Jag design chief defends new XK
Newswheel staff :: 27 September 2005 :: Filed under Cabriolet, Coupe, Jaguar, Jaguar XK8, Europe & UK, US
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Jaguar’s Ian Callum blames it on Blair and Bush. Well, kinda
First a confession. We’re not hot for the new Jaguar XK8. The overall shape and proportions are tough to fault, the surfaces taut and the stance just-so. With Jag design chief Ian Callum’s work for Aston Martin in mind, however, it’s way too derivative. It also pulls off the difficult trick of being simultaneously rather bland and characterless as well as boasting some seriously dodgy detailing. For proof, look no further than exhibit one, the ballooning plastic nose cone complete with the most unsubtle oval front grille in cardom. Add in the truly ghastly chrome badge accoutrement and a pair of questionable front light clusters and we present to you an overall front-end effect that’s very nearly nasty.
It’s not altogether surprising, therefore, to learn from an interview with Automotive News / Autoweek that the new XK isn’t quite how its creators intended. According to Callum, government regulations in both the US and Europe are making it tougher than ever to turn designer’s dreams into metal and plastic reality.
Rules and regs
It’s well catalogued that the latest European pedestrian safety laws require a 70mm gap between the hood/bonnet and the highest hard point on the engine. The result in coming years will be bulbous front ends on almost all passenger cars (except the mid or rear-engine variety, natch). Callum concedes that XK hasn’t escaped this problem, though we’re not sure how this squares with the explosive bolt technology Jaguar has fitted to the XK which lifts the engine cover clear of hard points when a pedestrian collision is detected.
Whatever, less well known is the fact that the same regulations also restrict the shape and height of wheel arches and front quarter panels. Then there’s a US regulation involving what you might call free flying, or unbelted passengers. This forced Jaguar to raise the top of the windshield bar by 20mm, robbing the car of the sleek roof proportions originally intended.
While we sympathise with Callum’s predicament, there’s just one problem: that’s no excuse for a garish grille and cheesy chrome badging. But woe, it seems Callum is rather keen on both. He’s currently working to include them on all future Jags. Yikes.
Linkage:
Autoweek interview
Posted 04 October 2005, by John
That front end styling as standard? God help Jaguar, for surely noone else will.