New E-Type on its way?

At the Detroit Motor Show the company unveiled the XFR, which reached a speed of 363 km/h during a test at the Bonneville racetrack in the Utah desert last November although the road car will be limited to 155mph.

Power comes from a supercharged 510hp version of Jaguar's new 5-litre direct-injection V8 engine which is transmitted to the road via a six-speed automatic transmission. Jaguar says the XFR goes on sale this spring.

The four-door XFR is expected to cost nearly 60,000. Meanwhile the company is targeting the 2011 Geneva Motor Show for the launch of a new two-seater - a project the company has been dancing around since it showed the F-Type project at the Detroit motor show in 2000.

Company sources say the new sports car will be front-engined, rear-wheel-drive and could be powered by that same engine as in the XFR saloon.

Jaguar boss Mike O'Driscoll also hinted to reporters that the company is also considering an all-new smaller model to add to the range - small but not cheap.

It will not, however, be a direct replacement for the X-type, which is due to end production next year.

O'Driscoll also warned that Jaguar and Land Rover may have to cut more jobs in response to falling car sales. He added that the company is looking hard at its cost base to ensure the business structure reflects "current market realities".

The two carmakers, acquired last year by Indian manufacturer Tata Motors, share joint management and have three car plants in the UK. They have already cut production schedules and reduced their workforce by nearly 2,000 over the past year.

Jaguar and Land Rover, along with other UK carmakers, are seeking emergency funding from the government.

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Credits: JRC