The all-new Jaguar F-Type roadster will be a low-volume model for the British luxury marque despite the growing interest it has generated due to the complex manufacturing process of its single-piece aluminium bonnet.
Another constraint on F-Type production is the limited capacity of the company that makes the car’s electrically folding soft-top roof. While Jaguar acknowledges it would be possible to increase production of the hoods through additional investment at the supplier, there’s no conceivable shortcut to speed up production of the clamshell bonnet.
In order to create the sharp creases – dubbed ‘heartlines’ at the outer edges, each bonnet has to be pressed three times. That in turn limits the production capacity of the bodyshop meaning only two shifts a day are possible. Jaguar even had to develop a new type of aluminium alloy to withstand the multiple pressings.
The F-Type shares the same production line as the Jaguar XK coupe and convertible at the company’s Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham. Combined annual production of the three models is limited to 15,000 units.
While the ratios can be changed to from model to model, there is no way of increasing the total number of cars produced.
More than half the year’s F-Type production is already sold, and 80,000 fans have registered their expressed interest in the car.
Australia’s F-Type allocation will remain unaffected by Jaguar’s current production capacity, with the car due to be launched here in August.
CarAdvice will be attending the global launch of the Jaguar F-Type in May. Stay tuned for our complete road and track test review.
