Jaguar's new super car, the C-X75 concept
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Jaguar
30th September, 2010
- Stunning range-extended electric super car concept
- A celebration of 75 years of beautiful, fast Jaguars, points the way to a new design language
- Capable of reaching 330 km/h (205 mph), sprinting from 0-100 km/h (62 mph) in just 3.4 seconds and
blistering acceleration from 80-145 km/h (50-90 mph) in just 2.3 seconds
- Four powerful 145 kW (195 bhp) electric motors – one for each wheel - produce 780 bhp and an
astonishing total torque output of 1,600 Nm (1,180 lb ft)
- Two micro gas-turbines, spinning at 80,000 rpm, can generate enough electricity to extend the range
to a remarkable 560 miles; and produce just 28 grammes of CO2 per kilometre from the car’s plug-in
charge capability
- A zero tailpipe emissions range of 110 km (68 miles) while running solely on battery power
Jaguar has revealed a stunning range-extended electric super car concept car. The C-X75 has been
designed to celebrate 75 years of the marque and provide a glimpse into the future of Jaguar and its
commitment to producing beautiful, fast cars powered by sustainable means.
“The C-X75 is a tribute to the people who shaped the iconic Jaguars that are revered to this day.
By making it an innovative test-bed for the technologies of tomorrow, it also ensures that our
reputation for engineering excellence will continue for another 75 years and beyond.” said Mike
O’Driscoll, Managing Director, Jaguar Cars.
75 Years of Jaguar Design
The C-X75 hints at an exciting evolution of Jaguar's design language while paying homage to some of
its most admired cars of years gone by. Advanced design features such as a ground-breaking propulsion
system and active aerodynamics allow for an elegantly simple fuselage section that remains stable at
very high speeds.
The C-X75 is finished in Jetstream Silver, its designers staying true to the long-held Jaguar design
philosophy of natural, flowing lines and simple, elegant forms. Where inspiration from the past was
found is in the innovative engineering and functional design elements of cars like the 1950s C-Type and
D-Type racers and unique 1966 XJ13 Le Mans prototype – a car described by Callum as, “arguably the most
beautiful Jaguar ever made”.
Shorter and lower than the current crop of super cars, its exterior design is about pure performance
with a simple central fuselage surrounded by prominent wheel arches. Thanks to the packaging
efficiencies provided by the absence of a conventional piston engine, the car’s designers had maximum
freedom in placing the mechanical components and making the most elegant engineering package
available.
“The C-X75 is everything a Jaguar should be. It possesses remarkable poise and grace yet at the
same time has the excitement and potency of a true super car. You could argue this is as close to a
pure art form as a concept car can get and we believe it is a worthy homage to 75 years of iconic
Jaguar design.” said Ian Callum, Design Director, Jaguar Cars.
Propulsion system
The 330 km/h (205 mph) four-wheel drive super car is capable of running in purely electric (zero
tailpipe emissions) mode for 110 km (68 miles) on a six-hour domestic plug-in charge. The innovative,
lightweight micro gas-turbines are also capable of very quickly and efficiently recharging the
Lithium-ion batteries, giving the car a theoretical range of 900 km (560 miles).
This remarkable range-extension system is a result of Jaguar’s research engineers adopting a
clean-sheet approach to the question of powering the super cars of the future. The C-X75 turns to the
very latest evolution of a pioneering British technology: the gas turbine.
Developed in partnership with Bladon Jets, the miniaturised turbine blade - the first viable
axial-flow micro-turbine - increases the compression and efficiency of micro gas-turbines to the point
at which they can be viewed as a realistic power source. Each of the micro gas-turbines weighs just 35
kg and produces 70 kW of power at a constant 80,000 rpm.
Power and control
The energy provided by the turbines and stored in the batteries is transmitted to the road using
four independent electric motors. Using individual motors has benefits in terms of weight-saving and
distribution, packaging and efficiency. Each motor weighs just 50 kg but produces 145 kW (195 bhp) of
power and an astonishing combined total torque output of 1,600 Nm (11,80 lb ft).
Because each wheel is driven by its own electric motor, the C-X75 is four-wheel drive – with all
the traction, grip and safety benefits that entails – without the weight disadvantages of a purely
mechanical set-up. Inherent in this drivetrain is the ability to independently vector torque to each
wheel across the full speed range. This offers potential benefits in terms of stability and control,
providing an infinitely and instantaneously adjustable traction and stability control system.
Driver-focused cabin
With the seats fixed, the steering wheel, controls, main binnacle and pedal box all adjust towards
the driver. The seats are attached to the bulkhead as in a single-seater racing car, and air to feed
the turbines passes smoothly around them via channels in the structure of the body.
A new interface for the driver has also been made for the C-X75 using high-resolution TFT screens.
Building on Jaguar’s 10-year expertise in touchscreen technology, the Jaguar Co-Pilot display in the
centre console supports the driver in extracting the full potential of the C-X75 by seamlessly
managing information.
The main driver information screen is housed within the instrument binnacle. Needles float on the
periphery of the twin cowls and sweep round the outer edge to display the status and rpm of the two
turbines. The design team combined designs from instrumentation in the new XJ saloon with those from
fighter aircraft to provide virtual 3D ‘gimbals’ around which the gauges wrap and rotate to provide
status updates.
75 years of innovation
"Performance through innovation has always been a Jaguar trademark. From the beginning, cars
such as the C-Type and D-Type pioneered aluminium construction, aerodynamic design, racing monocoques
and disc brakes. The C-X75 demonstrates that Jaguar is still leading the field automotive design and
technology. And will always continue to build beautiful, fast cars." said Ralf Speth, Chief
Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover.
Advanced aluminium lightweight construction
Jaguar’s expertise in the use of aluminium stretches back more than 50 years to the first XK120s,
through the lightweight E-Types, the XK and all-new 2010 XJ. It was with this latter model that Jaguar
fully realised the lightweight metal’s benefits to performance, agility, economy and sustainability in
a luxury car.
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Self-Catering Holiday
Accommodation in
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The Jaguar C-X75 Concept naturally follows the same construction techniques with an extruded and bonded
aerospace-inspired aluminium chassis clad in panels of the same material. Not only does this save weight,
crucial in a car with an extreme performance envelope, but aluminium is one of the most easily recyclable
metals available, boosting the C-X75’s sustainability as well as its speed.
Active Aerodynamics
Aerodynamics have always played a large part in Jaguar design with the late designer Malcolm Sayer
elevating it into an art form in cars such as the XJ13, the prototype from which the C-X75 draws
inspiration.
Jaguar has increased the design’s aerodynamic efficiency dramatically by opening the front grille and
brake cooling vents only when necessary. At the rear corners of the car vertical control surfaces
automatically engage at higher speeds to direct airflow aft of the rear wheels for increased stability
and efficiency.
The carbon-fibre rear diffuser, a crucial element in guiding airflow under the car and providing
downforce includes an active aerofoil, which is lowered automatically as speed increases. Vanes in the
exhaust ports then alter the directional flow of the gases to further increase the effectiveness of the
Venturi tunnel.
Technical Specifications
| Propulsion System and Transmission |
| Electric motor |
Four 145 kW (195 bhp) traction motors (580 kW/780 bhp total) |
| Generator |
Two switched reluctance generators |
| Range Extender power |
2 x 70 kW (94 bhp) gas micro-turbines (140 kW/188 bhp total) |
| Batteries |
Lithium-ion |
| Total Battery Capacity (kWh) |
19.6 |
| Transmission |
Single-speed |
| Final Drive Ratio |
3.1:1 |
| Performance |
| 0-100 km/h (seconds) |
3.4 |
| Top Speed (km/h and mph) |
330/205 |
| 0-160 km/h (seconds) |
5.5 |
| 0-300 km/h (seconds) |
15.7 |
| 1/4 mile (seconds @ km/h) |
10.3 @ 251 |
| Max. Power (kW/BHP) |
580/780 |
| Max. Torque (Nm/lb ft) |
1,600/1,180 |
| Power to Weight ratio (BHP/tonne) |
578 |
| Aerodynamics (Cd) |
0.32 |
| Economy |
| EV range (km/miles) |
110/68 |
| Extended range (km/miles) |
900/560 |
| CO2 emissions (g/km) |
28 |
| Fuel tank capacity (litres) |
60 |
| Dimensions |
| Wheelbase (mm/inches) |
2,725/107.28 |
| Overall Length (mm/inches) |
4,647/182.95 |
| Overall width (mm/inches) |
2,020/79.52 |
| Overall Height (mm/inches) |
1,204/47.40 |
| Kerb weight (kg) |
1,350 |
| Wheel size front and rear (inches) |
21 and 22 |
| Tyres (front and rear) |
265/30 ZR21 and 365/25 ZR22 |
| Battery weight (kg) |
230 |
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