When it comes to automotive personalization, Jaguar is showing that it can play with the best of Britain’s luxury automakers. Case and Point: The new XJ75 Platinum Concept, unveiled at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance this weekend.

Built as both a celebration of Jag’s 75th anniversary, as well as an extreme example of how the luxury British automaker’s new flagship XJ sedan can be customized during the ordering process, the XJ75 Platinum Concept is anything but subtle. Starting as a 470-horsepower Satin Matte Pearlescent White XJ Supecharged, the Platinum Concept treatment adds new side sills, darker chrome trim, and unique 22-inch wheels with contrasting polished aluminum and black accents.

Inside, Pearlescent White air vents, unique veneer dashboard trim, suede and leather accents, and diamond-stitched upholstery give this Jaguar the type of style normally reserved for tuned Bentley and Rolls Royce models. Flip open the glovebox and center console storage bin and you’ll either love or hate the purple trim. The finishing touch, an upscale Bremont Watch Company dash clock, is perhaps our favorite part.

Want one? You’ll have to contact your dealer to see how far Jaguar can go to replicate this particular XJ. But as they say, anything’s possible with the right sized checkbook. For more information, check out Jaguar’s full press release below.

JAGUAR XJ75 PLATINUM CONCEPT COMMEMORATES BRAND’S 75th ANNIVERSARY

Pebble Beach, CA, August 14, 2010 – As part of the year long celebration of Jaguar’s 75th anniversary the Jaguar design team has created the XJ75 Platinum Concept, a one-of-a-kind design project on display at the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elegance Concept Car Lawn this weekend .

The XJ75 Platinum Concept is the company’s first demonstration of the design customisation potential of the striking new XJ luxury salon, emphasising the Jaguar’s dramatic interior and exterior styling themes.

“The new Jaguar XJ Platinum Concept celebrates Jaguar’s 75th Anniversary, and highlights the uniqueness of the XJ, and more broadly, the increasingly personal nature of luxury cars in today’s market,” said Mike O’Driscoll, Managing Director of Jaguar Cars. “The XJ is thoroughly modern, and captures the innovative and daring character that our founder Sir William Lyons built into every Jaguar. And the design team clearly had some fun making their first one-of-a-kind XJ design concept in that spirit.”

Dominated by a striking white and black contrast theme that suggests precious platinum metal, the XJ75 Platinum Concept is a high-performance 470-hp 2011 Jaguar XJL Supercharged equipped with new ground-hugging front, rear and side sills. Painted a lustrous Satin Matte Pearlescent White, exterior chrome elements have been revised to either a dark chrome or gloss black. Bespoke 22-inch wheels are black and use a brushed contrast finish. 
The contrast theme continues with gloss pearlescent white air vents, veneers and diamond stitch suede inserts to the seats and headliner, all set against the backdrop of a full Jet Softgrain leather interior. Suede and leather accents are seen throughout the interior to further material enhancements.

The XJ75 Platinum Concept centre console houses a bespoke clock developed and designed in partnership with the Bremont Watch Company.  An independent British company, Bremont creates beautifully engineered and designed mechanical watches hand assembled in Switzerland.

“From a pure design perspective, the XJ75 Platinum Concept is foremost about emphasising the striking proportion and presence of the new XJ, with a distilled black and white theme, which conjures up the sense of precious platinum,” said Jaguar XJ Chief Designer Giles Taylor. “At the same time, the pure sporting character of XJ is brought to the fore by keeping the car’s clean graphic approach and further lowering its stance.

“On the inside, we played up the XJ’s combination of high-end materials and British flair to really have some fun. The XJ75 Platinum Concept is a design exercise that shows our vision of customization as an inspiration for those enthusiasts who have a taste for strong individuality and visual confidence in their luxury automobiles.”

Performance on the XJ75 Platinum Concept is derived from its 5.0-litre Supercharged direct-injection V8 with 470 horsepower and 424 lb.-ft of torque. Entertainment is provided by a 1,200-watt Bowers & Wilkins surround sound system with 20 speakers powered through 15 channels and state-of-the-art sound processing technology.

With the 2011 Hyundai Equus just weeks from hitting U.S. showrooms, we thought we’d take a closer look at few things the full-size luxury sedan offers that you probably didn’t know. 

“When you’re spending this much for a new car, you don’t want to feel like you’ve been shortchanged on engineering, technology or features.”
- John Krafcik, Hyundai Motor America president and CEO.

1. “Your Time, Your Place” and An iPad for Every Glovebox
As the Equus will stand as Hyundai’s most prestigious (and most expensive) model, the automaker needed to implement a service program to match its prospected clientele. The “Your Time, Your Place” program allows customers to schedule service appointments as usual, but in a concierge-like move, Hyundai will pick up and deliver the car. Hyundai will also replace the traditional paper-bound owner’s manual with an iPad app.

2. Keeping It Simple with Two Trims
Unlike its competitors, Hyundai is keeping things simple by offering just two trim levels of its premium sedan. Base Signature trim offers plenty of standard features including driver’s seat massage and smart cruise control that won’t leave buyers wishing they had opted for the higher trim. The Ultimate trim is geared toward those who prefer to be driven rather than drive. Rear-seat entertainment, illuminated vanity mirrors, a refrigerated center console, and reclining rear seats differentiate the high-end model.

3. Seating Worthy of a Salon
In a first for its class, a massaging driver’s seat is standard on all models. Massaging rear seats are come packaged with the Ultimate trim. Heated seats come standard in all positions, front-seat ventilation is standard with the Signature model and rear-seat ventilation is standard on the higher trim. Power-reclining rear seats come standard on all models, ensuring back-seat occupants’ utmost comfort.

4. A Sound System a True Audiophile Can Appreciate
The Equus features one of the most advanced sound systems as standard equipment in the segment. The Lexicon 7.1 Discrete premium sound system pumps out 608 watts through 17 speakers, and is separated into 7.1 channels. The standard number of speakers included in the Equus is more than any other vehicle in its segment.

5. Gadgets Galore
Hyundai’s approach to the premium standard is to offer nearly every available gadget as standard. Safety features include a lane departure warning system, smart cruise control, and a collision warning system — all standard on the Equus. Convenience features such as parking sensors and a rear backup camera are also included in the base price. Even more niceties, including a heated steering wheel, power rear window shades, and a suede headliner are also standard.

Hyundai made waves in the affordable luxury market with the Genesis sedan, but it’s entering new territory with the Equus. Do you think the Equus has a fighting chance against the heavy hitters such as the Audi A8, BMW 7 Series, or Mercedes S-class? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

Source: Hyundai

Although it is currently in talks with Renault to develop an all-new Smart car, Daimler has seen fit to update the current second-generation Smart Fortwo — although the modifications are subtle, to say the very least.

Externally, the revised Fortwo looks virtually identical to that of the outgoing car, which debuted in 2007. The lower front fascia has been slightly refreshed to accommodate the optional LED daytime running lamps, but little else changes. A new matte green exterior color is now available, and the front fascia, side skirts, and rear fascia can now be painted body color in lieu of the standard charcoal finish. Additionally, the front grille surround and side mirrors will be painted white if a buyer opts for a similar finish for the so-called Tridion safety cell — virtually the only non-polymer portion of the Smart’s exterior.

Inside, the Fortwo is treated to a revised interior, which incorporates both a new instrument cluster and dashboard. Gauges now feature a dark background, while a pair of auxiliary gauges — a clock and a tachometer — are now standard equipment. The dashboard itself is fully trimmed in cloth, while a locking glovebox door is a new option. Customers can also enhance the mood within the microcar with optional LED interior lighting.

We’re more interested in the new audio systems found in the refreshed Fortwo. The basic stereo unit now includes both a USB and auxiliary audio input, while a new optional multimedia system incorporates a 6.5-inch display, which also incorporates navigation and Bluetooth. The multimedia system can also control an iPod, and can be paired with an optional 320-watt, eight-speaker surround-sound system.

Smart has yet to release details of revised U.S.-spec cars, but Daimler has apparently updated the Fortwo’s European engine lineup. The base 800-cc, I-3 turbo-diesel was reworked earlier this year to crank out 54 horsepower, 96 pound-feet of torque, and achieve 71 mpg on the European combined rating cycle. Euro-spec gas engines have also been retuned to reduce emissions and improve fuel economy. Both the 60- and 70-horsepower 1.0-liter I-3 engines achieve 56 mpg on the Euro combined cycle, while the 83-horsepower engine achieves 48 mpg on the same cycle.

The Brabus Fortwo returns once again, but includes new Monoblock VII aluminum wheels, an updated Brabus sport muffler, and a dressed-up interior. Daimler itself is planning its own special edition model, dubbed the Fortwo Lightshine.  The special model will reportedly pair a number of premium options (including the navigation, LED running lamps) with unique 15-inch aluminum wheels, body-color headlamp surrounds, and special emblems placed on both the side mirrors and floor mats.

Smart USA won’t discuss specifics about its revised 2011 Fortwo, but expect a few of these features (but not the Lightshine model) to carry over when the car goes on sale stateside in the fall of 2010.

Source: Daimler