Notch has scored another high-profile cover girl with actress Priyanka Chopra. Chopra talks about why she hates singing live and her concern for her father’s health, and gives advice to her younger sister Parineeti Chopra. The magazine can be found via www.notchmag.com, or through its presences on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
   We’re absolutely loving One Luv’s latest jewellery collection, Through the Eyes of Yves Saint Laurent, comprising miniature glasses. They are a tribute to the late designer’s trade-mark eyewear, and actually open and close like real specs. The designs are available in 18 ct gold-plated, or can be had with rose gold, silver or black. They retail for A$70, come with a long belcher chain, and measure 45 by 40 mm when open. If you’re a discerning fashionista, or you know of one, then we think these are the cleverest jewellery item for discerning fashionistas that we’ve seen in ages. There’s more at www.oneluv.com.au.
   In travel news, the Cranleigh Boutique has launched a distinctive boutique house in Bowness-on-Windermere in the Lake District, with appointments and gadgets galore. The décor is not what most of our non-UK readers might associate with Britishness—it’s more over the top of what you’d typically find in our pages.
   However, the three-storey house, called the Hideout, impresses on the toys and amenities. It features a cocktail bar, a super-sized air spa bath for two with underwater lighting, a 65-inch hidden cinema screen, a three-dimensional smart TV with internet and Apple TV access, Sono’s music, and Netflix movies (with 150 DVDs). The first floor has a king-size four-poster bed and luxury bedding, while the third floor has an open-plan cinema lounge, fully equipped kitchen, a 55-inch Sony smart 3D TV with a Blu-Ray DVD player, Bose surround-sound system, mood lighting and balcony.
   Cranleigh Boutique owner Stephen Hargreaves’ aim was to create the best accommodation experience for two people in the UK. It retails at between £400 and £500 per night, with a two-night minimum stay. It can be booked by the night all year except for weekends. Additional services including continental breakfast and daily maid are available, as well as free use of luxury leisure facilities. More can be found at www.thecranleigh.com/property/111/the-hideout.aspx.
   Finally, in the main part of the site, we’ve gone Parisian: Lola Saab looks back at the prêt-à-porter collections for autumn–winter 2013–14, while Stanley Moss checks out two very different boutique hotels. Jack Yan writes about the BMW 3-series Touring launch between Auckland and Paihia, while Sopheak Seng checks out Wellington label Mondegreen’s latest collection. Elyse Glickman headed to the pre-Oscar suites, while Eva Mendes launched a collection for Vogue Eyewear in Los Angeles.

Updated March 28, 2013 at 10.56 a.m. GMT with The Delivery film and other highlights

James Bond star Daniel Craig has helped launch the Range Rover Sport in New York City with a drive through Manhattan, revealing the car to a celebrity audience that included former American football player Michael Strahan, Yasmin Le Bon, Zara Phillips, MBE, and Jade Jagger, at Skylight at Moynihan Station on 8th Avenue.
   The drive is part of a short film called The Delivery, broadcast live by Land Rover at www.newrangeroversport.com.
   The Delivery was directed by Jonathan P. B. Taylor, who most recently worked on A Good Day to Die Hard. It followed the journey of the new Range Rover Sport from Solihull to Manhattan, before it was driven by Craig over Manhattan Bridge to Moynihan Station.
   Craig drove the earlier Range Rover Sport in his second Bond film, Quantum of Solace, but was also attracted to working with the company because of its connection to the charity SAFE, of which he is a patron. Among other things, SAFE uses mobile street theatre and community programmes to help effect social change in third-world countries.
   Jaguar Land Rover says it chose New York for the launch as it sells more units in the US than in any other global market. New York is the car’s best selling city.
   The new Sport is no longer based on a Discovery, but has a new platform based around the company’s aluminium architecture, lightweight suspension design and chassis technologies. It was developed alongside the latest Range Rover but JLR claims that 75 per cent of the Sport’s parts are unique to it.
   It can be specified with occasional seating for sixth and seventh passengers, again appealing to the US market. The power seats can be folded to leave a flat floor.
   The new V6 diesel is 420 kg lighter than the outgoing model, while carbon dioxide emissions have been reduced to 194 g/km.
   The exterior design is more muscular and purposeful than the Range Rover presented last year, and some might say it is better balanced. It is positioned between the Range Rover and the smaller Evoque.
   It is 62 mm longer than the outgoing Sport, but the wheelbase has been increased by 178 mm—the overhangs have been shortened to give it more muscular proportions compared to the previous model. At 4,850 mm, it is shorter than other seven-seater SUVs and E-segment saloons, says the company. The drag co-efficient has dropped to 0,34.
   Connectivity includes Stolen Vehicle Tracking and a high-bandwidth wifi hotspot can be installed. An optional head-up display is available. Other features include lane departure warning, automatic high-beam assist, and a Wade Sensing feature that provides information on depth when driving through water.
   Land Rover said it had set out to create the most capable Range Rover ever, one which would be agile on-road, but unbeaten by its rivals off-road.
   In a release, Land Rover Global Brand Director John Edwards noted, ‘We’ve taken ride, handling and agility to another level for Land Rover to deliver a truly rewarding, sporting drive, together with unmatched luxury, capability and versatility.
   ‘Building on the success of the recently launched flagship Range Rover, the new Range Rover Sport also employs a vast array of new technologies which help to transform its performance, refinement and all round capabilities.’
   Again recognizing its clientèle, the wheel sizes range from 19 through to 21 inches.
   Suspension is fully independent, with double wishbones at front and multi-link at the rear. Wheel travel is 260 mm at the front and 272 mm at the rear; ground clearance has been increased to 278 mm. Land Rover’s Terrain Response 2 system selects the most suitable terrain program.
   A hybrid diesel with 169 g/km carbon dioxide emissions will follow, but at launch, the Sport has a supercharged five-litre V8 developing 510 PS, and a three-litre diesel developing 292 PS. Three- and 4·4-litre diesels will be added in 2014.

Above, from top Michael Strahan. Yasmin Le Bon. Daniel Craig and SAFE’s Nick Reding. Jade Jagger. Zara Phillips, MBE. Sienna Guillory and Jamie Chung. Thierry Henry. Below More shots of the new Range Rover Sport.

Actress Sonam Kapoor is the cover girl for the fifth issue of Notch, a free lifestyle and entertainment magazine that can be downloaded via Kindle, Ipad, Android and its own website at www.notchmag.com.
   Kapoor was reportedly happy to be a cover girl for a digital publication: ‘The world has shrunk because of the internet and social media. Everything goes viral these days,’ she said in a release from Notch.
   On her industry: ‘I think the boundaries of international or national cinema doesn’t exist anymore. Everybody is working everywhere—technicians come from abroad, technicians go overseas from India. It is the age of world cinema now and if there’s an opportunity with a good script and good role, I don’t mind doing any role in any language.’
   She is right about those boundaries disappearing: Kapoor was in New Zealand for the Abbas–Mustan brothers’ Players, which we reported on during its first day of filming, and at Cannes for the Film Festival in 2011.
   Joining her in the fifth issue are Sridevi, Amitabh Bachchan on working in The Great Gatsby remake, Oscar-nominated filmmaker Deepa Mehta on making Midnight’s Children, Sabyasachi on his collaboration with L Capital, two-time Academy Award winner A. R. Rahman, and Olympian Milkha Singh.

Panos Emporio has announced that one of the contestants in next week’s Top Model Sverige will become its new model for 2013.
   In next week’s episode on Sweden’s TV3, the 10 models will be photographed by Nigel Barker, with one winner being adopted by the swimwear label for a future campaign.
   Filmed at the end of last year, Panos Emporio boss Panos Papadopoulos flew to Los Angeles for the show. It is the sixth season of the Swedish licensed version of the programme.
   Staying with Swedish companies: in another nod to corporate social responsibility, Hennes & Mauritz has announced it has developed a water strategy in association with WWF.
   As part of a three-year global partnership, H&M says it will build water into its corporate planning, including ‘being a good neighbour and good steward of shared resources,’ says WWF International’s director-general, Jim Leape.
   WWF had evaluated H&M’s water usage and challenges through 2012 to form the basis of the strategy. In 2013, the company plans to implement it globally, working with public policy-makers, NGOs, water institutions and other companies, to support better management of river basins in China and Bangladesh, it says. It will also support WWF conservation projects in the Yangtze River basin.
   Internally, staff will receive training on the water impact on raw material production and its value chain. It will also improve its water efficiency and minimize its suppliers’ impact on water. The company is targeting all 48 national markets and reaching all 750 direct suppliers, with all its 94,000 employees receiving education on water issues.
   Finally, the Peninsula Hotels has announced a new campaign for all its properties, called Peninsula Moments. The campaign shows what is distinctive about each one of its properties, from stunning architecture, authenticity, design, to insight. Unsurprisingly, the clip from Hong Kong—arguably the most famous Peninsula property—features its fleet of green Rolls-Royces, while Bangkok shows off its nearby temple and Shanghai its aviation lounge.

Above The Peninsula Hong Kong Rolls-Royce fleet and its pool.

Above The Peninsula Shanghai Aviation Lounge. The Peninsula Manila’s lobby. A temple in Bangkok, near the property.

Jaguar revealed its new F-type to guests yesterday at the Musée Rodin in Paris, a day before its originally announced date. The specs of the new F-type, Lucire can reveal today, range from a three-litre V6 developing 340 PS, through a similar unit developing 380 PS, to the five-litre V8 developing 495 PS. Maximum torque for the three engines are 450, 460 and 625 Nm—yet the cars can achieve fuel economy of 31·4, 31·0 and 25·5 mpg (Imperial, combined).
   The three models—F-type, F-type S, and F-type V8 S—feature eight-speed Quickshift transmissions, and achieve 0–100 km/h times of 5·3, 4·9 and 4·3 seconds respectively. Top speeds are 260, 275 and 300 km/h. Kerb weight is at 1,597, 1,614 and 1,665 kg, thanks to the F-type’s use of aluminium, including a new aluminium front subframe.
   The F-type even features all-aluminium double wishbone front and rear suspension. The aluminium architecture provides what Jaguar says is ‘the stiffest possible underpinnings for the suspension, with rigidity gains of more than 30 per cent in key areas compared to any other Jaguar application.’
   The two-seater convertibles wear the F-type moniker, linking them clearly to a racing heritage that began with the C-type and the iconic E-type.
   Rather than field grand tourers as it had since the E-type went out of production in 1975, Jaguar has returned to the sports car market with a vehicle that is more purposeful, sized somewhere between the Porsche Boxster and 911.
   In a press release, Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar said, ‘Jaguar is a founder member of the sports car segment with a rich sporting bloodline stretching over 75 years, and in the F-type we’ve reignited that flame. The F-type isn’t designed to be like anyone else’s sports car. It’s a Jaguar sports car—ultra-precise, powerful, sensual and, most of all, it feels alive.’
   Ian Callum, Jaguar’s Director of Design, said, ‘A piece of design should tell a story and this is why every line in the F-type has a start, a direction and a conclusion. If you approach every line individually and get it as æsthetically correct as possible, get the dimensions right, it will stand the test of time.’
   Ian Hoban, Vehicle Line Director, said: ‘With the F-type, the Jaguar engineering team focused on delivering greater dynamic driving reward than ever before. To make that a reality, every engineer has had very tough targets to hit: every one of those targets has been met and, in many cases, exceeded, making the F-type a car that delivers precisely the key sporting attributes that we intended.’
   The F-type has been inspired by the 2011 C-X16 concept, and appears muscular and sensual. The interior layout, meanwhile, is what Jaguar calls a “one plus one”: it is asymmetric, and focused on the driver. Even the trim materials differ on each side. Controls are grouped by function, inspired by fighter aeroplanes.
   The base F-type is priced at £58,500, the S at £67,500, and the V8 S at £79,950.

Jaguar’s new F-type sports car will make its global début at the Salon de Paris on September 27. The company’s latest video gives further glimpses into the historical new model, with Jaguar showing F-type bodyshells as well as a camouflaged verification prototype.
   The video has been narrated by Ian Hoban, Vehicle Line Director at Jaguar, who says in a release, ‘When you are working on a Jaguar sports car the expectations of the world are huge. We’re really pleased how the attributes have translated from the virtual simulation work we’ve done into the physical world. Now, we’re refining and adding those last few percentage points—that true element of honing which the Jaguar test team are delivering—which will turn a great sports car into an exceptional one.’
   The new model continues the lineage of Jaguar sports cars that left off with the E-type in 1975. While Jaguar has fielded the XJ-S and the XK models, the company considers those more to be grand tourers. The F-type is expected to be a more nimble and purer sports car, sized somewhere between a Porsche Boxster and a Porsche 911.
   A camouflaged prototype was already seen at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in June, while Jaguar itself has released official images of the F-type with similar camouflage.
   Further details are available at Lucire Men, including the F-type’s engines and features.

Dave M. Benett/Getty Images

Nick Knight

As previewed yesterday, Land Rover has débuted the Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham Special Edition tonight just prior to the official opening of Auto China, the Beijing Motor Show.
   Beckham was on hand for the launch in China, at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) in Beijing, China.
   The launch showcased a film and imagery shot by acclaimed photographer Nick Knight.
   The cars are limited to 200, with the first ones reserved for Chinese customers when they go on sale in October. The Special Edition features hand-finished matt paint. The roof, wheelarches and grille details are gloss, along with the 20-inch wheels, which have, like the badges and grille, rose gold details. Inside, there are seats for four, in vintage tan leather with baseball stitching.
   Beckham, who took home a British Fashion Award last year for best designer brand, was appointed creative design executive for Land Rover in July 2010. This is the first collaboration under the arrangement to bear Beckham’s name.
   The Evoque is based on the Land Rover LRX concept car and the Freelander platform, and has been one of the company’s most awarded models since its launch in 2010.

Dave M. Benett/Getty Images




Nick Knight

Latest news, April 22: Victoria Beckham launches special-edition Range Rover Evoque—click here

Tata Motors’ off-road brand, Land Rover, will unveil the Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham Special Edition on Sunday as part of the events tying in to Auto China, the Beijing Motor Show.
   The event will take place at the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) on the eve of the motor show.
   Land Rover has issued the video teaser below.
   Beckham was appointed creative design executive for Land Rover in July 2010, which Lucire covered at the time. This is the first collaboration under the arrangement to bear Beckham’s name and will be sold as a special edition.
   Beckham, who won the Designer Brand of the Year award at the 2011 British Fashion Awards, collaborated with Gerry McGovern and his Land Rover Design team over the last 18 months.