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.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/11q3/jaguar_c-x16_concept_official_photos_and_info-auto_shows

Jaguar C-X16 Concept - Auto Shows

A two-seat sports car from Jaguar won’t look back at the E-type.

The long-held hope that Jaguar would build a proper successor to the E-type becomes tangible with the announcement that it will bring what it is calling the “C-X16 production concept” to this year’s Frankfurt auto show. Along with the announcement, Jaguar released a sketch of the C-X16 in profile, and its proportions closely resemble those of the small Jag prototypes we previously spied, which were based upon chopped and shortened XKs.

Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Beautiful 

Jaguar may be calling its concept the C-X16, but we believe the production car will be named XE—C-X__ seems to be Jaguar’s concept-naming strategy of late, with last year’s turbine-hybrid hypercar C-X75 concept using the nomenclature. Whatever it is called, Jaguar director of design Ian Callum promises the production version of the C-X16 will be “beautiful, innovative, and [look] firmly to the future.” The sketch provided by the company certainly doesn’t look retro, and anyone eagerly awaiting a hot-dog-esque E-type redux will be sorely disappointed with the C-X16’s 7/8-scale Aston Martin DBS look. We have few problems with the way any Aston Martin looks, and the details in the sketch—the XKR-S-like lower front intakes and XF-style taillights—appear to be all Jaguar.

A few key aspects of the C-X16’s design are worth noting. The fender vent is horizontal, a style Jaguar has recently adopted in place of the vertical gills its products previously shared with Land Rovers. The concept also seems to wear a new front grille that sits further forward than the headlights and bumper (it can be seen as a pointy protrusion that pokes out ahead of the lower front intakes). Finally, the clipped front and rear overhangs, short wheelbase, and fastback proportions are noticeably more athletic than the XK’s looser grand touring style. The C-X16 clearly is a two-seater.

Look Out, Luxo-Sport-Coupe Segment

While we know few specifics about the C-X16/XE, we do know that its smaller size and more focused dynamics will come at a lower price than that of the XK—although just barely. Rumors of a price around $50,000 are likely inaccurate; figure on something between $70,000 and $80,000, only slightly less than the current XK’s $85,375 price of entry. The littler Jag will utilize a smaller version of the XK’s aluminum structure and will be available as a coupe and a convertible. Both body styles will be powered by a supercharged V-6 engine. No V-8 will be offered, but we know a hybrid version will be part of the mix. Jaguar will release more information when the C-X16 is unveiled in Frankfurt, and expect a production car to hit the road sometime in late 2012 as a 2013 model.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/news/car/11q3/jaguar_c-x16_concept-auto_shows?