Autoblog

If you thought the new Jaguar XF was a radical departure, hold on to your cap, because if reports coming in are to be believed, the replacement for the flagship XJ sedan could be even more revolutionary for the traditionally staid British luxury marque.

Granted, you can't tell much from these spy shots. They were snapped while a mechanical prototype was undergoing testing in the Arctic Circle, and it's clad in the bodywork of the current model. However, based on Jaguar designer Ian Callum's reported fascination with the svelte form of the Mercedes CLS, insiders suggest the next XJ will be wider and lower and take on the four-door coupe approach. Code-named X351, the next XJ will continue with its all aluminum construction and could be unveiled in the spring of 2011...that is, assuming Jaguar's new owners don't decide to go another way.

[Source: World Car Fans]

The Ford Fiesta name might not raise a lot of excitement in the American market, conjuring up as it does images of pathetically underpowered golf karts that pale next to other Ford products sold here like the Mustang and F-Series trucks. But in Europe, the Fiesta is one of Ford's top-selling cars. England's Car magazine reports that Ford sold over 100,000 Fiestas just in the UK last year, some 30,000 more than its nearest rival. Superminis are big business for Ford of Europe, which intends to keep it that way with the anticipated launch of the replacement for the current car, which has been on the market for five years already.

We can't tell much about the styling from this test mule, caught while undergoing cold-weather testing in Scandinavia, wearing body panels from the current version. But expect it to follow along Ford's latest global "kinetic" design direction, as seen on the new Mondeo and previewed by the Iosis concepts. Also expect a small increase in size thanks to the new B-class platform it will share with the Mazda2, but nothing to mess with the success of the current Fiesta.

[Source: Car]