Jaguar To Produce Sportscar, Cancel XJ Coupe?

2009 was a pretty good year to Jaguar, with the XK and XF selling well and the new flagship XJ introduced, set to go on sale this year. Forward momentum must be sustained though, so what is next?

A sports car - the rumored Jaguar sportscar we have been hearing about for years. A sportscar for Jaguar has been rumored throughout the 2000s while the British brand was under Ford's ownership. Now, under the ownership of India's Tata Group, the head of the company Ratan Tata is pushing for one to be built.

Edmunds Inside Line has the latest scoop on the internal workings at Jaguar. The "small sportscar" as it is referred to at Jaguar, will be a two-seater, based on an aluminum monocoque like its larger brother the XK and slated to be a 2012 model. The car will supposedly be powered by a turbocharged V-6 based off of the company's V-8 architecture.

Perhaps most important is news about the possibility of a XJ Coupe. CarThrottle reported on the possibility in July when Jaguar's Ian Callum said that his design team had designed one (but not approved it for production).

Oddly enough, IL's report contradicts that, saying that "he is unaware of any such project being worked on." If true, that would be highly disappointing. A XJ Coupe (XJC) would have made a great addition to the Jaguar lineup, being a traditional British GT and a lower priced take on the Bentley Continental GT. As far as we're concerned, we think there life in a XJ Coupe yet - or at least we hope so!