Last year at the Paris Autoshow, Jaguar rolled out the C-X75 as a way to commemorate their 75 years of auto manufacturing. As a concept car, the C-X75 was really something: A ridiculous, over-the top super car that was also a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle. Of course, fuel-efficient is a relative term when the car in question is powered by one electric motor for each wheel and two jet-turbines in the back. But it was the C-X75’s symbolic marriage of fuel efficiency with performance and high design that really captured the imagination.
A year later, Jaguar has announced that 250 of the cars will be produced as part of a partnership with Formula 1 team Williams. It’s not quite the same car — the turbines are gone, and the number of electric motors reduced to two — but the idea of bringing together efficiency and power is still there. Instead of jet engines, the production model will carry a four-cylinder turbo0-charged engine. The electric motor will provide 50km of range, producing an industry low 100g of CO2 per kilometer. Using gas propulsion, the car has far greater range and a top speed of 200 mph, and can rev up from 0 to 60 mph in under 3 seconds. This, of course, at the cost of gas mileage.
The C-X75 is expected to be in production from 2013 to 2015, retailing at the breathtaking $1.15 million per car. Â Sadly, there is no word yet on what kind of mileage to expect from this vehicle, but it’s a safe assumption that if a sticker price of such magnitude doesn’t phase you, you really aren’t worried about how green your car can be.
(Engadget, BBC, image via Wikipedia)
Published: May 6, 2011 03:19 pm