Jaguar supercar in doubt

Jaguar’s spectacular C-X75 supercar may never make it to production.

The petrol-electric hybrid super-coupe is currently under development with prototypes built and running, but Jaguar Land Rover’s global operations boss Phil Popham told Australian motoring media this morning the green light to build it had yet to be given.

“We have the ability to deliver it but we still have to make the decision from a business point of view when and if,” Mr Popham said.

The C-X75 concept was the star of the 2010 Paris motor show, although that version featured experimental gas turbines which have not been part of the development program.

In 2011 Jaguar announced it intended to build a limited run of C-X75s and as recently as July briefed motoring.com.au on the mechanical complexities of the car. Jaguar also revealed a $1.35 million Australian price and a 200-car production run commencing in 2014.

But Mr Popham and Jaguar chief designer Ian Callum, who was also at this morning’s briefing in Sydney, back-pedalled significantly from that position, denying the green light for production had been given or the 2014 timing ever officially confirmed.

“What has changed?” Mr Popham asked rhetorically. “We are growing as a business, we are investing two billion pounds a year, we are getting some success, we are investing in infrastructure around the world, we have got priorities of business to keep that ambitious business plan we are developing going.

“The decision we have got to make is in terms of where are the priorities, where do we want to invest our money, where are we going to make our money over the course of the next few years. That decision is still to be made amongst a lot of other investments for Jaguar and Land Rover.”

Apart from the need to focus investment on the renewal of much of the Jaguar and Land Rover line-ups over the next five years, the difficult global economy is also an issue - as is the fact that the C-X75 would be going into battle against a heavy-duty line-up of $1 million-plus hybrid supercars from Porsche (918 Spyder), McLaren (P1) and Ferrari with its F70 Enzo replacement.

“Porsche is doing a thousand of these things - I think that will be a hard fight for them,” observed Mr Callum. “I don’t think there are that many people who want a one-million-pound car.”

While it may never make production, the C-X75 development program continues on track in terms of timing and investment, Mr Popham said. Both the Williams F1 team and Cosworth are involved in the project.

“We are spending money on the same timeframe for the program on the same development path it always was. The only difference now is making a decision as to when, if, how we introduce this product commercially.”

Mr Popham said the development program was relevant whatever the fate of the C-X75: “We are reaping the benefit from a technology development that is going to be used in the future. Nothing is wasted there - it is all beneficial to us.”

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