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Jaguar hybrid cars due in 2013-14

Jaguar will launch its own hybrid vehicles soon after Land Rover, CAR can confirm. Parent company Jaguar Land Rover is developing battery-assisted hybrid versions for both brands but its strategy puts part-electric Land Rovers first on the launchpad in 2013.Hybrid Jaguars – set to include the XJ and XF, but eventually every model – are therefore likely to be on the market by 2013-2014, using a similar eight-speed ZF hybrid transmission to petrol-electric BMWs.The staggered roll-out of battery Jags and Land Rovers makes sense: heavy 4x4s have come in the firing line from green protestors who label them Chelsea Tractors. Hybrid Land Rovers will trim emissions and – in plug-in hybrid mode – enable even big bulky Range Rovers to drive in zero-emissions mode into central urban areas emitting nothing more unsaintly than an electric whir.So which Jaguars will go hybrid first?It's likely that the largest models such as the XJ will receive the hybrid power packs first; large cars reap the greater benefit and can more easily swallow the additional cost, put at around £10,000 in today's money.JLR's Midlands engineering bases in Whitley and Gaydon now employ 100 engineers in the expanding hybrid powertrain business unit launched 18 months ago.

Autoweek in review: What you might have missed

The Chevrolet Volt went low voltage as the factory prepares to suspend production for five weeks in March. The move is designed to reduce inventory of the hybrid sedan. Autoweek's Mark Vaughn got behind the wheel of the new Fiat 500 Abarth for a test drive.

Alfa Romeo MiTo (Cloverleaf) Quadrifoglio – Frankfurt catchup

The Alfa MiTo Cloverleaf unveiled at Frankfurt The MiTo Cloverleaf gets a hot version of the Fiat 1.4 Multair engine, producing 170bhp and mated to a new six-speed ‘box specially designed to deliver swift gear changes. For some reason Alfa hasn’t released performance figures for the Quadrifoglio, but it should be pretty competitive. Fuel economy is distinctly reasonable at an average 49mpg.