Jaguar F-Type 2013 News

The first true Jaguar sports car for 40 years vies for centre stage at the show. The F-Type makes only its second public appearance anywhere in the world. A reinvention of the classic ’60s star, the E-Type, it’s a sure sellout when it gets here next year.  We’ve already seen, touched, explored and sat in the F-Type, which is the work of design guru Ian Callum. Everything points to a top-quality British roadster, priced between Porsche’s Boxster S and 911 Cabriolet, with a choice of three engines - and a supercharged V8 F-Type RS and coupe also in the car’s near future. The F-Type has classic sports car proportions, but is much more modern and muscular than the E-Type. Sure, there are nods to the ancestor car - look at the muscular haunches and the tail lamps - but Callum says the F-Type is something completely new. “It’s a car we’ve wanted for a long time. It makes you turn your head,” he says. “You’ll know from 200 yards away that this is a Jaguar sports car. I’ve never owned a car that I’ve designed before, but I’m going to pay my own money for one of these.” Callum is expected in Sydney for the show, accompanying his baby on the quick trip from its global unveiling at the Paris motor show. He is quick to put the F-Type into perspective alongside the E-Type that inspired it. “If you want an E-Type then you should buy an E-Type. This is something different and better. You will like driving it far more than driving an E-Type.” The F-Type is a true two-seater, not a 2+2 like Jaguar’s XK roadsters, with a tightly drawn body that uses a folding canvas top that can be opened or closed in 12 seconds at up to 50km/h. It will come with a basic V6 engine, a supercharged V6 and a V8, with Jaguar’s latest eight-speed automatic gearbox — tweaked for much sportier shifts than the XJ limousine - and classic rear-wheel-drive. The boot is a 200-litre space that’s good for a single set of golf clubs. The press preview of the F-Type starts dramatically when a car roars down a specially built driveway at a house on the side of the River Thames, about an hour from London. “You have to see a car in motion for the first time,” Callum says. The impact is immediate. The F-Type is a little like a Ferrari California, at least in the basic shape and proportions, but looks far more masculine than the Italian sports car. Though pumped-up, it’s also elegant and a little soft. Jaguar plans for the F-Type to lead a huge new-model push that includes an updated XJ and F-Type, which get a four-cylinder engine and new V6s for 2013, and is confident it has the goods. It is very impressive and a great looker, from the giant air intake in the nose through to the tightly drawn tail, which has central exhausts for the V6 and side exits for the V8. “We started out as a sports car company. Without a sports car, Jaguar is just not Jaguar,” says Adrian Hallmark, the global brand director for Jaguar. Jaguar F-Type Price: about $250,000 Date of release: 2013 Engine: choice of V6s or a V8 Thirst: untested  

When I was a little bloke, a visit to the old Sydney Showgrounds was always a very special event.

Calling the new Jaguar F-Type convertible a milestone for the storied automaker is no exaggeration, as it’s the first no-compromise sports car from the brand in decades. It’s clear that Jaguar invested a significant amount of time and effort into its creation, and now that the car is nearing production we have to wonder what’s next from Jaguar. Autocar believes it has the answer, based on statements from Jaguar head Adrian Hallmark. First, Hallmark clarified the company’s position on the F-Type, saying, “Without the F-Type, our heritage would not be complete. The F-Type is the core of our range, and from now on it is our orientation point.” Saying that an SUV/crossover and a compact sedan are the most likely new products from Jaguar, Hallmark emphasised that “Whatever we do will be driven by the three pillars of our brand: innovation, design and performance leadership. Those three can be applied to different degrees in cars, but they must always be present.” Perhaps even before a Jaguar crossover or sub-XF sedan can be launched, expectations are that Jaguar will introduce a coupe version of the F-Type, to better counter rival products like the Porsche 911 and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage. When an F-Type coupe will hit the market is anyone’s guess, but popular opinion has it following a year after the convertible’s launch. Whatever product is next in line, one thing is clear: based on Hallmark’s statements, it will be exceptional in design and in the driving experience. We’ve been impressed with Jaguar’s progress in recent years, so we’re not surprised to witness the brand’s ongoing success. www.motorauthority.com  

We’ve all been waiting to see what the Jaguar F-Type looks like under the camouflage it’s been wearing in official photos and teaser videos - and here it is. In full-dress glory, it echoes the styling cues of the Jaguar C-X16 concept unveiled at last year’s Frankfurt motor show. A single image was leaked last week and that was followed early this morning by a whole lot more. The Jaguar F-Type will be initially launched as a convertible with a choice of three supercharged petrol engines: 250kW and 280kW versions of a new 3.0-litre V6, plus a higher-powered version of the current Jaguar 5.0-litre V8 - all equipped with Stop/Start technology. All three variants of the Jaguar F-Type will be rear-wheel-drive with an eight-speed-transmission. The F-Type will get a second public unveiling - and a chance for Aussies to get a closer look -- at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney next month, where we’ll also get more details on local spec and prices ahead of the car going on sale mid-2013.

The Australian International Motor Show confirms that Jaguar will be revealing its all-new sports car, the F-TYPE at Sydney in October. In its second unveiling to the world, but first in the Southern Hemisphere, the F-TYPE’s unveiling at the Australian International Motor Show will aid in marking Jaguar’s return to the sports car market. So far, teaser images are all that have been released of this all-new aluminium two-seater sports car, with the world waiting with baited breath for its covers to come off in its very first reveal at the Paris Motor Show in September. The F-TYPE will be initially launched as a convertible with a choice of three petrol engines – 340PS and 380PS versions of Jaguar’s all-new 3.0-litre supercharged V6 and a new derivative of its existing supercharged 5.0-litre V8. All three variants of the Jaguar F-TYPE will be rear-wheel-drive with an eight-speed-transmission and equipped with Stop/Start technology. “The all-new F-TYPE is guaranteed to amaze the world’s automotive industry and its unveiling is certainly a momentous occasion in Jaguar’s illustrious history,” said Russ Tyrie, Show Director. “As Jaguar have stated, the F-TYPE will break new ground by delivering stunning sports car performance while demonstrating its cutting-edge engineering technologies and world-class design excellence. “We are honoured and excited that the 2012 Australian International Motor Show has been selected as the platform for the second official world unveiling of the all-new Jaguar F-TYPE convertible.” Jaguar will also have on display the 2013 models of its XF and XJ, making the 2012 Australian International Motor Show one of their biggest local shows to date. The Jaguar F-TYPE convertible will join the all-new Range Rover from Land Rover as vehicles currently confirmed to make their second world reveal and Southern Hemisphere debuts at the Australian International Motor Show. The 2012 Australian International Motor Show will be held at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour from October 19-28, 2012. For further information about the Show and to purchase early bird tickets, visit the AIMS website. www.motorshow.com.au  

...you get a glimpse. Maybe.

Some car companies are thriving, some are struggling. Jaguar, of late, has struggled.For a company which has been on life support more than once through its 85-year existence, Jaguar will not give in.It is hanging on grimly amid on-again, off-again suggestions its parent company, Ford, like it did earlier this year with Aston Martin, wants to sell.As a brand it still has an enormous amount of cache.Through all the turmoil Jaguar has been a survivor.There is no question many mistakes were made, none more obvious than its failure to depart from retro styling and its indecision over future product.Many suggest it should have by now cashed in on the SUV phenomenon. It can leverage much engineering and purchasing might from its gifted offroad stablemate Land Rover. There still is a chance Jaguar, in the long term, will bite the bullet and emerge with a quality SUV.Jaguar also seriously considered coming out with a budget roadster to fight with Mazda's evergreen MX-5 but the F-Type concept was still-born when it appeared about seven years ago.Even so the F-Type and the similar XK180 concept showcased the gorgeous design skills still prevalent among Jaguar's team.In the short-term Jaguar will replace its retro S-Type saloon with the XF, which has clear contemporary and future design elements, bringing it into line with its luxury rivals.The XF, which will be shown in production-ready form at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September and released in Australia later next year, uses interior cues similar to the brilliant XK coupe and convertible.It will be on a longer wheelbase and have wider front and rear tracks so it will be roomier inside.Jaguar may have slipped up in bringing out the budget $50,000-plus X-Type small sedan to try to muscle in on BMW 3-series territory.It didn't spark the sales volume — although it has improved — that it pinned so many hopes on and in some respects the car which was built off Ford's Mondeo platform didn't do the leaper badge's image many favours.In Australia, Jaguar has mirrored the rough ride it has experienced internationally with sales coughing and spluttering along.In 2006 Jaguar sold 1011 vehicles in Australia with the X-Type accounting for 676 compared with 975 (630 X-Types) the previous year.Business at Jaguar has been marking time for the past few years but in year-to-date figures the company is falling behind last year's mark of 367 to the tune of 35 cars.But funnily enough, volume is not the ultimate figure for Jaguar Australia general manager Dorian Lapthorne who says the company wants to model itself on Porsche.That is a big tick for Porsche's business operations which have won universal praise for being the only automotive company in the world that increased profit every year from 1995-2005.“Around the world Porsche has the highest profitability per unit of any manufacturer,” Lapthorne says.“They look to us like a good model for success.”Lapthorne qualifies the goal by saying Jaguar is not about to come out and corner the two-seater sports car market.“I'm saying as a business model, as a dealer network model, as an approach to the market that's got to be something that's a way of going forward.”Jaguar wants to shift cars but the balance sheet is reliant not so much on the number of vehicles sold but in lifting the average retail price.“Yes, year-to-date we're a little off the pace and we're completely comfortable with that,” Lapthorne said.“It's sometimes a difficult thing for people to understand because it says more equals more generally.“I think we're down about 10 per cent and that's completely in line with our plans.“In fact I think we're about five per cent ahead of our forecast.”You might be scratching you're head thinking that being off the pace is in line with plans but the method to the madness is in a greater spend by the customer.“It doesn't sound like a sensible thing to be doing until I tell you that our average retail price has gone from about $85,000 last year to about $100,000 this year.“I'm not going to go into the profit behind that, obviously, but that actually tells quite a good story for ourselves and dealers in terms of profit.”The focus for Jaguar has clearly shifted to the top end with its XK and XKR models rather than the “humble” X-Type.The X-Type path has proved to be a dead-end in terms of Jaguar growing its business on a mainstream scale as the Germans have done.“If you go back to 2001 when we were introducing the X-Type, we were then on what we thought was a growth path.“We thought we were a brand that was going to replicate what BMW, Mercedes and Audi was doing and extend down from our traditional premium end of the market.“For a number of reasons that didn't work.”There remains a degree of exclusivity and individuality about Jaguar buyers.They don't want to be seen as people who are driving cars built for the masses.“The Jaguar brand is very much seen as a brand for individuals,” Lapthorne said.“And that, when we do our brand tracking and brand research, is the one characteristic Jaguar owns across all luxury car lines compared to BMW and Audi and Lexus and VW and Peugeot.“I think that is one of the reasons which inherently prevented us from reaching the growth path we wanted.“The X-Type, a fusion of an XJ nose and an S-Type rear, was seen to be too conservative and was dressed to appeal to the Jaguar faithful thus hosing down the chance of catching fire with the broader audience.“It (X-Type) really hooked into those who already loved Jaguar and didn't extend outside that little footprint.”So what does the future hold?“As an example we like to look at Porsche which has a very focused product line-up, a very hyped dealer network and they don't sell huge amounts of cars,” Lapthorne said.“So we look at that and think that's a pretty good model for success.“If we got Jaguar into that sort of space — highly focused, premium, niche then I would think we've done a good job.”