The Jaguar B99 was a concept car

Concept car

A concept vehicle or show vehicle is a car made to showcase new styling and or new technology. They are often shown at motor shows to gauge customer reaction to new and radical designs which may or may not have a chance of being produced....

 designed and developed by the Italian design house Bertone

Bertone

Gruppo Bertone is an Italian automobile company, which has specialized in car styling, coachbuilding and manufacturing. Bertone styling is distinctive, with most cars having a strong "family resemblance" even if badged by different manufacturers...

. It was first shown to the public on the Bertone stand at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show. The four-door saloon was shown in two version: compact executive

Compact executive car

Compact executive car is a car classification term applied to premium cars smaller than executive cars. In European classification, compact executive cars are part of the D-segment. In North American terms, close equivalents are compact premium car, compact luxury car, entry-level luxury car and...

 (B99) and sports car (B99 GT). It was designed by Bertone's Michael Robinson and Adrian Griffiths and was based more on traditional Jaguars of the Geoff Lawson

Geoff Lawson (designer)

Geoff Lawson was a British car designer who is best known for serving as Design Director for Jaguar between 1989 until his death. He died in June 1999 and is survived by a wife and two children. He was succeeded at Jaguar by Ian Callum.-Background:...

 era compared to more recent Jaguars designed by Ian Callum

Ian Callum

Ian Callum is a British car designer who currently serves as Design Director for Jaguar and is older brother to fellow car designer Moray Callum. He is married, has two sons and currently resides in Oxfordshire, England.-Early years:...

.

B99

The B99 was a 4500 mm (177.2 in) long saloon constructed of aluminium panels and featured suicide doors. It was only 1350 mm (53.1 in) tall and 1950 mm (76.8 in) wide and stood on a 2800 mm (110.2 in) wheelbase.

The power train was also developed by Bertone as a hybrid; featuring a 1.4 L engine for range extension purposes with two electric motors of 201 bhp each driving the rear wheels. The car’s maximum output of engine and electric motors is 570 bhp. Average CO2 emissions were estimated at 30g/km with a claimed 60 mile range electric-only mode.

The B99 name stands for B for Bertone and 99 for Bertone's 99th year in operation.

B99 GT

The GT2 sports version was called the Jaguar B99 GT and is 500 mm (19.7 in) wider than the standard car and is 100 mm (3.9 in) lower, while the interior is stripped out and fitted with a roll cage. The GT added an additional two electirc motors giving it a four-wheel drive and a total power output of 972 bhp.

Reception

The B99 was reported to be well received at the Generva Motorshow unveiling and that the B99 might form the basis of a replacement for the previous Jaguar X-Type

Jaguar X-Type

The X-Type is a compact executive car manufactured and marketed for model years 2001-2009 by Jaguar Cars. The smallest of the Jaguar model range, the X-type was marketed in saloon and wagon variants and was the only estate ever manufactured in series production by the company...

but Jaguar confirmed that they would not be asking Bertone to develop the concept. Jaguar’s Global Brand Director Adrian Hallmark was quoted as saying ‘we appreciate the fact that Jaguar is interesting enough for people to do a concept around. It's not that we are offended by it, or against it - it is just not for us.’

External links

• Bertone official website Jaguar B99 press release