AW: Jaguar to hatch R-D6 inspired sports fastback for 2014
The on-again, off-again five-door "coupe" from Jaguar is reportedly, well, on again. According to AutoWeek, the British-born and Indian-owned automaker plans to release the sporty hatchback in 2014 with an estimated price of around $60,000. Jaguar first dipped a toe in the five-door coupe waters back in 2003 at the Frankfurt Motor Show, though the R-D6 concept was quickly forgotten after its initial round of the show circuit.Now, an unnamed source at Jaguar tells AW, "There's a growing feeling with the R-D6 that we really had something very innovative, fresh and different. Maybe we missed something back then, but the idea is even more applicable now." Might that newfound interest have anything to do with the BMW 5 Series Grand Turismo and Audi Sportback models?
The new car would reportedly be one size smaller than the current XF and would share its aluminum chassis architecture with the next XK and planned XE sportscars. After the five-door hits the market, there's a reasonable chance a sportier three-door could shortly follow. Power will reportedly come from a new line of V6 engines that will feature forced induction and share ancestry with Jag's latest 5.0-liter V8 engine.
Gallery: 2003 Jaguar R-D6 Concept
[Source: AutoWeek]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
BobinCobb 11:01AM (10/28/2009)
Who knows if Jag will even be around in 2014, AW = hot air
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Jay MIller 11:13AM (10/28/2009)
Why the RD-6 never saw the light of day is a mystery. It's what a Mini driver would buy when they have a family and some money!
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RG 11:06AM (10/28/2009)
I like the concept, I like the idea, the only thing I DON'T like is the price.
$60k seems a little steep to me and would put it squarely in XF territory. I would prefer to see it in the $40s with Jaguar's excellent twin-turbo diesel and maybe a V-6.
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Alex 11:18AM (10/28/2009)
This is awesome news. Jaguar looks to be getting back on its feet with an awesome lineup.
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DJ 11:28AM (10/28/2009)
Looks like Jaguar, along with Saab, are going to take the lower production, higher margin route in the future in order to survive.
I love the concept too, although not thrilled to see the "blacked out" C pillar, a la the new XK,becoming a Jag design signature. Also, Jag needs to raid the LR parts bin for a solid AWD drive system.
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Luso 11:32AM (10/28/2009)
It all depends on Tata, which latest financial numbers aren't great. But again, still one of the very few brands that could compete with the Germans. But the odds of success are tiny.
http://www.carnorama.com
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MeiSooHaityu 11:32AM (10/28/2009)
Looks cool, however that front end kind of reminds me of the new Alphas. I think it is the headlamps.
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157MPHourly 11:38AM (10/28/2009)
Could the front end look any more like a Bugatti Veyron?
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Gearhead0384 11:51AM (10/28/2009)
That concept Screams Continental GT.
But I like it.
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Adam 11:53AM (10/28/2009)
I'm not sure what's worse--Autoweek posting a month-old story (http://blogs.thecarconnection.com/marty-blog/1035935_report-jaguar-working-on-five-door-coupe) as 'news', or you repeating it...
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Dill 8:41PM (10/29/2009)
It needs to be made sooner
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leftlaneabuse 12:00PM (10/28/2009)
Seems BMW is dragging everyone into the 4-door-with-hatch arena no matter how ugly they look. Somewhere along the line SUV's got targeted as being bad for the environment, but these "coupes" offer no better gas mileage, offer less utility and are ugly. I guess since BMW did it, it must be the thing to do.
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TKE 12:03PM (10/28/2009)
Predicting what could work out for Jag and what may not work is nearly impossible. Basically cuz nothing ever seems to work out for Jag.
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JimBob 12:02PM (10/28/2009)
SEXYTIME
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Arthur 12:38PM (10/28/2009)
The concept (gallery) posted is intriguing. Can't say that it's a beautiful car, but I like it.
At one or two angles, certainly reminds me of the Infiniti FX (1st generation).
This wouldn't be a bad item to add to their line up.
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Jimbo 1:19PM (10/28/2009)
I have a feeling that the whole "four-door coupe" trend will be over by 2014. Most fads have a limited life span, i.e. pop-up headlights, cab-forward design, fender-vents, clear taillight lenses, (and hopefully smiley-faced grilles will join that list).
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Blacksabre 2:12PM (10/28/2009)
I hope they put real brakes on it.
http://jalopnik.com/5391222/jaguar-pusses-out-of-jalopnik-vs-gm-race?skyline=true&s=x
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P.V. 5:50PM (10/28/2009)
Interesting....
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