Jaguar unveils ‘spiritual successor’ to the E-Type
NEW YORK, April 5 — Jaguar has released new details of its latest model at the New York International Auto Show (April 6-15), as it continues a turnaround set to see it become a global luxury car brand.
The new F-Type is the spiritual successor of the Jaguar E-Type, one of the world's most legendary roadsters and now a much sought-after collectible around the world.
Revealed at the New York event, the F-type will launch as a convertible with a range of engines and will offer just two seats, putting it in the same range as other performance models such as the Porsche 911 and Mercedes-Benz SL.
Performance wise, it's believed that the aluminium model will offer a top speed of over 289 km/h and a 97km/h range of under five seconds.
In a video designed to underline the driver-focused nature of the new car, Formula One star Martin Brundle commented "the first thing I noticed is that it turns in beautifully, it's got so much grip my ribs are in the side of the seat."
Following one of the most iconic cars in history is a tall order to begin with, but today's Jaguar is also in a wholly different position from the 1960s, when the E-Type was first released and came to epitomise London in the 'swinging sixties' (many moviegoers might recognise the car from early James Bond films, or more recently from spoof sixties secret agent Austin Powers — draped in a large Union Jack).
Today, Jaguar is a global car brand and its overriding concern with the F-Type is less likely to be about making a reflection of Britain and more likely to be about making something that can sell in the world's important new markets, such as India and China.
Tata, the Indian company which now owns Jaguar and sister brand Land Rover, began the turnaround for the brands last year, rising from barely making a profit to £1.1billion (RM5.3 billion) in profits for 2010-2011, mainly on the back of demand from developing markets.
The F-Type is the latest step in a process that will see a whopping 40 new products launched over five years between Jaguar Land Rover as Tata seeks to capitalise on its luxury brands' global cachet.
The F-Type production model will be revealed later this year and is expected to go on sale in 2013, Jaguar said. — AFP-Relaxnews
