OVERVIEW

         - Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar Cars

 

The Jaguar C-X16 concept is a bold statement of Jaguar's future design and technological intent.

The C-X16 takes the traditional front-engined, rear-wheel drive formula that Jaguar defined over the decades and reinvents it for the 21st Century in a performance-oriented hybrid drivetrain with 50:50 weight distribution.

The latest iteration of Jaguar's 'Redefining Performance' ethos, the C-X16 system is based on a prototype supercharged all-alloy V6 which produces 375HP (280kW) and 332lb-ft of torque from 3.0-liter V6. Supplementing this is an electric motor producing up to 94HP and 173lb?ft of torque, available to the driver at the push of a steering-wheel boost button.

Allied to an eight-speed gearbox and mounted in a lightweight aluminum chassis this allows the C-X16 to sprint to 62 mph (100 kmh) in 4.4 seconds.

The aluminum bodywork is wrapped as closely to these mechanicals as possible to distil the essence of Jaguar sports cars into the next evolution of an already award-winning design language. By stretching the main feature lines back from the focal point formed by the grille and pushing the wheels as far into the corners as possible, the car has a taut, poised-for-action stance that is unmistakably Jaguar.

The interior showcases important future technologies such as multimodal rotary controls that incorporate miniature OLED screens, which reconfigure to reflect the different functions that can be performed via the controls, all of which are designed for maximum compatibility between sports car needs and everyday usability.

An example of this is the full smartphone integration via the 'Connect and View' system by which the central touchscreen reconfigures to mimic the screen of a connected device. The central screen also features a second-generation interface with fingertip touch supplemented by buttons that provide short cuts to top-level menu functions.

The cabin is trimmed in the finest leather and Alcantara micro-suede. As expected from Jaguar, premium materials are used throughout, with the main touch surfaces composed of a combination of anodized aluminum, rich piano blacks, dark chrome, and carbon fiber that underline the car's performance potential. The manually-adjustable bucket seats are made of lightweight composite materials with a central carbon-fiber spine for rigidity and support.