The Advanced Lightweight Coupe shows what the next XK might look like. The next XK will need a more blunt front bumper to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations.
Here is an excerpt from a motorsportscenter.com interview with Henrik Fisker, Aston Martin's Director of Design from 2001 until December of last year.
MotorSportsCenter: Does the V8 Vantage adhere to the new European safety law regarding pedestrians?
Henrik Fisker: The Vantage actually comes out before that law takes effect. Just to give a comment on that - and this is just purely my opinion, not reflecting on Ford Motor Company - but there is a problem today, in my opinion, where you have too many government officials that don't understand the car industry but are making up laws, with good intent, but they end up really lingering the progress of even safety. You are only looking at one aspect; when you force only one aspect on a car, like pedestrian safety, you force the company to spend all their time and resources on that aspect, where if you look at it in a more holistic way - like, for instance, what Volvo has done for years; they have always had an eye on safety. Where does it make the most sense to improve safety? Volvo is the one that came out with a lot of [safety improvements] first, not from government regulations at all. That would be, for me, the better way to do it.
This pedestrian safety restriction, I think, is a waste of opportunity. And it's going to cost a lot of money, and it is money that will be paid for, in the end, by the consumers.
I think there are more innovative ways to deal with [safety]. Maybe some of that will come out; there will be some adjustment - that's my prediction. Unfortunately, we will spend a lot of money in the next few years, but then somebody will realize that maybe that was not the bet ideas, and then there will be some new ideas coming up.
Its grille is inspired by the 1961 Jaguar E-Type. The next Jaguar XK will have a hatch like the E-Type.
The Advanced Lightweight Coupe was shown at the 2005 Detroit auto show.
Many people say that the Jaguar Advanced Lightweight Coupe looks too much like an Aston Martin. One thing I notice about the Jaguar is that its tail tapers off like the current XK while the trunks of new Aston Martins are flat and have that crease around them or have a spoiler like the 2006 Aston Martin V8 Vantage.
Note: The new Aston Martins have their own new aluminum chassis.
Notice the grille of this Jaguar E-Type.
It will use the new XJ's aluminum chassis. Here is the XJ's aluminum chassis.
Ok, the automotive press has probably finished wetting themselves by now over the ALC, but one question remains beyond that of "will they build it?": will (or even CAN) Jaguar ever truly replace the XKE? The XJ-S, though a brilliant car and a magnificent GT machine, wasn't up to the task (or even built for it), and the XK8 was more of an evolution of the XJS than a throwback to the E. Would the public even buy such a bare bones replacement for the E if Jaguar were to actually build it with all they expect now from the marque (eg- leather, wood, navigation, CATS, etc.), and will the ALC be such a car?
The 2006 Jaguar XK will have an aluminum chassis. It will weigh hundreds of pounds less than the current XK8. The E-Type is a legend and the next XK won't replace it, but the next XK will be far more fun to drive than the XJ-S or the XK8.
The next aluminum XK will likely be more of a driver's car than the current XK so a manual transmission would suit it well. Maserati sells a few Coupes and Spyders here in the USA with manual transmissions.
Cadillac even has a sedan with a manual transmission.
really? 4 years ago when I was in USA, there was I think 99% cars with automat - I wanted hire a car in Las vegas ( ferrari) and all cars were wiht automat
Well, most rental cars have automatic transmissions here.
Jaguar could put the ZF automatic transmission with paddle shifters like the one the new Aston Martin DB9 has, but a manual transmission would still be more fun to drive.
from autoexpress.co.uk
"There's been a shift in attitude at Aston Martin - the DB9 is to get an all-new manual gearbox. The move comes as a result of demand from traditionalist customers, who want this transmission instead of the sequential automatic with dash-mounted buttons.The conventional six-speed version will join the DB9 line-up towards the middle of next year, and is expected to cost around Ł3,000 less than the current model."
I agree; the features of the ALC look too chisled. The main styling trait for Jaguar has always been smooth lines and an absence of hard creases. I hope the ALC gets an exterior reworking if it reaches production.
Nová generace modelu XK od britského výrobce, jenž bude vystaven v září na Frankfurtském autosalónu jako Coupé, je prvním sériovým automobilem se vzduchovými vaky v přední části.
Vůz se začne prodávat v březnu 2006, později bude představen také v karosářské variantě Cabrio. Inovativní systém airbagů má za cíl chránit chodce při případném střetu s vozem. Pokud senzory v předku automobilu zaregistrují náraz do člověka, vystřelí dva vzduchové vaky umístěné v zadní části kapoty motoru, která je ukotvená vpředu. Nafouknuté polštáře pak nadzvednou celou kapotu o 17 centimetrů, aby změkčily dopad člověka na tvrdou podložku.
Model XK je až na kola, nárazníky, zadní světla a drobné retuše v interiéru shodný s konceptem Coupé, vystaveným letos v lednu v Detroitu. Prodej bude zahájen s jedinou motorovou variantou, 4,2litrovým V8, později budou následovat také agregáty V8 3.5 a přeplňovaný V8. Všechny tři pohonné jednotky budou mít šestistupňovou automatickou převodovku.
The new XK has to comply with new European pedestrian safety regulations.
In short, politicians and others think that auto makers should compensate for poor drivers and pedestrians. Europe has a lot of pedestrian deaths in car crashes relative to the U.S.
Bentley Flying Spur's plastic grille designed with pedestrian safety in mind
(The Flying Spur went into production before the new regulations took effect)
AUTOMOTIVE NEWS
Posted Date: 5/12/05
Observers may be astonished that the wire mesh-looking radiator grille on the $165,000 Bentley Continental Flying Spur is plastic.
Bentley is not cost-cutting or trying to save weight on the 5,456-pound sedan.
The grille is designed with pedestrian safety in mind, said Engineering Director Ulrich Eichhorn. On impact, the grille breaks, and the relatively soft radiator behind it then deforms, he said.
Bentley said it has not designed the grille to help the 2006 Flying Spur meet European Union pedestrian safety regulations, which require a bigger crush zone between the person being hit and so-called hard points such as the engine.
“It was to meet our own standards,” Eichhorn said.
He doubts that the EU’s new pedestrian safety regulations will do much to protect pedestrians.
“No matter how you try to soften it, a car is hard,” Eichhorn said. The “really bad impact” is the secondary impact, when the pedestrian hits the street.
Said Eichhorn: “The best thing is to avoid the crash."
but for Jaguar is most important US market, and can you imagine an american with manual transmission???
