I wonder what this button does?
Since Jaguar was purchased in 2008 by Indian company Tata, it has posted record profits to the extent of £275m in the final quarter of 2010. This a £55m gain on the previous year when the premier British car maker was under Ford ownership. Not only do the figures tell the story of the growth and development of Jaguar and Landrover but the raft of new additions to the Jaguar model range have tantalised the visions of the motoring world. Thanks to these new models making their way into Asia there was a 47% increase in sales to China alone, compared with 2009. Figures such as this don’t come easy, especially during a global financial crisis.
The design and innovation that we have seen in the latest Jaguar models enters into the paranormal of the automobile world. Notably the introduction of the Kinetic Energy Recover system, (KERS) that Jaguar developed alongside the Williams Formula 1 team. Gone are the days of the Ferrari’s and McLaren being singled out as the leaders in transforming Formula 1 technology into our road cars. For those of you who don’t know the ins-and-outs of the KERS, sit back, take a deep breath and try and keep up with me on this. When we apply the brake pedal, friction is created from the heat generated within the brake and brake rotor mechanisms that is then stored in a KERS device that can come in the form of a battery (hybrid electric technology) and a fly wheel (mechanical). The electrical system uses a motor-generator which is found in the car’s transmission that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy that is stored in a battery and can be released at the push of a button. Mechanical systems harvest braking energy and use it to turn a fly wheel that is connected to the car’s wheels. This system is more efficient as the braking energy does not change in state during the energy transfer; something that all the science boffins will understand to cause an inconsistent amount of energy being released such as a surge in power.
Now that is all over, let’s talk about the latest model released by Jaguar that incorporates this technology. Jaguar has seen what Audi, BMW and other German carmakers are innovating into their mechanical design. As far as the CX-16 goes, Jaguar has gone and done this better. After the Toyota Prius, (yes I know what you might be thinking but stay with me) they have offered a first to the modern day GT car. The CX-16 boasts a 3.0 litre V6 Supercharged hybrid engine. Hybrid is not a badge that we would ever expect to see on car such as a Jaguar that are known for forcing us to commit fraud when we stop at the fuel pump. More or less you would think that the Hybrid badge on the back of a car like this was a joke by the best friend who is Porsche owner. This experimental hybrid system developed by Jaguar allows the CX-16 to drive with zero CO2 emissions while in a not so purring manner reached a speed of up to 80km/h. Intelligent stop/start technology switches off the engine when the car comes to a stop, in 300 milliseconds to be precise, which is faster than the blink of an eye. Worried that the car won’t start again when you are up alongside the Porsche Cayman at the traffic lights? Never fear, Jaguar say that thanks to a Twin Solenoid Starter motor (TSS), the engine will start in the time it takes for your foot to travel from the brake pedal to the accelerator. So feel free when you’re behind the wheel of one of these cars in what Jaguar says will be a year away, to disappear in a cloud of smoke from the traffic lights without feeling guilty about destroying a couple of trees or adding to the broken ozone layer. The all new V6 supercharged engine alone boasts 280kw (375BHP) along with the hybrid “push-to-pass” system which develops an additional 95hp for up to ten seconds combining the two to give a monumental figure of 470hp. With enough torques to drag the moon around the earth, the CX-16 will shift to 100 km/h in 4.4 seconds without the added guilt factor of watching the fuel needle going south thanks to the combined fuel economy of 41 miles to the gallon. The unique red button on the steering wheel creates an unapologetic bold statement that speaks to the driver – “push me and your head will be dismembered from your shoulders”. “We wanted to make a bold statement that would make ‘Push to Pass’ exciting and unmistakably intuitive,” explained Julian Thompson, head of the advanced design studio at Jaguar. In a nutshell we could describe this car as being designed right down to the red button.
Appropriately the concept was released 50 years after the launch of the E-Type which graced the roads with its aerodynamic brilliance. Chief designer for Jaguar Ian Callum, pays homage to the glorious E-type by the incorporation of the side opening rear glass hatch to provide access to the boot. “Great Jaguar cars have always been beautiful, innovative and have looked firmly into the future. The finished CX-16 concept has the potential to do these things while retaining the ability to surprise, excite and invigorate”. The eye candy of faultless curves and lines that we are presented with on the body shells of today’s Jaguars come from a man who wrote to the designers at Jaguar when he was a teenager with his very own designs of what a Jaguar should look like. Very few struggle to disagree with him as it is clear that he has brought the historic reputation of innovation and design back to Jaguar car’s in the form of the CX-16. Let us hope they build this car.
Words by Andrew G. Beacham
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