News and rumours concerning the arrival of new vehicle types at the turn of the next decade presage a very busy time in the industry come 2020… and a very interesting one as well. The latest story to surface is one first reported by Auto Express magazine, and relates Jaguar’s plan to build a mid-engined hybrid car.
The model, to be known as the J-Type, would be ready for market in 2022 as a 2023 model. It would represent Jaguar’s answer to products like the McLaren 570S and Mercedes-AMG GT, for example. According to Auto Express, the engineers working the project took much inspiration from the just-unveiled new edition of the Acura NSX.
The model will be powered by a V6 gasoline engine, supported by at least two electric units - one per axle. A lot can change between now and 2022, of course, but one thing that does seem set in stone is the central location of the engine in the car.
The J-Type could also be produced in all-electric format, but that would only be ready by mid-decade.
Some rumours are indicating that this model could actually replace the F-Type on Jaguar’s roster, but on that point we’ll refrain from jumping to any conclusions. The F-Type could very well cohabitate with the future J-Type, especially since the two models would not be in direct competition with one another. We also know that Jaguar intends to offer a hybrid version of that F-Type beginning in 2020 – hardly the kind of move the automaker would be making if it was contemplating abandoning the model.
You’ll recall that Jaguar has promised to work toward electrifying (in some form or other) its entire model portfolio.