Going mid-engine is a dream come true for the engineers working on the next generation Jaguar F-Type model.
The team is excited about the idea and are discussing the possibilities of going with it before finalizing the decision, confirmed the company’s design director Ian Callum.
The top executives at auto brands had a great time showcasing their products at the 2016 Los Angeles auto show. Each one of them had distinct models, designs and some new technology to show their prowess. Being one of the top brands that had a long reputation of making high performance cars, Jaguar is no different. While the company didn’t had any prominent launches at the auto show, it’s chief designer talked about the future F-type and the company’s plans to go with a mid-engine this time around.
Ian Callum said that for a brand like Jaguar it makes a lot of sense to go with a mid-engine. They are a sports car company that is supposed to be making high performance models and there is no better time to take a step into the future than this. “This time, it looks like we have a favorable situation and the ability to go out of the conventional logic. The previous design of the last generation F-Type was a mid-engined model. However, the concept model underwent some major changes before going into production and the one that people got in stores was different. If we made it as the concept, it would have been such a big leap but it never happened,” he said.
While the design executive is not happy about the brand’s decisions in the past, he confirmed that they have got the permission to adopt the technology this time around. A sports car company shouldn’t hesitate to make such decisions and they are going to come up with groundbreaking performance by going mid-engined. “The thing is, we are yet to decide on this topic. There is a lot of discussion going on and even people within the design time don’t want to try mid-engined this but there are those who love it. The next F-type is not going to have a long hood and short trunk because we are still working on it,” Callum added.
Going mid-engined could give Jaguar F-Type the edge and it will join the elite fray along with the McLaren 650S, Ferrari 488GTB and the Lamborghini Huracan. Going with the usual style is not going to bring much of a change except trying to go over the 600 hp mark.