Jaguar C-X75 supercar canned
* Tech in concept car could make production Jaguars
* Concept cars could be sold off
Plans to make the 200mph Jaguar C-X75 hybrid supercar have been ditched.
Speaking to What Car?, Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark admitted that it would 'not be appropriate to launch a car like this, costing between 800,000 and 1 million'. He revealed that current global economic conditions and higher priorities for the Jaguar brand were the main reasons behind the decision.
The Jaguar C-X75 was first shown as a concept car at the 2010 Paris motor show, and the decision to put it into production in partnership with the Williams Formula One team was made 18 months ago. Up to 250 examples could have been made.
This concept car was originally an electric range-extender with individual motors on all four wheels, with the batteries being charged by two innovative gas turbine engines.
However, because of engineering challenges it morphed into a plug-in hybrid, combining battery power and a high-revving 500bhp 1.6-litre turbo- and supercharged four-cylinder engine.
With a 0-60mph time of 2.8 seconds, it could also complete the 0-100mph sprint quicker than a Bugatti Veyron, but produce CO2 emissions that were lower than those of a Toyota Prius. Fully charged it could run for 60 miles solely on electric power.
Hallmark revealed that five engineering prototypes have been built and are still currently testing. Two of them could be sold to collectors, while the other three will be used by the company for display and as a test bed for future technology. He said: 'What we've learned is significant. We've patented 100 technologies.'
Hallmark revealed that future high-performance Jag engines are likely to use the turbo- and supercharged technologies, plus ways of incorporating carbonfibre and other weight-saving initiatives into future production. He also didn't rule out working with Williams F1 on future projects, or that Jaguar would ever put a hybrid sports car on sale.
By Chas Hallett
