To paraphrase Don Draper: At last, a beautiful product placement Jaguar can truly own.

And own it they do when it comes to the latest music video for Lana Del Rey's new track "Burning Desire."

"I drive fast / Wind in my hair / I push you to the limits / Cause I just don't care," sings Del Rey. With her on a dark lonely stage and a Jaguar F-type on a sunny lonely highway, the video might be something Don Draper and team would have cooked up themselves.

It's been nearly a year since Jaguar was ambushed with its unflattering product placement on Mad Men, where Jaguar was party to prostitution and a failed suicide attempt. Jag's appearance in Del Rey's "Burning Desire" video is the latest step on the march to the upcoming debut of the branded film, "Desire," which the luxury automaker is commissioning from director Ridley Scott's production company.

Everything old is new again as auto companies from Mercedes to Dodge are embracing the exploding auto-branded content format... again. Continue reading...

When the Los Angeles Auto Show holds its media preview on Wednesday, it'll become more apparent than ever that in the world of cars, as in some other things, California remains vastly disconnected from the rest of America.

That's because the nation's strictest emissions standards and laws mandating electric-vehicle sales put a premium for auto brands on showing the best side of their electrification efforts at the L.A. show. And so while EVs have continued to sell at a snail's pace across most of the rest of the United States, California has become a robust market for electric vehicles.

It's also America's hottest market for sexy cars, of course, which is why Jaguar USA is at the LA Auto Show. The brand hosted a pre-show event Tuesday night to unveil the all-new F-TYPE two-seater. It also unveiled the trailer for Desire, a short film being released next year, which stars Emmy Award-winning actor Damian Lewis, produced by Ridley Scott Associates with music by Lana Del Rey. Check it out below along with other previews at the LA Auto Show.Continue reading...

One of the most exciting (and highly teased) debuts at the Paris Auto Show is the new Jaguar F-TYPE, which Global Brand Director Adrian Hallmark calls the brand's "first sports car in 50 years" and many fans hail as a return to Jag's roots.

While the new arrival was feted at the Musee Rodin this week at an affair graced by the presence of American singing sensation Lana Del Rey and Hollywood director Ridley Scott, the highlight for auto enthusiasts was the unveiling of the F-TYPE to assembled global car media by Hallmark and other Jaguar executives.

Owned and being revived by Tata Motors after the Indian industrial conglomerate bought it from Ford, Jaguar is counting on F-Type to turn heads and keep its strong sales momentum going, reports the Wall Street Journal. In the effort, the all-new two-seater is a front-engined, rear-wheel-drive convertiblewith three powertrain options, including a V8S version that will reach 60 mph in 4.2 seconds and has a top speed of 186mph.Continue reading...

Auto executives from around the world, car journalists, and thousands of other hangers-on are flocking to the French capital for the Paris Auto Show which is kicking off with an end-of-the-week preview of new models and concept vehicles for the media.

One automaker after another is primping itself for the Parisian catwalk — such as the renascent Volvo, which is unveiling new variants of its V40 at the exhibition, and the snazzy new Jaguar F-TYPE, which was feted at the Musee Rodin Thursday night with celebs on hand including American chanteuse Lana Del Rey, above.

But unfortunately, a pall is hanging over the hall and the show's participants: the growing distress of Europe's auto market, which seems to be worsening not only quantitatively but perceptually every week.Continue reading...

H&M released new brand face Lana Del Rey's cover of Blue Velvet, a music video (so creepy you'd think it was directed by David Lynch, but credit goes to Johan Renck) that features pieces from its fall 2012 collection.

Apple's next iPhone will have a bigger screen, sources tell Reuters.

JPMorgan faces FBI probe as shareholders sue the company and CEO Jamie Dimon over $2B loss.

Time Warner Cable and Viacom settle iPad dispute.

Air Pacific returns to Fiji Airways branding.

Ben Silverman's Electus details programming for YouTube's new food-centric Hungry channel.

Chevron benefits from Japan's shift away from nuclear.

Comcast launches Skype in select U.S. markets.Continue reading...