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Feann Torr8 Apr 2015
NEWS

Jaguar V8: evolve or die

British brand faces dilemma as emissions rules threaten viability of famous V8

There's a sonorous 5.0-litre V8 that has been the heart and soul of Jaguar's performance vehicles since 1996, a supercharged version of which currently powers the fastest Jaguars and Range Rovers.

But its days are numbered.

Emissions regulations that have forced companies like Mercedes-Benz and BMW to downsize their engines and adopt twin-turbo setups are about to make themselves felt at Jaguar Land Rover (JLR).

Nick Rogers, JLR's new global engineering chief, said the company is cognisant of the ever tightening emissions regulations and is considering a number of options to try and retain its trademark V8 offering.

But JLR's most senior engineer said the V8 engine will not face the axe yet.

"I won't commit to killing the V8," he told motoring.com.au.

"We're living in an ever more carbon conscious world and the focus on emissions and what happens going forward is a key thing," he cautioned.

"One of the things we'll always focus on is that we deliver drivelines that customers want," reasoned Rogers.

And if customers want the V8, which has been a key part of many of the company's halo vehicles such as the F-TYPE R and Range Rover Sport, the company would continue to offer the V8 – but in a more condensed capacity divulged Rogers.

"In two, three, four years we'll see more change in our cars than we've seen over the last three decades. And maybe some of these larger engines will become niche and potentially very niche.

"That's something we're looking at," he stated.

Quizzed over whether JLR would consider downsizing its V8 Rogers said: "We'll look at all sorts of things. The pedigree of our brand [demands] we'll do something good, don't worry.

Although he was loathe to admit the current V8 was getting long in the tooth, JLR's engineering boss noted that upcoming engines will be "at the cutting edge" of technology.

"We'll do something good with the V8," he promised with a grin.

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