A coupe version of the all-new Jaguar F-Type is the most likely first follow up to the roadster as the British luxury car maker prepares to go head to head with the iconic Porsche 911.
Jaguar is looking at offering a full range of F-Type sports cars in a bid to broaden the appeal of its first proper sports car since the first E-Type rolled off the production line some 52 years ago.
According to the company’s global brand director, Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar has considered all possible options for the F-Type model line – a coupe, ultra-high-performance R-S versions, manuals, diesels and hybrids, small-capacity engines and all-wheel-drive versions.
“Let’s put it this way: everything you could imagine we have imagined too,” Hallmark said.
However, the next logical extension to the F-Type line-up is a coupe, given the concept car that preceded the production car – the Jaguar CX-16, revealed at the Frankfurt Motor Show 18 months ago – had a hard top.
An all-wheel-drive version of the F-Type also seems likely for cold climate markets such as Europe and the US, especially as the V6 engine was developed with all-wheel drive in mind.
At this stage, the range-topping F-Type V8 S hasn’t been engineered for 4WD, so it’s not technically feasible due to the shape and size of the engine not allowing space for the additional components needed to take drive to the front wheels.
Hallmark pretty much ruled out a hybrid variant of F-Type, despite the fact that JLR has developed a hybrid powertrain for the latest-generation Range Rover.
“If it was offered on the sports car there would be no bot space left and it would add 400 kilos,” he said.
