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Jaguar C-X75 supercar to pack a 500hp twincharged 4-cylinder

The Jaguar C-X75 is expected to be one of the highest performance hybrids of all time when it arrives in late 2013 or early 2014 and when it does, the ultra lightweight sports car will derive a large portion of its power from a tiny 1.6L 4-cylinder engine that packs an awesome 500 horsepower.

The Jaguar C-X75 as a concept used a pair of jet turbine engines to charge the hybrid electrical system but the production version of the Jaguar C-X75 will derive its battery charging capabilities from a twin charged 4-cylinder engine measuring just 1.6 liters. For those unfamiliar with the term “twin charging”, this indicates that the new 4-cylinder Jaguar engine will call on the help of both belt-driven supercharger and a traditional turbocharged driven by exhaust gas pressure to boost the output of this diminutive engine.

The supercharged and turbocharged engine of the Jaguar C-X75 provides a massive 500 horsepower with engine speeds reaching an absolutely incredible 10,000rpm. This power can be either channeled to the rear wheels via a 7-speed automated manual transmission for motive power or it can be used to charge the 600 volt battery that uses a pair of electric motors to constantly drive the front and rear wheels. Regardless of the drive mode – be it pure electric or when the gasoline engine is assisting – the Jaguar C-X75 provides all wheel drive traction. The 1.6L engine and the 600 volt battery are mounted in the middle of the Jaguar C-X75 for supreme weight balance and improved handling while the electric motors and the 7-speed manual transmission are mounted out towards the front and rear axle.

The Jaguar C-X75 will be incredibly lightweight with a carbon fiber monocoque chassis that was designed with help from the folks at the Williams Formula 1 team. This design helps to keep the (currently unstated) curb weight very low, which when mated with the high tech hybrid drivetrain allows the C-X75 supercar to dash from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds while reaching top speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour. We can also expect that the Jaguar C-X75 will be able to handle as well as the best supercars in the world. More impressively, the electric drivetrain allows up the C-X75 to cruise in pure EV mode at speeds up to 40 miles per hour with a range of roughly 37 miles. When running in EV mode, the C-X75 can reportedly still hit 60 miles per hour in just 6 seconds.

Jaguar reportedly intends to make just 200 examples of the awesome C-X75 hybrid supercar with a price that is expected to range somewhere between $1.1 and 1.4 million US dollars. The British automaker has yet to say whether the production version of the Jaguar C-X75 will look like the concept version that has spent the last two years touring the world but having seen the C-X75 concept in person, I see no reason why the sleek silver body of the concept (shown above on the right) couldn’t smoothly slide right into production.

Once the company offers some official information, we will likely have a good look at the other important specifics including the overall fuel economy ratings and the overall range on a single tank of fuel. Jaguar plans for the C-X75 to be one of the highest production hybrid sports cars that we have seen yet but the company also aims to make the C-X75 the most efficient supercar ever.

Source: CAR

Comments

@CoolElectricCar (not verified)    July 29, 2012 - 7:10PM

I would love to see one of these -

I feel that the turbines getting dropped from the C-X75 is a shame, but it is still awesome -

Thanks for the great info!!