Jaguar unveils new coupe concept
Includes aluminium body and chassis plus V8 power
Jaguar Cars has revealed a new concept car, the Advanced Lightweight Coupe at the NAIAS motor show in Detroit, USA.
Featuring aluminium accents and leather inside, the 2+2 sports 21-inch wheels, telematics, a paddle-operated gearshift, and aluminium bodywork and chassis. Few details have yet emerged as to performance and other oily bits, nor whether this is destined to be the XK8 replacement.
In terms of of design though, the company reckons that the concept "represents the very essence of Jaguar, its heart and soul. If you want to know what lies ahead for us, what direction we will take – this is Jaguar's answer", according to chairman and CEO Joe Greenwell.
Design
The coupe rides on 21-inch alloy wheels with custom Pirelli tyres while new chrome gills behind the front wheels aid engine cooling and also improve aerodynamic flow to the rear.
The car’s cabin is said to be more spacious and better packaged than previous Jaguar coupes, with impressive headroom and multi-directional sports front seats and individual bucket seats in the rear. The interior is trimmed throughout in a tan leather which has visible stitching on the hides that line the doors and the dashboard.
Aluminium inserts are spread throughout the car to act as jewellery that accentuates the contemporary feel of the cabin. Its focal point is the central dashboard console that houses an advanced Alpine telematics screen which provides user feedback in the form of a ‘pulse’ when you touch the on-screen buttons.
The instrument binnacle has been designed to relate to the shape of the steering wheel and houses a high-resolution screen between its dials that provides the driver with a secondary source of infotainment and satellite-navigation information.
Behind the steering wheel sit the gearshift levers that operate an automatic 
paddleshift transmission – the first time this technology has appeared on a Jaguar. The paddles are mounted to the wheel itself, rather than the steering column, to ensure that at whatever angle the wheel is held, the driver doesn’t have to take his concentration away from the road. Just the kind of touch you’d expect in what is, first and foremost, a driver’s car.
Engineering
Were it to become a product, the new Jaguar would be the most potent 2+2 the company has ever created. Thanks to a technologically advanced aluminium architecture – which is around 40 percent lighter and 60 percent stiffer than a standard steel body – and V8 powertrain assembly, the car would be capable of reaching 60mph in less than five seconds and a top speed north of 180mph.
Its aluminium chassis similar to that used in the new XJ saloon is constructed using many of the same advanced technologies, and is said to be "lightweight, strong and stiff".
It includes dynamic aids such as computer-controlled active suspension, as well as adaptive cruise control and active restraint technology system – all features that Jaguar already has on its production cars. Like Jaguar’s XJ and S-Type saloons, it also features an adjustable pedal box.
Conclusion
"I firmly believe that Jaguars should appear powerful as well as elegant," said design director Ian Callum. "Look back at the great cars from our past and you will see that they were as muscular and taut as they were subtle and curvaceous. That’s what confident Jaguar design is all about."
Jaguar MD Bibiana Boerio said, "This car takes our coupe design onto another level. It is muscular without being over the top – a naturally honed athlete. Just like its predecessors, we believe the next generation of Jaguars should be different from anything else in the marketplace. We are not trying to copy our rivals because we have our own path to take. We know what that path is and we are showing the way."
"This car is as clear a statement on the strength and confidence of the company as we could possibly make," said Greenwell. "Its design is assertive and pure – a perfect symbol for our 21st century cars – and beneath that beautiful body lies the heart and soul of a true Jaguar sports car."
"The Advanced Lightweight Coupe marks a return to the core values of Jaguar," said Bibiana Boerio, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars. "There is a determination in every department of this company to produce a new range of cars that provides the total Jaguar experience and this car is the first evidence of that determination.
"Aspirational and exclusive, with contemporary design and stunning performance, the Advanced Lightweight Coupe is conceived as a special car for special people. It represents the unique position that Jaguar holds in the market place – and even more it tells the world that we are set to make another bold leap forward. For Jaguar, the future begins now."
RichardD said:
What a HUUGE frontal overhang...
Note to self - Purchase sports car before they all look this bad...
Disclaimer - I'm not complaining at Jaguar, more the politicians who make the pedestrian safety rules up.
Oh come on, its a front-engined car with a big powerplant. Where else are the wheels going to go? The mid-engined cars are the ones with very little front overhang (Gallardo).
Besides, the E-Type had massive front overhang too, and that type of styling is what Jag is trying to preserve.
I cannot believe how stupid they think their customers are, do they think the public won't notice the striking similarity?
Bad one Jaguar, you have shown some beautiful concept cars in the recent past, you did not have to copy Aston Martin - and then pretend you didn't.
Jaguar are doing what AM wont/cant do, in bringing that style of car to the masses, by way of much greater production and a lower basic list price (especially the non "R" version). The AM wont be affected, as it has exclusivity.
Lets not of course forget that AM used the Jaguar F-type platform when creating its DB7 in the early ninety's. So the two companies have been heavily intwined with their developments in recent years.
kryten22uk said:
So can you blame Callum (the desginer) for making cars in the style which he likes?
Look at Alfa / Seat . . .
The back indeed is Ford-ish. But they will work that out won't they . . .
Saw the older coupe the other day: stunning. And to Jaguar: please take a look at that design again . . .
nightmare said:
pretty...but I cant get remotely excited. I have seen far too many jaguar concepts appear and vanish in the last few years to give a stuff about this if Im honest.
Yes, but this is almost certainly the next XK8 with some added motor show 'bling' to make it a concept.
I expect when it reaches showrooms the ali trim will be wood, the wheels smaller and unchromed and the lights different.
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