The Scottish Car of the Year is an event we non-Scot journos consider with equal fear and envy.

It sounds a riotously good night out, with the great and the good of the PR world making the annual pilgrimage to wonderful Scotland: it’s brilliantly supported and always generates loads of coverage.

Which, this year, has generated an image of the day for me. Checking the news today, I was greeted with the above treat. What does it say? Why, that Jaguar has triumphed in the SCOTY. I needed the associated press release to add only detail. Cool, aye?

Those details are that Jaguar actually triumphed three times last night, with the XF diesel, XKR-S and a special award for the E-Type. Land Rover added two more for the JLR haul – including overall Scottish Car of the Year for the Range Rover Evoque – meaning even more reason for the chaps from the Midlands to indulge in the other aspect of the SCOTY awards.

Yes, that’s the part we non-Scots fear as well as envy: the famous Scottish hospitality. Legend has it, bedtime is late, if it happens at all, while the heads of most attendees the next day are usually described in words not printable here. It’s one of those nights, in other words…

No, I wouldn’t have been saying it last night but maybe, right now, checking the results of the SCOTY from afar is the best place to be…

+ How the Jaguar XKR-S was born

+ Jaguar XKR-S: tunnel run YouTube star

+ Frankfurt IAA 2011: aftermath

Porsche is not phasing out the 997 just yet. Nor is it admitting the 991 is actually on the way. 

That’s despite prototype tests of the 911, in which many state it will be one of the stars of Frankfurt. Porsche hasn’t yet revealed what its Frankfurt plans will be, and made scant reference to the car so many have already driven.

It won’t be until the end of August that we’ll officially know Porsche’s Frankfurt star will be the 991 911.

Surely, though, customers have long known it is imminent? And surely they’re stopping buying 911s as a result? Apparently not: in June, Porsche delivered 1% more 911 than it did the year before. Sales in the first half of 2011 have topped the 10k mark. It easily outsells other sports-line Porsches: the Boxster sold 3800, the Cayman, just 2300.

That’s why, in the UK, all current 997 variants remain available to buy. “They’re built to order so if one comes in, we can accommodate”, revealed a spokesman. ”There is still a waiting list for a Porsche 911.”

Tellingly, though, the cars most people are waiting for over here are the special editions. If anything will make you buy a runout 911, it’s the combination of limited-edition appeal, bespoke styling and a whole host of value-added kit. Both Black editions and GTS 911 variants are keeping dealer handover areas busy.

Indeed, the four-wheel drive GTS has only just gone on sale. Yes, despite there ‘possibly’ being a new model on the horizon, Porsche is still rolling out the new model introductions.

As for which models go first, four-wheel drive and turbo versions are likely to last longer than the rear-drive variants. The 991 test mule is rear-drive and, in a reverse of Porsche 964 sequencing, it will come ahead of later four-wheel drive versions.

Multi-model Porsche dealers

Nowadays, dealers have plenty more besides to keep them busy. Although the 911 remains the best-selling Porsche in the UK – as it is for several other markets – ‘new age’ Porsche Cayenne and Panamera models are winning increasing sales too.

But in what split? For the Panamera, one third of sales are six-cylinder cars – the 300hp 3.6-litre V6 in either rear-drive or four-wheel drive guise.

That’s set to change massively, with the introduction of the Panamera Diesel. In a flash, a full 50% of the UK Panamera split will consist of Diesel models, despite it being offered in just one rear-drive form.

Some of those sales will be displaced petrol V6 sales, but not all of them. Could the Panamera Diesel thus soon lead to V6 sales taking two thirds of UK volume?

It won’t be the same everywhere. Europe is a key market for the Diesel, and other countries will take 40% of sales – but, overall, it will comprise just 10% of Panamera volume. That’s the influence of the US, Japan and China for you, none of which get diesel. They like V8s and hybrids, and will take those Panameras in droves.

Porsche is changing, fast. The 911 will long continue, and will also remain Porsche’s pinnacle. But it’s no longer the most important car for the business heads. The 911 made Porsche’s reputation but it’s the Cayenne and Panamera that today make its money.

Oh, and here’s a fact you may not know about the Panamera either. The biggest, mightiest, visually-massive four-door Porsche is actually lighter than the all-aluminium Jaguar XJ. Despite only the axles, doors, bonnet, wings and rear lid actually being made from aluminium…

+ Porsche misses obvious weight-saving tweak

+ Porsche makes cranky Cayenne cool

+ BMW April Fool brilliance (again)

The Jaguar XKR-S started life in a way that will be familiar to designers the world over – using a storyboard process.

But although this process sounds suspiciously soft and fluffy for the logical and numbers-led world of engineers, it is apparently one that’s ideal for creating bespoke projects such as the Jaguar XKR-S.

Chief programme engineer Russ Varney explained on the car’s launch that Jaguar already has a set of defined standards it knows will, if followed, create an authentic Jaguar. However, in developing a model’s character and nature, a further set of targets is needed – created here through a process of storyboarding.

‘We begin with words, describing what the car should be. We can, for example, stick ‘steering should be more responsive’ on the board. We’ll also include references to a rival, or references to one of our own cars, which exhibits traits we’d also like on the car.

‘These words and references are then discussed and, in time, agreed. This is what gives us the core of the car, which we then translate into objective measurements that we can engineer, execute and verify. It’s how the character of the car is created.’

This, says Varney, was key to the XKR-S being a cohesive and convincing extension of the Jaguar XK range. Contrasting with the previous attempt at creating an XKR-S, back in 2008, shows how effective this process is. That car was less impressive, feeling more like a regular XKR with a higher top speed. The new one, in contrast, is a sub-brand in its own right.

Expect it to develop too, now Jaguar has launched the first genuine R-S model. Take BMW: it didn’t immediately begin with an M5: initially it was the 535i M, before the M5 arrived in 1985. Jaguar wants to establish and develop R-S now it’s discovered what it thinks the core of the sub-brand should be.

Not that the engineer’s hands are kept completely clean. ‘Once we arrive at a certain point, we have a loop in the cycle were we go out and drive. This is the only way to check it all matches and harmonises. This gives you the final 10%, which turns a good car into a great one.

With the foundations laid, Jaguar now has a platform to further hone the R-S line, bringing a profitable additional model series to the range at very little relative expense.

I used to storyboard in CDT at school, cutting up pages of the Argos catalogue to create my new award winning design. Maybe now it’s time I did the same with pages of Autocar.

+ Jaguar XKR-S: tunnel run YouTube star

+ 2012 Jaguar XF engineering: did you know?

+ June 2011: What is Land Rover doing at the moment?

Lotus is the car company that wants to be associated with everyone at the moment. 

Or should it be Lotus is the car company everyone wants to be associated with?

Either way, it’s great PR for the long-fledgling Norfolk brand, which suddenly has worldwide exposure it could never have imagined a year ago. If Lotus is eager for a bigger share of the limelight, it’s certainly getting its wish.

But given how every day seems to bring some sort of new Lotus linkup, it’s perhaps time for a recap: just what are the car firms whose name Lotus sits alongside today?

Well, here’s a list. Some are stronger than others, but all are focused on one thing – maximising the value of that world-famous Lotus roundel.

Colin Chapman would, I’m sure, be chuffed to bits.

Lotus

Lotus road cars is the focus of huge investment, activity and interest. Parent company Group Lotus wants to become a supercar rival to Ferrari and Porsche: after the clumsy way it launched these intentions at the Paris Motor Show 2010, it is now slowly winning acknowledgement that the plans could have merit – and COULD actually work.

Lotus-Renault

Renault, faced with falling market share, has pulled back on its F1 exposure in recent years. After selling a stake in the team to Genii Capital, Renault sold its remaining 25% stake to Group Lotus. The F1 cars are thus called ‘Lotus Renaults’.

Lotus-Caterham

Entrepreneur Tony Fernandes purchased the rights to use the ‘Lotus Racing’ name in 2009, successfully running the team in F1 last year. The team was renamed ‘Team Lotus’ for 2011. Group Lotus brought a court case against Fernandes this year, which culminated in the ruling that Fernandes can continue using the Team Lotus name. In the meantime, Fernandes also bought Caterham Cars. Team Lotus is now thus carrying ‘Caterham’ branding, just as the Renaults carry ‘Lotus’ branding.

Lotus-Proton

Proton owns Lotus, and has used its British sports car division’s name on several models in the past. ‘Engineered by Lotus’ has graced the back of models such as the Proton Satria GTI, after it commissioned Lotus Engineering to re-engineer the cooking budget hatchbacks.

Lotus-Youngman

Youngman, a Chinese bus manufacturer, entered passenger car production with a new brand, Europestar. These were rebadged Protons, which Lotus Engineering developed into Chinese-market models with a series of revisions. Youngman, drawn to the allure of the Lotus brand, has been increasingly associating itself with (and marketing itself as) Lotus, despite the link being with Lotus Engineering, not Group Lotus.

Lotus-Saab

Youngman-Lotus, in alliance with car distributor Pang Da, has secured a €245m equity stake in Saab and signed Memorandums of Understanding for further alliances subject to approval by authorities. Chinese interests in Saab are thus likely to grow, as further investments are made in the Swedish brand.

The Lotus name has links with yet more makers too: these are a bit more tech-specific but are still a rare public showcase of Lotus Engineering links with another manufacturer. Here’s a few examples:

Lotus-Tesla

The most well known recent Lotus collaboration: Lotus provides around 40% of the overall content of a Tesla Roadster, the world’s first electric sportscar. It doesn’t wear Lotus badges but even casual observers know the link.

Lotus-LTI

Lotus Engineering was part of a collaboration that’s developed a hydrogen fuel cell taxi, led by cash from the government Technology Strategy Board. Lotus designed the full propulsion system, including the fuel cell engine.

Lotus-Jaguar

The two worked together on the Limo-Green project that created a Jaguar XJ EREV. Lotus provided its 1.2-litre range-extender engine, created with funding from the TSB. This has three cylinders, 47hp, simple construction and weighs 56kg. It’s been designed specifically to drive an alternator, to generate electricity – and is thus better than the Chevrolet Volt’s car-derived 1.4-litre range-extender motor.

Quite a list. And these are just the public ones. Group Lotus’ consultancy division, Lotus Engineering works with many other car manufacturers besides, on below-the-line solutions to specific needs, most obviously in vehicle dynamics.

Lotus Engineering, for instance, is said to have worked on the latest Nissan GT-R, and also has long associations with GM/Vauxhall (the excellent Vauxhall Corsa VXR was Lotus Engineering-developed, and thus way better than the Vauxhall Corsa SRi it was derived from).

Frankly, Lotus is everywhere. It always has been – but the fact it’s so omnipresent hasn’t always been advertised so well. Finally, both the allure of and expertise behind the name are gaining recognition, which means lots are now keen for some of the Lotus limelight.

Not all these collaborations are perfect, but all of them DO have some genuine Lotus link in some way. Question is, which are the lasting Lotus links and which are the Lotus liabilities?

UPDATE

Lotus-Top Gear

Group Lotus Motorsport designed the original Top Gear test track, which stars in reasonably priced cars have competed with The Stig upon for years. Now, the link is being reinforced: Lotus is designing the new Top Gear Live test tracks. Well, the links don’t have to be literal car ones…

+ The Lotus position: confusing

+ Renault Energy dCi 130: F1 on the road

+ Pirelli tyres: a key into F1

Jaguar launched the XKR-S at Portugal’s Portimao circuit – whose infield was accessed via a long, tall and deliciously tempting tunnel.

We needed infield access as we were driving the XKR-S there. As Jaguar’s test rota included both track and road action, we were in and out of said tunnel a lot.

Which, in the XKR-S, meant only one thing. Giving it full beans through the tunnel, and indulging in Jaguar’s wonderfully naughty exhaust on the XKR-S.

Loud and lush even in normal mode, the Active Exhaust valves open even more rudely in Dynamic mode. What else to do, then, than to charge through the tunnel in Dynamic mode, windows down, in sheer indulgence.

Cue the Jaguar XKR-S’ tunnel run debut, then. And one exceedingly brassed-off Portuguese security guard, whose office (and afternoon slumber) was constantly disturbed by the bellowing echo of Jaguar’s cracking 5.0-litre supercharged V8.

Poor guy. We were in one of the first groups. The schedule runs for another three and a half weeks. Best get used to it, I reckon.

Besides, you’re a motor racing circuit security guard. How can you not fall in love with the noise made by the mighty Jaguar XKR-S?

+ 2012 Jaguar XF engineering: did you know?
+ 2012 Jaguar XF styling: did you know?
+ MG insight ensures insurance advantage

Jaguar did not just reveal the science behind the styling of the 2012 XF when I visited Whitley a few weeks back: it also provided a tech briefing, too.

It’s this that the Jaguar engineer who took me out on the test run was so proud of. Styling is great, but to engineers, it’s below the surface where you see the real nitty-gritty.

Needless to say, they’ve been as busy as their colleagues wearing the designer jeans and Paul Smith tops. With a tweak of the engineering-spec shirt and tie, XF project engineering manager Paul Alcock took us through what makes the 2012 XF one of HIS most significant facelifts, too.

V6D benchmark for 2.2D

‘From the beginning, we wanted refinement comparable to the V6D. This was the bar that we set at the befitting of the project.’

ZF adds ability

With so many ratios from the 8-speed ZF gearbox, the new XF could potentially be perpetually shifting gear (7th and 8th are both overdrives). Good job there’s a multiple downshift facility, allowing it to switch from 8th to 2nd if necessary. ‘Shifts are faster, there’s a larger ratio spread and the torque convertor locks up at a lower speed.’

Automatic efficiency

The torque convertor disengages when stationary, to improve efficiency. This allows the stop-start function to operate in D, not N.

Intelligent stop-start

More than 50 parameters are checked by the stop-start – feeds are taken from the cooling system, climate control, brake pedal pressure and so forth. There are no ‘chimes’, just an ‘ECO’ light in the rev counter – ‘to reassure drivers they haven’t stalled’.

AJ-I4D engine

The engine is also used in the Range Rover Evoque, but here, it’s rotated 90deg to a north-south layout – ‘giving challenges in itself’. It’s not the same as in the Range Rover, though: details stretch to a new (shallower) sump, which provides the necessary ground clearance for a Jaguar. ‘It’s made from a new material to reduce radiated noise.’

Reduced cabin noise

A twin-layer bulkhead reduces interior noise levels by up to 3dB. CFD has been used to optimise exterior components – ‘best in class wind noise’ comes from developments to the door mirrors that channel airflow away from the side glass.

dB drops

Jaguar has a ‘target form noise’ test, which is what the driver’s outer ear picks up at 160km/h: in this, the Jaguar S-Type produced 31.0dB. The 2010 Jaguar XF was rated at 29.2dB, the 2011 model at 29.0dB – and the 2012 Jaguar XF? 27.6dB: a huge decrease on the logarithmic decibel scale.

Underfloor enhancements

Attention to detail beneath the 2012 Jaguar XF has seen castellated underfloor spoilers introduced, to stop airflow being ‘snagged’ by mechanical obstructions.

XFR budgeted for

Alcock was the man responsible for signing off the separate budget for XFR chassis development. He allowed the engineers to toil around the Jaguar test track at Gaydon in the search for the nuances that, he hopes, will make it a class-leader. Good man.

Adaptive dynamics

Adaptive damper availability has been stretched down the range: it was just offered on the XF 3.0D S… now, it can be had on 3.0D and 2.2D models. This pleases Alcock – more revenue for the firm.

Suppliers help add equipment

Jaguar worked with its supplier base to introduce new technologies: auto high beam assist, adaptive lighting, auto hazard lights under heavy braking, and adaptive cruise control with emergency braking.

Infotainment upgrade

The 7-inch touchscreen now has more shortcuts and more technical integration – iPhone has been introduced, for example. Jaguar has also tidied up the screen graphics and made it much easier to use: it’s a big customer touchpoint so greater usability here is always desirable.

Bonnet vents not all hot air

In the XFR, the bonnet louvres have grown. They ARE functional, too, releasing heat from the exhaust headers. ‘One of my favourite views is sitting at lights on a hot day and watching the heat haze shimmer waft out of them,’ said Jaguar design chief Wayne Burgess. I’m with you there…

+ Jaguar XF 2012 styling: did you know?

+ Land Rover’s ride quality secret

+ What is Infiniti?

Jaguar ran yet another superb press event for the 2012 Jaguar XF, at its Whitley engineering centre.

The firm really is masters of these events: it knows exactly what journos want, and lays it on with militaristic efficiency*.

Take the 2012 Jaguar XF’s styling. Who better to outline the changes than the man in charge?

Enter Jaguar chief design director Wayne Burgess, who explained all about what they call the ‘best refresh Jaguar has ever done’.

‘Refreshening projects provide a good opportunity for the design team. They’ve had time to see the car on the road, look at in detail, and see where they can improve. It also allows them to deliver things they didn’t get in before.’

To show all, he took us on a tour round the car…

DRL a la C-XF

The new Jaguar signature daytime running graphic, and the lights themselves, mimic the C-XF. They weren’t done at launch because ‘the technology wasn’t ready back then’.

Floating headlight elements

High-gloss black elements inside the headlights make the chrome elements look like they’re ‘floating’.

Light catching feature line

In the new front bumper, near the bottom side corner, there’s a light-catching feature line. This is to lead the eye along the side of the body: ‘In Jaguar design, every line is meant to lead your else to somewhere else. This is how you make cars elegant and smooth.’

Aero flick on bonnet

The imperceptible flick on the trailing edge of the bonnet diverts airflow away from the windscreen wipers – responding to customer comments by lessening wind noise.

Chrome minimalism

‘There is not a lot of chrome on the car, but where we do use it, it has to be exquisite – like cufflinks on a tailored suit.’

Reduced bootlid bar weight

‘We felt the chrome on the rear signature bar was too heavy, so we’ve slimmed it for 2012. We couldn’t minimise the actual unit, though: it contains lights, reversing camera, emergency lock and electric release.’ Jaguar has thus incorporated a high-gloss black element, to visually slim it down.

New tail pipes

Ellipse instead of trapezoidal exhausts simplify the rear end, and also make it easier to build. ‘The old tail pipes made any misalignment easy to see. With ellipses, it’s easier to hide.’

New seats

‘Customers complained the previous seats were too flat. We’ve thus given them more side bolstering.’

Silver dash buttons become black

‘The old silver ‘hid-till-lit-graphic’ buttons looked great but were hard to use. On a sunny day, they would wash out. We’ve thus fitted black buttons with white graphics to the centre console – with a soft-feel finish to ensure they still have a premium feel.’ New ‘hard key’ sat nav buttons take users straight to the nav screen and other key destinations.

New instrument pack

Jaguar has replaced the monochrome screen between the dials with a full-colour TFT display. ‘This was too late to market and too expensive at launch – now we can do it.’

Bolder XFR

‘The original design team had no idea of how potent the XFR would be. We designed a styling pack that we thought would be appropriate – but at launch, it became clear this was a real wolf in sheep’s clothing. We’ve thus now made it a wolf in wolf’s clothing…’

XFR rear spoiler

Why does the XFR have a rear bootlid spoiler? To balance the aero. ‘The XF is naturally well-balanced aerodynamically. A bigger front bumper adds to the front – to balance this, we’ve had to increase the size of the rear spoiler.’

Real carbon fibre

‘The carbon fibre inside is authentic, as with all Jaguars. We don’t do mock carbon fibre…’

+ Jaguar adds colour to Yamazumi your life

+ Where have all the new cars gone?

+ Land Rover’s ride quality secret

* So, what DOES make a great press event? Bags of detail, engaging presentations from the actual people who engineered the cars, ample time and no marketing nonsense. Jaguar (and Land Rover) NEVER lets fluff enter into these events, simply giving us the facts in as much detail as possible. No daft tours of vineyards or coach rides to the middle of nowhere, either – just pure businesslike and professional efficiency. Top stuff.

Jaguar Castle Bromwich is awash with pretty-coloured bar charts that, on a recent visit, caught the colour-craving part of my brain.

Being constantly awed by production engineers whenever I meet them, I asked JLR’s lean manufacturing guru Ken Close what they were.

‘Yamazumi boards’, he explained.

They derive from the Toyota Production System. Essentially, they’re a vertical column describing a manufacturing process, subdivided up into its constituent parts.

It’s then colour-coded: bits that have to be done but don’t add value are orange, blockages and delays are red, and value-added sections are green. They are simple, visual means of immediately showing where delays are coming from.

(The image is blank in this post, for courtesy’s sake).

Jaguar uses them because they can be displayed around the factory for workers to immediately see what’s working well and what isn’t. Following the Pareto Principal, they can then focus on the 20 percent of problem areas that are causing 80 percent of the gripes.

Yamazumi, which means ‘to stack up’, has helped Jaguar ‘Kaizen’ production, said Close. Suitably enthused, I came away determined to research more. And, what did I find?

Keen advice on Yamazumi-ing your life! Today, therefore, I begin doing just that. More in a few weeks…

+ Where have all the new cars gone?

+ Land Rover’s ride quality secret

+ The Maestro of the instruments

LAND Rovers all have a characteristic to their ride quality that has to be imparted on all its vehicles, chassis man Murray Dietsch told me.

The secret, he says, is to keep the car level. Not side to side, particularly, but fore-to-aft.

This is pitch. ‘Land Rovers shouldn’t pitch too much – we have a pre-determined rate, that we can get to quite quickly during CAE suspension layouts.’ The trick is to carry this through to real-life machines.

Not easy when you’re dealing with 2.7-tonnes of heavy off-roader, he adds. That’s where the vehicles’ air suspension comes in so handy; now masterminded, he adds, by a tech set-up based on Jaguar’s innovative CATS system.

In practice, this means all Land Rovers have a signature body motion over flowing, undulating roads. The front and rear ends rise and fall at similar rates, to give an almost undetected but exceedingly pleasant sense of satisfaction.

This is something felt all the time – whenever the car is moving, the suspension is working and the pitch rates are being manipulated. But it’s on serious undulations that you can best see it.

Try analysing it, next time you’re out in your car. And, to see what I’m talking about, check out (and feel the Disco lush of) the first half of this video:

Ride on time

Rover rides with NASA

Vauxhall gives new Astra suspension a twist

AIRCRAFT can either show relaxed stability or positive stability.

Relaxed stability aircraft are unflyable without computer assistance – fly-by-wire. It’s impossible for a human to compensate for their sheer twitchiness. But this is what makes them so maneuverable and agile.

Positive stability airplanes, in contrast, are beauts. They’ll fly on their own, and the pilot can exhibit complete authority even if steering by their feet while watching Corrie. But, as a consequence, they are less agile, more lazy.

I felt this yesterday, when I went up in an Extra 300L. I also saw the former graphically demonstrated later, when the aerobatic jets did things so impossible, even fellow pilots couldn’t work out how it was done.

This is what F1 cars are like. They have high levels of relaxed stability: they are inherently unstable. Only drivers with the skill level of Hamilton and Schumacher can hope to control them, particularly when things get spicy.

They’re undrivable to the rest of us. In contrast to our road-going Vauxhalls, with which we can drive with our knees while sneezing and looking for a Nutri-Grain bar on the M1 at 85mph. But, get a Vectra on a track, and it’s not really as agile as an F1 car. Even if it had the power to match, it would be way slower.

I wonder, therefore, could ESP become the driver’s friend?

Instead of seeing it as a cop-out for softies (Real Men Hit The ESP-Off Button™), maybe it could help narrow the gap to road-going racers? Design a chassis that is so sharp and agile, it’s got the maneuverability of a Eurofighter – but standardise the electronic aids to make it actually drivable, too. Result? One searingly tenacious bit of kit.

Relying on the ESP would not be a pansy’s cheat, in the same way that you don’t find Eurofighter pilots turning the balancing regulator off.

And you don’t call RAF pilots girls, do you?

It’s a theory I’ll be pitching to a few chassis engineers in the coming months, to get their thoughts… which I’ll share with you – and hope you’ll share your ideas on it with me!

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