Rod Bearing Checking Tool Kit J-43690-a on 2040-parts.com

Jaguar XFR – the Cat’s out of the bag

The XFR is Jaguar’s answer to the barn-storming saloons from Mercedes, BMW and Audi, and if looks and spec (and the experience of driving the non-blown XF) are anything to go by, the new big Cat should get the cream. The XFR gets the new version of Jaguar’s AJV8 engine, which is a 5.0 litre supercharged lump, producing a whopping 510bhp, with the usual limited top speed of 155mph, and a 0-60 of around 4.5 seconds. The New Jaguar XFR surfaces ahead of Detroit Visually, the XFR gets the ‘Aggressive’ look, with big, chrome-trimmed air inlets at the sides (a Jaguar theme?

Second Fisker Karma fire under investigation

Investigators hired by Fisker Automotive are looking into a Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid sedan that caught fire on Aug. 11 in a suburb outside San Jose, Calif. This is the second instance of a fire involving a Karma in the last three months.

Better Place Electric Car visitor centre opens

Better Place have opened a visitor centre in Israel to demonstrate their battery swap technology for electric cars Last October we wrote about a start-up company in Israel – Better Place – that had a new way forward for electric cars by taking the purchase of battery packs out of the equation, and was developing a system for ‘Battery Swap’ stations where electric car owners could drive in and swap their battery pack for a fully-charged one in a few minutes. That story first brought to our attention our favourite quote of last year – by Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn – who said “A hybrid is like a mermaid: if you want a fish, you get a woman; if you want a woman, you get a fish.” Which probably explained why Nissan – and its partner Renault – got involved with Better Place. Better Place aims to address the main concerns of electric car drivers by making the battery packs in electric cars ‘swappable’.