Carmudi Monthly 015 | Page 20

Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover, which is one of Jaguar’s best attempts so far at making a fully electric crossover vehicle, has aimed to conquer the German taxi fleets which was formerly ruled by the Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans. The company has managed to successfully grab another win when it delivered ten of its battery models to the leading taxi operator in Munich, Germany.

What made the deal so interesting is the fact that Mercedes-Benz luxury sedans rule the German taxi industry with around a 60% market share, dominated mostly by the $46,200 E-class sedan. This makes the $82,733 a unit delivery an even bigger win for the British carmaker. Daimler reports that they won’t be releasing their electric EQ C crossover until next year.

Jaguar Land Rover’s CEO Ralf Speth said in one his interviews that “We want to invite people in Munich to drive electric, but also drive Jaguar,” Furthermore, “One of the reasons we wanted to be here was the mixed traffic -- you’ve got the city traffic, on the other you’ve got the autobahn to the airport.”

Munich being BMW’S hometown is making way to expand its fleet by taking measures to reduce air pollution. With the introduction of the Jaguar I-Pace electric crossover, rides will be much cheaper with a 20-cent-per-kilometer subsidy from the municipality.

Toyota Unveils 2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition: Offers Better Handling and Brakes

Image Source: automobilemag.com

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GLOBAL NEWS

While most manufacturers strive to add more and more power to their wheeled machines, Toyota has always been focusing on balance and handling. And, the company expects to take this trend forward with the introduction of the 2019 Toyota 86 TRD Special Edition, with features to improve handling and braking while giving a slight bump to its powertrain.

Toyota already announced that it will feature upgrades from its Gazoo Racing sub-brand to the U.S. under the TRD banner. This could be the reason why some of the features in the TRD Special Edition's parts list is familiar.

Amongst the new performance highlights of this special edition are the new Sachs dampers tuned for steering response and stability, Brembo brakes measuring 12.8 inches in the front and 12.4 inches in the rear, and new 18-inch alloy wheels wrapped in 215/40R-size Michelin Pilot Sport 4 summer tires all around. In addition to this, The 2019 Toyota 86 TRD comes with a a unique body kit, TRD exhaust with stainless steel tips, a smaller-diameter red and black steering wheel with red contrast stitching, red and black sport seats, red seat belts, and the TRD logo embroidered on the passenger-side dashboard.

There will only be a limited number of 1,418 units and it will start from $33,340, including destination, and goes on sale in August.

Jaguar's I-Pace Electric Crossover Taxis Takes Aim at Mercedes Cabs in Germany