Paris, France— Jaguar's C-X75 concept was a surprise to everyone. We all expected the company to display a small sedan to slot in beneath the XF, a model the expanding brand desperately needs.
Jaquar had other plans. Instead, the company pulled the sheet off of this lusty two-seat supercar. Like several other concepts like the Porsche 918, the C-X75 employs electric motors for forward thrust. But in the Jag's case, there's a 195 hp motor for each of the four wheels. So this concept has 780 hp on tap.
Jaguar claims that the C-X75 can travel 68 miles on the battery pack and when it's depleted, an innovative gas-powered generator kicks on to supply the juice. Rather than use a conventional piston motor, Jaguar installed a pair of small turbine engines just behind the two fixed seats. These engines can supply 188 hp and can either charge the batteries or send juice to the electric motors.
Like all these concepts, the C-X75 is, at this point, just an idea. But we'e seen the micro turbine used in a hybrid before so perhaps the idea's time has arrived.