Jaguar reveals 'E-type successor'

[dutchman]

British luxury car maker Jaguar has released photos of a two-seater sports car that it describes as "the spiritual successor to the E-type".



The C-X16 prototype is the smallest Jaguar in terms of overall length since the XK120, which was launched in 1954.

It will be powered by a three-litre petrol engine, with additional power boosts delivered by an electric engine.

The C-X16 will accelerate from nought to 62mph in 4.4 seconds, yet emit just 165g/km of CO2, Jaguar said.

The iconic Jaguar E-type, which was launched 50 years ago, "marked a new era for sports cars and for Jaguar itself", according to brand director Adrian Hallmark, "and in many ways the C-X16 is very similar in spirit".

Although the car is shorter than most Jaguars, design director Ian Callum added that "the proportions are pure Jaguar with a long bonnet and a short rear overhang".

"We didn't wish to create a copy of the E-type," he said.

"Instead we've taken inspiration from the car - its style, its presence and the sense it was taking a bold step forwards."

'Sustainable technologies'

Jaguar's new sports car is part of a £5bn investment plan, announced by Jaguar Land Rover in March at the Geneva motor show, to launch 40 "significant new products" over the next five years.

In May, Jaguar unveiled plans to build a £700,000 petrol-electric hybrid supercar in the UK in partnership with Formula 1 team Williams F1.

"The C-X16 represents a further avenue of research in Jaguar's mission to develop sustainable powertrain technologies and bring them to production," the company said in a statement.

The model will be fitted with a Kers system, short for Kinetic Energy Recovery System, that has been developed by the Formula 1 industry.

The system allows a 1.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack, mounted behind the seats for weight distribution reasons, to be charged through a rear axle electro-hydraulic brake energy regeneration system.