car, Jaguar C-X75 Hybrid Supercar Headed for Production
It will be real: Jaguar has decided to put the C-X75 supercar, first shown as a concept at last year's Paris auto show, into production. It will be a joint project with Williams F1, and exactly 250 units will be produced. The announcement was made at a press conference in London, and the build run will start in late 2013 and last through late 2015.
Jaguar describes the car as the "fastest and the most efficient supercar on the market." When asked whether this includes the forthcoming Porsche 918, group engineering director Bob Joyce bluntly replied, "Yes." And he added this about the Porsche: "25 kilometers [16 miles] of electric range is good for the [fuel-economy test] cycle, but you are effectively driving with the internal combustion engine all the time." With this car, Jaguar envisions fuel economy of more than 55 mpg—although it didn’t specify if that figure is really mpge—with a pure-electric range of around 30 miles.
Yes, It Should Be Quick
More important for a hypercar, Jag says the car will hit 60 mph in less than three seconds, can achieve 100 mph in less than six, and won’t run into its speed limiter until passing 200 mph. There will be three driver-selectable modes of operation: all-electric, a hybrid mode called Dual, and a full-power Track setting. To refill the batteries, it will have typical regeneration abilities, as well as plug-in recharging capability.
The two-seater’s styling will stay very close to that of the Paris concept, and it will feature all-wheel drive with a small-displacement four-cylinder turbo engine and an "extremely powerful" electric motor at each axle. The power ratio between electric motors and internal-combustion engine is going to be 1:1. This Jaguar won't mark the return of the turbine car, as the micro-turbine technology used for range extension in the show vehicle won’t be ready for production in time. But the company "remains committed to the micro-turbine technology," says brand director Adrian Hallmark. In the long run, Jaguar intends to bring the tech to market in its series-production vehicles, although we’ll believe it when we see them in our office parking lot.
Weight is kept down with a sophisticated carbon-fiber chassis, and ceramic brakes are included. The body likely will have aluminum panels and a carbon-fiber roof.
A Silent Hunter
The C-X75 is clearly aimed at the Porsche 918, but it also will compete with the upcoming, fully electric Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cel and the Audi R8 e-tron. And it will be in a similar price range, between £700,000 and £900,000 according to Jaguar. A U.S. launch is pretty much a sure thing: “We strongly intend to go there," confirms Carl-Peter Forster, the CEO of Jaguar parent Tata Motors. Figure on a seven-figure window sticker when the car arrives here.
If you want one, Jaguar will take your "expression of interest" starting now, and you’ll get a chance to actually commit on September 1, which is also when full specs will be released. The car’s final name is undecided, and C-X75 is just the working name; we were told a "more appropriate" name will be chosen prior to the car’s launch. Further, Jaguar could go racing with this sports car, and while there are no concrete plans, Forster wouldn't rule out derivatives such as a convertible being introduced after the 250 coupes are sold out.
Even if the racing car and spin-offs never see the light of day, this is a huge step for Jaguar. Moving forward, it will be more important than ever that the premium brand be seen on the same technological plane as its primary European rivals. And you can consider us excited. While the excellent V-8 found across the brand’s current lineup proves Jag can roar and howl with the best of them, the C-X75 looks to show that it can build a silent hunter, too.
It will be real: Jaguar has decided to put the C-X75 supercar, first shown as a concept at last year's Paris auto show, into production. It will be a joint project with Williams F1, and exactly 250 units will be produced. The announcement was made at a press conference in London, and the build run will start in late 2013 and last through late 2015.
Jaguar describes the car as the "fastest and the most efficient supercar on the market." When asked whether this includes the forthcoming Porsche 918, group engineering director Bob Joyce bluntly replied, "Yes." And he added this about the Porsche: "25 kilometers [16 miles] of electric range is good for the [fuel-economy test] cycle, but you are effectively driving with the internal combustion engine all the time." With this car, Jaguar envisions fuel economy of more than 55 mpg—although it didn’t specify if that figure is really mpge—with a pure-electric range of around 30 miles.
Yes, It Should Be Quick
More important for a hypercar, Jag says the car will hit 60 mph in less than three seconds, can achieve 100 mph in less than six, and won’t run into its speed limiter until passing 200 mph. There will be three driver-selectable modes of operation: all-electric, a hybrid mode called Dual, and a full-power Track setting. To refill the batteries, it will have typical regeneration abilities, as well as plug-in recharging capability.
The two-seater’s styling will stay very close to that of the Paris concept, and it will feature all-wheel drive with a small-displacement four-cylinder turbo engine and an "extremely powerful" electric motor at each axle. The power ratio between electric motors and internal-combustion engine is going to be 1:1. This Jaguar won't mark the return of the turbine car, as the micro-turbine technology used for range extension in the show vehicle won’t be ready for production in time. But the company "remains committed to the micro-turbine technology," says brand director Adrian Hallmark. In the long run, Jaguar intends to bring the tech to market in its series-production vehicles, although we’ll believe it when we see them in our office parking lot.
Weight is kept down with a sophisticated carbon-fiber chassis, and ceramic brakes are included. The body likely will have aluminum panels and a carbon-fiber roof.
A Silent Hunter
The C-X75 is clearly aimed at the Porsche 918, but it also will compete with the upcoming, fully electric Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cel and the Audi R8 e-tron. And it will be in a similar price range, between £700,000 and £900,000 according to Jaguar. A U.S. launch is pretty much a sure thing: “We strongly intend to go there," confirms Carl-Peter Forster, the CEO of Jaguar parent Tata Motors. Figure on a seven-figure window sticker when the car arrives here.
If you want one, Jaguar will take your "expression of interest" starting now, and you’ll get a chance to actually commit on September 1, which is also when full specs will be released. The car’s final name is undecided, and C-X75 is just the working name; we were told a "more appropriate" name will be chosen prior to the car’s launch. Further, Jaguar could go racing with this sports car, and while there are no concrete plans, Forster wouldn't rule out derivatives such as a convertible being introduced after the 250 coupes are sold out.
Even if the racing car and spin-offs never see the light of day, this is a huge step for Jaguar. Moving forward, it will be more important than ever that the premium brand be seen on the same technological plane as its primary European rivals. And you can consider us excited. While the excellent V-8 found across the brand’s current lineup proves Jag can roar and howl with the best of them, the C-X75 looks to show that it can build a silent hunter, too.
No comments:
Post a Comment