If you're given to thinking that Jaguars are all about retro-conservatism then think again. The striking Jaguar C-XF concept car, which will make its public debut at the Detroit auto show, reveals Jaguar's design direction for the next decade or more. It offers a clue, not just to the appearance of the forthcoming S-Type replacement — the XF — but also to the next generation of the XJ luxury sedan. The C-XF could prove to one of the most important unveils in Jaguar's roller-coaster history.
The C-XF is a four-door coupe in the manner of the Mercedes CLS. This is in contrast to the production Jaguar XF, which will be a more conventional four-door sedan when it's unveiled at the Frankfurt auto show in September. The production version will not only replace the S-Type in the Jaguar lineup, it will define Jaguar's design direction for the next decade.
The C-XF is no dummy. Under the hood is a tuned version of the Jaguar XKR's 4.2-liter supercharged V8. It delivers in excess of 420 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque and could, in theory, power the concept to 180 mph. The only significant novelty under the skin is a carbon-fiber sleeve for the electrical wiring.
SOURCE:http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=118972
