Sealed Power V-1963 Valve Exhaust Pontiac 350/400 Each on 2040-parts.com

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.

New Infiniti teased. Infiniti M Coupe? Nope

The Infiniti Teaser for two Pebble Beach reveals Infiniti – Nissan’s luxury lot who are struggling to get a foothold in the UK and Europe – like the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance. They launched the new Infiniti M there last year and the event opened with the Infiniti Essence Concept. Which is hardly a huge surprise as the US is Infiniti’s biggest market. It competes on even-ish terms with Lexus across the Pond, whereas it had managed to sell just 60 cars in the UK up until February.

Mercedes SL Night Edition & Mercedes SLK Grand Edition launched

The Mercedes SL Night Edition and SLK Grand Edition But I suppose there is some logic. For all the reasons above people tend not to buy convertibles – even tin-top convertibles – at this time of the year. They’re wrong, mind you, as we pointed out a few weeks ago.