Jaguar C-X75 Supercar to be launched in late 2013

Jaguar has confirmed that its gorgeous C-X75 supercar concept will be heading into production and should be hitting a road near you by late 2013. The concept car received overwhelming praise since its debut last year at the 2010 Paris Auto Show. The car is jointly developed by Williams Formula 1 team and parent company Tata Motors.

Williams in particular will be providing insight gathered from the world of F1 racing, namely, its aerodynamic design capability, efficient powertrain technology and carbon fiber construction expertise. The new eco supercar will be built around a full carbon fiber chassis, which could see the car's final curb weight come in at less than 3,000 pounds. This should ensure not only stunning performance but also stellar fuel economy.
The microturbine technology previewed in the original C-X75 concept won’t make it to production in time for the 2013 deadline. Instead, the production version will initially feature a plug-in hybrid setup with dual electric motors, a downsized internal combustion engine and all-wheel drive. However, both Jaguar and its parent company Tata have confirmed their commitment to microturbine technology in cars, which means we could eventually see the new Jaguar supercar fitted with the jet engine based powertrain.
As for the plug-in hybrid system, it’s thought that Jaguar will employ a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, similar to the design to be adopted by Williams and other F1 teams in 2013. This downsized engine will be used to charge up an array of lithium-ion batteries which will power the car's two electric motors. Jaguar describes the system as being a parallel hybrid, which means this compact internal combustion engine should also drive the wheels along with the two electric motors. The car can either be driven at pure electric mode with a range of up to 30 miles or hybrid mode where the internal combustion engine works in parallel with the dual electric motors.
Jaguar promises that fuel economy will be comparable to a compact hybrid sedan on sale today, which means a combined fuel economy of around 40 mpg. Despite this frugality, performance will be world-beating. Some initial specs are a 0-60 mph time of less than 3.0 seconds, a 0-100 mph time of less than 6.0 seconds and a top speed in excess of 200 mph. To make sure that handling compliments the high speed, the new Jaguar supercar will also feature advanced torque vectoring technology, active suspension and carbon ceramic brakes.