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V8s and supercharging not signature: Jaguar
Future Jaguars could have very different soundtracks, as fuel efficiency plots against existing technologyFuture Jaguar performance models could eschew V8s and move away from supercharging in the pursuit of efficiency.
Speaking to motoring.com.au at the launch of the brand’s latest 405kW supercharged V8 XJR and XFR-S, Jaguar director, Steven De Ploey, stated the company is not wed to its existing supercharged V6 and V8 range-toppers and could explore alternatives including turbocharging and hybridisation in the pursuit of more efficient performance variants.
“Can Jaguar exist without V8s? I think the answer is yes...
“Is it our intention at this stage to eliminate V8s from the palette? Clearly not... But could Jaguar in future exist without [V8s], when we have the appropriate technology to deliver intelligent performance? Yes, again...” De Ploey told motoring.com.au
De Ploey remains passionate about the brand’s current crop of muscular and tuneful V8 and V6 petrol engines but he contends that his brand is well placed to explore a range of performance options for future models.
“I think, for the time being supercharging is very much at the heart of our performance proposition,” De Ploey opined.
“Moving forward, depending on the region, obviously, the pressure is higher [to introduce more efficiency]... We are clearly looking already at downsizing, obviously, in terms of displacement... This brings with it the need for different technologies as well – whether that is boosting [turbocharging], whether that is hybridisation, some form of electrification...”
De Ploey says Jaguar’s deferred C-X75 hybrid supercar program is a pointer to potential avenues available to the carmaker – and indeed, the fact JLR is already well advanced down such technology paths.
Deferred from production indefinitely in a climate not conducive to supercar sales, the C-X75 combined a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine and a high-powered electric drivetrain to deliver Ferrari-bashing performance.
Five prototypes have been built. The program called for 200 to be sold at an expected pricetag north of $500,000.
“I think that [C-X75] was an essential test-bed to see how we can evolve from what we’ve got today into something that is sustainable in the future,” he stated.
“To have performance at the heart of the [Jaguar] brand is clearly key for us. That’s almost our raison d'être – it’s the reason why we exist, versus the other premium competitors. But sustainable performance is obviously the critical challenge for us, and that will require, obviously, new technologies to come into play, to sustain that performance offer over time,” he said.
For the time being, Jaguar insiders admits there is only limited performance headroom in the existing 5.0-litre supercharged V8.
In the latest R-S version of the engine, power has been lifted from 375 to 405kW and torque boosted to 680Nm. Already direct competitors are boasting power outputs of over 430kW with torque peaks in the region of 800Nm.
Unlike turbocharged engines such as those favoured by Mercedes’ AMG, BMW’s M and Audi’s quattro performance divisions, significantly increasing boost can be problematic with supercharger installations. While with turbos the change can be as simple as a software tweak, Jaguar’s supercharged engines would require componentry changes – perhaps even an all-new supercharger – to move significantly beyond current levels of power.
The latest uplift is the result of subtle intake and exhaust tuning, XF/XJ Project Director Taj Kailey, told motoring.com.au.
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Written byMike Sinclair
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