Top luxury car maker Jaguar, part of Indian auto conglomerate Tata Motors, is planning to release the new F-Type in the country this July. It is a 2-seater, convertible sports car built with the objectives of providing superior road performance, coupled with agility and driving pleasure. Interestingly, the Jaguar F-Type was first revealed in Paris during September 2012.
Automotive experts and various auto publications have showered several accolades upon the F-Type. It was recently recognised as the 2013 World car design of the year. Expressing his views on this significant achievement, Ian Callum, Director of Design for Jaguar, said, “No design project has given me greater pleasure than the creation of the F-Type. It’s a project I’ve looked forward to from the moment I joined Jaguar, and it’s one that’s given my team and I great satisfaction. The F-Type is a sports car that is true to Jaguar’s design values – beauty of line and purity of form – and I’m honoured that the World Car of the Year jury has recognised our work with this award.”
Styling of the new F-type is quite similar to the showcased C-X16 concept. The vehicle gets a clamshell bonnet, sloping head and tail light designs for a distinct identity. Unlike previous Jaguar sports cars, there is no oval front grille in the F-Type. Removing this has subsequently resulted in a four-cornered mouth at the front, which has also been witnessed on the C-X75 and C-X16 concepts.
The rear of the F-type has a sloping tail, with rear LED lights that easily wrap around. Both V6S and the V8S models come with diffusers, but there is a difference in the integrated exhaust pipes. While the V6S gets twin central ones, the V8S is fitted with split quad pipes. Interestingly, a hidden rear spoiler is raised when speeds reach above 96.5 kmph, but this also goes down when the car is running below 64 kmph.
The Jaguar F-Type would be powered by two engines in India, namely the V6 and V8. The models, named as V6S and V8S, are expected to be brought to India as Completely Built Units (CBUs). Pricing would be from Rs. 1.3 crore to Rs. 1.5 crore. This has been further increased by the fact that import duty on cars has gone up from 75 per cent in the previous fiscal, to 100 per cent.
Speaking of engines, the V6 unit that powers the V6S has a displacement of 3 litres and is fitted with a supercharger. With such technology, a massive power output of 379 bhp is generated. Top speed has been electronically limited to 275 kmph. On the other hand, the Jaguar F Type V8 S has a 5.0 litre V8 engine, developing a maximum power of 494 bhp. The speed of this particular vehicle is electronically limited to 300 kmph. Reportedly, both vehicles have 8-speed automatic gearboxes and are rear-wheel driven. With such interesting specifications, these expensive performance-oriented mean machines are sure to catch the fancy of several enthusiastic high heeled domestic buyers.
