We’ve been waiting for it for years, a more affordable Jaguar sports car. With the XK starting at $85K, there’s a large window of opportunity to go downmarket, and few doubt there wouldn’t be plenty of buyers. The Jaguar brand name is attractive as ever. This C-X16 concept shows what a more affordable Jaguar could look like. It’s a 175-inches long V6-powered 2-seater. The V6 is new, but not all new as it started as a V8, Jaguar’s very own V8, with 2 cylinders cut off. To spice it up for the Frankfurt motor show, a supercharger has been added. Power from the 3.0-liter V6 is a strong 380-hp, going to the rear wheels via a ZF 8-speed auto transmission, but what really caught our eyes is the hybrid system. It’s unlike anything else available.

It’s different, because it wasn’t built with the purpose to make the car more fuel-efficient. The idea was to make it faster. Pretty much like the KERS found in F1 race cars. Electrical energy comes from regenerative braking, and then stored in a 1.6-kWh lithium-ion battery. When it’s fully charged up, the driver can unleash the power from a switch on the steering wheel. He will get instantly 70-kW and 173-lbs/ft of torque. It doesn’t last, as that extra power is only available for 10-seconds, but it’s perfect for overtaking.

Unfortunately, if we’re pretty confident we will see Jaguar going downmarket, that this C-X16 will be green-lighted (with a Stop & Start), the future of this hybrid system is still unknown. We hope to learn more about it in Frankfurt.