Jaguar rocked the last Frankfurt Motor Show with the XJ sedan and for 2012 the British marque is set for headlines again with the unveiling of the Jaguar C-X16 concept.
The rear-wheel-drive, two-seat coupe looks stunning.
But the big news is under the bonnet – a petrol electric hybrid with a twist that’s straight from Formula One.
Petrol power comes from a supercharged V6 with 280kW/450Nm on tap. But the hybrid system delivers a 70kW/235Nm extra ‘kick’ via a steering wheel-mounted ‘Push-To-Pass’ button just like F1 Grand Prix racers.
Jaguar says the C-X16 will accelerate from zero to 100km/h in just 4.4 seconds.
“Jaguars have always been dramatically different. With the C-X16 we have moved the current award-winning design language on to the next generation, creating a car that is the very essence of future Jaguar performance,” explained Ian Callum, Jaguar’s design director.
Jaguar has fitted the C-X16’s electric motor generator within the eight-speed transmission and the 1.6kw/h battery pack – charged from brake energy regeneration – is mounted behind the seats to aid the sporty coupe’s 50:50 weight distribution.
The Jaguar C-X16 is the smallest Jaguar since the 1954 XK120. Length is 4.4-metres, wheelbase is 2.6-metres, width is 2.0-metres and height is 1.3-metres.
