Jaguar C-X16 Concept Official Photos and Info - Auto Shows

In the rankings of prolonged automotive rumors, Jaguar’s introduction of an entry-level sports car is bested only by Alfa Romeo’s alleged return to the U.S.. With the C-X16 concept debuting at the Frankfurt auto show, though, the British company is signaling that yes, a relatively affordable sports car is coming. In real life. Our spy shooters have caught prototypes of what we believe will be called the XE, but what we couldn’t see is beneath the skin. The two-seat concept shows off a new V-6, a hybrid system, and cutting-edge OLED displays—important tech that Jaguar needs if it’s going to redefine its stuffy, cigar-room image.

Power and Styling by AC/DC

When AC/DC’s 16th album, Black Ice, launched in 2009, singer Brian Johnson was quoted as saying “Someone said to Angus the other day, ‘Hey, you've made the same album 15 times.’ Angus said, ‘No, man, we've made the same album 16 times!’” The same enthusiasm for repeating success might be ascribed to Jaguar’s designer, Ian Callum, who could lovingly be accused of designing the same car a few times. Like the Aston Martin Vanquish and DB9 and the Jaguar XK, the C-X16 is designed around classic grand-tourer proportions, with a long hood and short rear deck. The cockpit is low slung, while swept-back headlights sit atop a gaping grille up front, and curvaceous rear haunches lead to gun-slit taillights. The fenders even have horizontal vents, as does the face-lifted XF. (When Jaguar was under the Ford umbrella, this particular Callum styling element was reserved exclusively for Aston Martin.) Suffice it to say, the C-X16 breaks little new ground stylistically. And we’re fine with that.

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