Jaguar XJ & XF get 4WD

Jaguar has announced that four wheel drive versions of the Jaguar XJ and Jaguar XF will be available – but not in the UK. Jaguar has long bemoaned the lack of a 4WD platform for their cars, and even blamed such a lack of flexibility for the delay in launching the XF Sportbrake. We’ve been expecting Jaguar to reveal a 4WD version of the XJ for a while (especially as the new Range Rover utilises the same platform) but we didn’t expect a 4WD XF until the next generation XF launches in a couple of years.

Audi A3 1.6TDI announced

The Audi A3 1.6TDI - one of a range of A3s featuring the new 1.6 litre diesel from Audi Audi has announced that they are introducing a new 1.6 litre common rail diesel engine across the A3 range, which will oust the old A3 1.9TDIe and the A3 and Cabriolet 1.9 TDI. The new engine offers the same 104bhp as the old 1.9 litre unit, but manages to improve economy by over 8% to 68.9mpg and cuts CO2 to 109g/km. The new A3 gets stop-start and energy regeneration to achieve the same performance and power from the smaller engine.

Who's Where: Dave Rand resigns from Changan Automobile

Dave Rand, the former General Motors Design Chief, has resigned from the Chinese State-owned automaker after joining the company last October. Rand's resignation, which was made official last week, follows that of his senior at Changan, Ken Ma who stepped down as Vice President of Design earlier this year. It is not clear precisely why both men have decided to leave the Chinese carmaker, but several people familiar with the situation have said that both Rand and Ma's departures are connected with Changan Auto's recent financial difficulties.