Jaguar design director Ian Callum recently said
“there’s not a plan” to replace the F-Type quite yet, but that hasn’t stopped
Car Magazine from reporting a redesigned model could arrive in 2020. While there have been countless rumors
about the next-generation F-Type, the publication is bucking the rumor mill by
saying the model will remain front-engined. While have a handful of reports
have claimed the car will be mid-engined, Car says that’s an entirely different
model altogether.
Regardless, the publication says the 2020 F-Type
will ride an updated aluminum architecture which will reportedly be called the
D7b evolution. Details are limited, but the platform could be even lighter than
the one used on the current model.
This weight saving could prove to be rather
impressive as the 2020 F-Type will reportedly be larger than its predecessor.
Nothing is official, but the magazine says the next-generation F-Type will be a
2+2 that targets the Porsche 911. Despite featuring room for up to four people,
it appears the rear seats will be relatively tiny and best used as a means of
last resort.
Coupe and convertible variants are expected and the
publication says power will be provided by an assortment of different engines
including an Ingenium four-cylinder. Perhaps the interesting detail is the
mention of an available twin-turbo 4.4-liter V8 sourced from BMW. The report
claims the engine will replace the company’s supercharged 5.0-liter V8 and
produce 560 hp.
The engine is eventually expected to find its way
into other Jaguar Land Rover products. The report doesn’t mention which models,
but they would likely include the next-generation Range Rover, Range Rover
Sport and Jaguar XJ. The rumor about the BMW-sourced V8 engine is interesting as previous
reports have suggested the company would eliminate V8s altogether. Of course,
this and other rumors should be taken with a grain of salt.
