Jaguar today confirmed it will bring a limited, 200-strong edition of the C-X75 hybrid supercar to market in the next two years.
The C-X75 is being developed in partnership with Williams and will be the second British hybrid supercar – alongside McLaren’s new P11 – to challenge the Ferrari Enzo successor and Porsche 918 e-sypercars.
Jaguar C-X75: the latest news
Coventry today confirmed to CAR that just 200 C-X75s will be built in a low production run. The first production cars are expected on sale by 2013-2014.
The big news today was the engine: a turbo- and supercharged 1.6 petrol engine developed by Williams will provide the power. It’s a techfest, sporting direct injection, twin-charging and a stratospheric 10,000rpm redline.
This charismatic powertrain was shown off to selected media today. CAR’s Gavin Green was present and you can read his Jaguar C-X75 blog here with more detail. ‘It sounded like a crazed motorbike engine,’ he said.
Jag C-X75: the new generation of hybrid supercars coming soon
‘And the car never runs on petrol power alone – the 1.6 is always boosting the electric motors or it can run in EV mode at speeds up to 40mph around town. It’s clearly aimed at the McLaren, Ferrari and Porsche and it seems they want to be the most efficient of all.’
Although no kerbweight has been issued, Jaguar confirmed the C-X75 would have a full carbonfibre body to keep the mass to a minimum.
The exact launch date of the C-X75 is not yet confirmed. Joyce said that the engine, motor and battery work well on the lab test bench – but Jaguar is now about to build five working prototypes to test how the technology works on the road. They should know the answer by early 2013 when a final production date will be set.
You can listen to the Jag’s 10,000rpm engine here: