aims to build on success Essentials Jaguar XF 2.0d R-Sport Price: £36,850Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbodieselPower/torque: 178bhp/430NmTransmission: Eight-speed automatic,rear-wheel drive0-62mph: 8.1 secondsTop speed: 136mphEconomy: 65.7mpgCO2: 114g/km ON SALE Now JAGUAR turns 80 this year, but the leaping cat is far from being on life support. In fact, despite its advancing years, 2015 is one of the busiest years ever for the luxury manufacturer – if not the busiest. The year kicked off with the brand’s most important model in a generation – the BMW 3 Series-rivalling XE. There have been updates to the F-Type and XJ, and even the E-Type Lightweight’s been brought back to life. That’s before you mention starting out on fresh…

• Wraps off sleek new two-door • Set for Frankfurt show debut WE’VE seen spy shots and teasers for months, but finally Mercedes has taken the wraps off its new BMW 4 Series-rivalling C-Class Coupé. The sleek two-door is set to debut at next month’s Frankfurt Motor Show and hit dealers towards the end of the year. It’s the third member of the C-Class family, which will be completed by a drop-top next year. And as with the saloon and Estate, the Coupé ditches the old car’s square-edged look in favour of a softer, classier approach. As we expected, the nose remains faithful to the regular C-Class, with the longer bonnet (60mm extended over the old Coupé’s) giving extra presence. But from the steeply raked windscreen back, it’s all change.…

JAGUAR Land Rover has revealed plans to open a new production facility in Slovakia, with the aim of doubling worldwide sales before the end of 2020. Auto Express understands that the next-generation aluminium Land Rover Defender is likely to be the first car built there, with future JLR models pencilled in at a later date. The additional capacity would allow the brand to produce an extra 300,000 cars per year. This will supplement the volume coming out of the UK, while also adding to cars made by JLR’s new Austrian, Brazilian and Chinese facilities. An industry insider said the new factory in Nitra, west Slovakia, will “propel JLR towards one million cars per year”. The move marks the next step in JLR’s strategy to become more competitive globally, and challenge…

THE upcoming Mazda CX-9 flagship has been caught testing ahead of its debut at the Los Angeles Motor Show later this year. It’s currently unclear as to whether the new version of the company’s flagship SUV will reach our shores in the coming months, but while a Mazda spokesperson said it’s “not on our radar at the moment”, we wouldn’t rule it out given the success of models such as the CX-5 and smaller CX-3, and increasing demand for seven-seat SUVs. Although this car is heavily disguised, the Kodo-inspired styling is obvious, with a familiar grille and headlamp design seen most recently on the 2 and 6. The body looks much like the CX-5’s, albeit stretched to accommodate the larger, more practical cabin. The seven-seat CX-9 would rival the Kia…

VALUE KO Final payments of PCP deals are dictated by the Guaranteed Minimum Future Value, but this is difficult to predict, and if prices fall drivers could be forced to hand back financed car INDUSTRY experts are warning buyers of the “explosion” of car finance and potential problems caused by used prices. Personal contract purchases (PCPs) and other similar contracts have accelerated the proportion of new cars bought on finance from 45 per cent in 2006 to 75 per cent, and concern is growing over the market’s future. A recent US report from the National Risk Committee highlighted the dangers of longterm finance deals should interest rates rise or used car prices fall. PCP deals rely on current used car prices to set the amount consumers pay at the end…