The next generation of the Jaguar F-Type could be a mid engine and will set to compete with Lamborghini Huracan, Ferrari 488 GTB and the likes of it. This is stated by Ian Callum, chief designer of Jaguar Land Rover at the recently concluded 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Jaguar had two great innovations in Los Angeles: the i-PACE concept , the prototype development of new electric Jaguar and secondly the XKSS, the first copy of the classic short series which was presented at the Petersen Museum. Taking advantage of Jaguar's spotlight stay in Los Angeles, Callum answered questions from the press including RoadandTrack reporters.
Asked by the curious design "cab-forward" i-PACE concept, Callum responded that they spent years wanting to recreate that structure ideal for the i-PACE, whose batteries under the passenger compartment offering a vertical architecture, very high, of Hence it is decided by an SUV for its first electric.
The conversation then turned to the style and design of Jaguar's current and most popular sports car the, Jaguar F-Type, Callum said that the initial design concept was mid-engine, but then it became the F-Type we all know. Now it is currently being discussed in the company if the Jaguar F-Type successor will have the front engine or mid engine, and still nothing has been decided.
The truth is that Jaguar has already made a mid - engine model in the past. In addition to racing models and unborn XJ13 , the iconic Jaguar XJ-220 had the drive arrangement and the initial draft of the XJ-S featured an alternative mid - engine , why the model available buttresses particular rear. In recent times Jaguar also featured the C-X75 project, a hybrid sport that did not reach production, despite being protagonist part in a James Bond movie, but that has served as inspiration for other models of the brand according to AutoEvolution.
Callum even added that Jaguar is a brand of sports and therefore it makes sense for them to once in a while "break the mold". But does a mid-engine Jaguar make sense at all?
As long as the price is right and demand for sporty cars is on the rise, of course it does. There certainly is a market for a mid-engine Jaguar. If it will take place or not it is something else, and that could benefit from this model sports architecture. The possibilities point from the successor of the Jaguar F-Type, as that of a new sports model, perhaps above the F-Type, maybe in the gap left by the XK.
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