September 2003 - Jaguar Press Release
all pictures Jaguar Cars

R-D6 represents the
pure, sensuous and sporting design that will feature in all
new Jaguars, but more than this it is a vision of the future
of premium motoring: beautiful, fast, agile, efficient and fun.
The fact that it is the most compact four-seater Jaguar ever
and defies categorisation makes it even more intriguing and
desirable. (Ian Callum Director of Design, Jaguar
Cars) |
Jaguar today unveiled the
R-D6 concept car at the Frankfurt show. The R-D6 concept signals
a dynamic future for the Jaguar marque, true to its core values
of providing sporting dynamic luxury.
Every day we make decisions. We choose the rational
following our head or the emotional following
our heart. The real trick, though, is to balance the two and so
get the best of both worlds. This is something that Jaguar understands
in a way that few other car companies do.
With R-D6 we set out to create a concept
car which would build on the R-Coupe and further develop Jaguars
new design direction. We also wanted to showcase the latest technology
in lightweight vehicle structures and our potent new bi-turbo, common-rail
V6 diesel. (Mike Wright Managing Director, Jaguar Cars)
Jaguar Director of Design, Ian Callum, and Chief
Designer, Advanced Design, Julian Thomson, marshalled the efforts
of a small team of groundbreaking designers who seized the opportunity
to realise their ideas for the future of the Jaguar marque well
before they appear in production form.
Observers will point to classic Jaguar
design cues such as the grille on R-D6, but it is
important to realise that such features are there not because they
commemorate Jaguars past, but because they are intrinsically
right for a thoroughly modern Jaguar.
R-D6 also takes advantage of Jaguars lightweight
structure strategy, as pioneered in the new XJ saloon. Using aluminium
and composite materials for the chassis and body, R-D6 weighs just
1500kg. This allows it to capitalise on the power and, more
importantly, the torque delivered by its V6 engine.
And its the engine that will surprise many
people although, when you think about it, a high-performance
2.7-litre diesel engine makes perfect sense. Confirming Jaguar as
a potent new force in the world of large-capacity diesels, the bi-turbo
V6 is a tuned version of the engine that will make its debut in
the S-TYPE in 2004. With horsepower in excess of 230bhp and a massive
500Nm of torque, the V6 diesel engine endows R-D6 with the pace
to satisfy its looks and R-Performance rating. Acceleration from
standstill to the benchmark 60mph takes less than six seconds. Top
speed is an electronically limited 155mph.

Weve
already proved with the new XJ what advantages there are in
using aluminium within a lightweight vehicle structure. Its
natural that this technology will feature in Jaguars
future and what better place to start than R-D6.
(Phil Hodgkinson Programmes Director, Jaguar Cars)
Respect
for a glorious heritage doesnt stop us putting in place
the foundations for future generations of thrilling, dynamic
Jaguars that arent afraid to challenge perceptions.
Thats what R-D6 is all about. (Julian Thomson
Chief Designer, Advanced Design, Jaguar Cars)
|
The body
Distinctive, confident and original, R-D6 has
a beautiful, pure style that triggers a simple desire: I want one.
Its distinctive blend of attributes inherent in
the Jaguar psyche emotional engineering, stimulating performance,
intelligent technology and downright sexy design makes R-D6
instantly recognisable as a true Jaguar. But the styling of the
car its lines and shapes, its sheer presence heralds
a design direction that makes no apologies to past, present or future.
At 4,330mm long, R-D6 is 342mm shorter than Jaguars
smallest car, the X-TYPE saloon and 760mm shorter than an
XK8 coupé. The compact length of R-D6 is aided by short overhangs
front and rear (800mm and 695mm respectively) and is achieved with
a wheelbase of 2,840mm. To ensure R-D6 is a true four-seater, the
design team refused to compromise on width or height (2,150mm and
1,390mm) but succeeded nonetheless in crafting a beautifully compact
coupé that has all the road presence and more
that you expect of a Jaguar.
Whether it is the grille that draws your eye,
or the vents integrated into the bonnet and flanks of the car, or
the aluminium finisher swooping over the entire side glass area,
there is some instant attraction for everyone in the design of R-D6.
The headlights reveal a fresh interpretation of the twin-lamp style
featured by Jaguars so successfully and naturally
for many years. Both front and rear lights use LED technology to
deliver the best possible function while maintaining beautiful form.
For many, though, it will be the details that
make R-D6 so irresistibly attractive. Details such as the flush-mounted
door handles, which pivot on the front edge to activate an electrical
actuator that opens the door; the centrally mounted twin-pipe exhausts;
the aluminium boot finisher engraved with the Jaguar script; or
even the Leaper on the back of the car.
The structure
The aluminium chassis of R-D6 is similar to that
of the new XJ and is constructed using many of the same advanced
technologies with all the accompanying advantages, including
outstanding strength, robustness and durability in a true lightweight
architecture. Castings such as the front suspension turrets have
also benefited from techniques used in the new XJ, while the body
is of aluminium and composite materials.
R-D6 rides on 21-inch wheels, machined from solid
aluminium specifically for this car. They are shod with unique,
ultra-low-profile Pirelli tyres: 255/30 R21 on the front and a massive
275/30 R21 on the rear. Look through the spokes of the beautiful
wheels and youll see Jaguar R-Performance discs and calipers.

Why not use a
sophisticated diesel engine in a luxury sports coupe? Sir William
Lyons was never afraid to innovate and if he was alive and running
the company today, Im sure this is exactly the sort of
progress he would be embracing. (Mike Wright Managing
Director, Jaguar Cars) |
The heart
The all-new diesel engine that powers R-D6 encapsulates
the spirit of Jaguar today and at the same time reinforces the promise
of its future. Due to make its debut in a production Jaguar
the S-TYPE in mid-2004, the 2.7-litre V6 features twin turbochargers
and the latest, high-pressure, common-rail direct injection, making
it among the most advanced high-performance diesel engines in the
world.
Innovations such as a Compacted Graphite Iron
(CGI) cylinder block which provides outstanding strength
and durability as well as weighing less than a traditional cast
iron unit allied to state-of the-art electronic engine control
systems have given Jaguar the engine that the marque, and many thousands
of potential customers, have been waiting for.
For R-D6, the 24-valve engine is tuned beyond
road-going levels, but central to its design is the need to deliver
all the power, refinement and spirited performance that Jaguar drivers
demand. The V6 diesel engine that today brings a concept car fully
to life will, in less than a year, be putting a smile on the face
of Jaguar customers.
Inside
To appreciate fully the interior of R-D6 takes
a while, partly because you spend as much time touching as you do
looking. The materials in the cabin are a blend of classic with
a contemporary twist and modern bordering on the futuristic. And
as you would expect from Jaguar, there are a couple of refreshingly
idiosyncratic touches... Aluminium features extensively in both
milled and formed guise. Two types of leather lightly grained,
carbon-black aniline and 8mm thick black saddle leather are
used throughout the interior. Satin-finish Black American Walnut
veneer complements the Piano Black gloss veneer that was introduced
on the new XJ.
Probably the best way to visualise the interior
of R-D6 is to imagine yourself sitting in the luxurious, moulded
composite drivers seat, your back supported by a spine
of tensioned leather that weaves through the structure of the seat
and then loops forward at the top to provide an integral head restraint.
The seat is constructed with internal ducts to allow heating or
cooling according to driver preference.

To my mind,
what youre looking at is the ultimate luxury sports
interior. Dont just note the fact that there is leather
and wood; really study how weve used it. Trust me, this
is beyond contemporary. (Ian Callum Director of
Design, Jaguar Cars)
When
we started work on the interior, we wanted to only use the
materials in an honest way, so the wood is mostly
flat and the leather drapes in a natural fashion.
(Julian Thomson Chief Designer, Advanced Design, Jaguar Cars)
|
To one side of you is a door featuring aluminium
and two types of leather, and in the centre a section of the American
Walnut wood veneer that runs from the front to the rear of the cabin.
Controls for motorised movement of the seat are integrated into
the recessed armrest. Open the door and a formed aluminium surround
is visible, integrating a Jaguar-embossed leather kick-plate.
Your feet rest on wood, which again runs from
front to rear. In the area immediately below the seats and extending
partially into the footwell, the wood is obscured by a floating
floor of tensioned thick saddle leather that flows
over the transmission tunnel and is also visible at the outer edges
of the cabin floor. The 25mm gap between the leather and the wood,
aided by apertures in the latter, forms part of the climate-control
system.
Where it tops the transmission tunnel, the leather
is inset with an aluminium gearshift surround. The milled aluminium
lever itself which operates a six-speed manual transmission
is located in an aluminium, domed hemisphere in place of
a traditional soft gaiter.
If all of this is detail, it is the view straight
ahead from the drivers seat that shows exactly what sort of
car R-D6 is. Pride of place goes to the dial pack, encased in aluminium
and inherently sports-focused. The tachometer is positioned centrally,
with the speedometer smaller and to the right. To the other side,
in an adjoining pod, are the usual fuel and temperature
gauges and other warning lights. All the dial faces have a white
ceramic appearance and R-Performance branding, and a milled aluminium
rear-view mirror looks perfectly at home. This blend of racetrack
and luxury road styles is typical of R-D6 and emphasises its seductive
nature.
A broad, solid aluminium switch beam,
topped by an aniline leather-trimmed lower instrument panel, runs
across the facia. It is broken in the centre by a cover for the
navigation and infotainment display screen, revealed
when the cover swivels backwards into the instrument panel. The
touch-sensitive screen, developed by Alpine Electronics, features
unique Shutter LCD technology that allows passengers
to watch a moving image for example, a DVD while the
driver sees only the essential driving functions: navigation, climate-control
etc.
The facia hood which stretches back to
a veneered wood surround at the base of the windscreen is
of black saddle leather, which is again designed to give the appearance
of being a floating structure.
Surrounded by such contemporary opulence and yet
aware of the fact that this is actually a compact sports coupé,
it is no surprise for a driver to find a three-spoke, tri-material
(aluminium, leather and Piano Black wood) steering wheel and drilled
aluminium foot pedals. Both are a natural choice.
The rear cabin of R-D6 is equal in style and comfort
to the front. Two individual seats are accessed via rear-hinged
doors, and passengers are treated not only to comfortable, moulded
seats, but also to a surprising amount of room.
When the rear seats are unoccupied, the entire
assembly can slide forward to almost interlock with the front seats.
This doubles boot capacity, but heres the really clever bit:
the boot floor is a two-layer design, with the upper layer
and, of course, any luggage placed on it moving forward with
the seats to save you having to reorganise the boot.
The side-hinged tailgate, the style of which will
be familiar to anyone who has owned a Jaguar E-type coupé,
is as practical as it is stylish, allowing rear headroom to be optimised.
And what of those idiosyncratic Jaguar touches?
Interior lighting is usually provided by clear
glass courtesy lights, but R-D6 is altogether more passionate, with
ambient floor lighting activated when the door opens to provide
a welcoming, deep red glow.
But the hidden feature you will touch
every time you get in the car is secreted in the top of the gearshift,
below a swivelling top piece. Much like the safety-catch on a gun
or the top of a fighter aircraft joystick this covers
a silver button with a very important duty. Press it and the V6
engine and the R-D6 springs into life. Just the kind
of dramatic touch youd expect of a Jaguar.

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