Frankfurt 2011: Jaguar C-X16 Concept

Jaguar has already shown sketches of their concept for the Frankfurt show, and now pictures of the real thing as well as some details have surfaced.  While some other cough, Honda manufacturers have promised us a Hybrid sports car, then given us a weird hatchback with 122 horsepower, there might actually be something to Jaguar's sports-car hybrid, which they say is bound for production.

Called the C-X16, right off the bat it's a winner: It's damn pretty.  The styling is instantly recognizable as the work of Jaguar's Ian Callum, designer of multiple Astons and Jags.  Strictly a two-seater, the C-X16 (or whatever it will wind up being called in production) will slot below the XK as an entry-level Jaguar sports car- something they promised us 11 years ago with the F-Type Roadster Concept.  They're pretty adamant that this one will make it to show rooms, so I'll take their word for now.

The styling has a lot of influences.  The greenhouse shows a lot of Jaguar, obviously.  But the rear tail lights seem like something out of the Alfa Romeo catalog, the front bumper has a bit of Maserati Gran Turismo to it, and the headlights look somewhat related to a Nissan 370Z.  There's nothing new under the sun, but the overall effect is nice:  taut and muscular without looking hyper-aggressive or overly decorated.  I can only imagine how much of an eye-turner it is in real life.

More interesting than the styling, though, is the engine.  The C-X16 is powered by a V6 derivative of Jaguar's direct-injected V8, aided by the addition of both a supercharger and a hybrid drivetrain.  The 3.0L supercharged V6 is good for 376bhp and 332lb-ft of torque - pretty healthy.  There's an electric motor integrated into the 8-speed automatic gearbox, which is fed by a 1.6KwH battery behind the seats (helping keep the weight distribution even.)  The electric motor provides an additional 94bhp and 173lb-ft of torque, and allows the C-X16 to operate on electric power only at speeds up to 50mph.

Even cooler than the electric creeper mode is the power on demand button on the steering wheel - all those sci-fi cartoons with the "turbo boost" button the race car are finally becoming real!  Jaguar says the C-X16 is good for a 4.3 seconds from 0-60mph, a 50-75mph passing time of 2.1 seconds(!), and a top speed of 186mph.  On the other hand, CO2 emissions are very low for this fast of a car - 165g/km of CO2.

The interior is remarkably production-ready looking - perhaps with the exclusion of the seats and the bizarre roof surface.  The red push to pass button stands out from the grey suede steering wheel nicely, and there's a bit of Audi R8 in the center console design, but nothing particularly crazy in there.

The C-X16 is making it's official public debut at Frankfurt on September 13th, and hopefully there will be some details then about a production model.  Not so much a resurrection of the E-Type grand tourer, the C-X16 would provide interesting competition for sports cars like the Porsche Cayman, 370Z, Lotus Evora, and the BMW M3.  Stay tuned!