2013 Jaguar XE
March next year sees the 50th anniversary of the Jaguar E-Type’s unveiling at the Geneva Salon, so 2011 would be an ideal and emotionally charged launch pad for a 21st century successor. What’s more, Ratan Tata, chairman of the eponymously named group that now owns Jaguar, has publicly stated that he wants to see a smaller, less costly 2-seater. 2013 Chevrolet Corvette C7
The future for America’s sports car sees the Corvette becoming lighter, slicker and moderately more compact, powered by an equally powerful but smaller V-8. This has been determined by the need to improve efficiency according to government mandate, yet responding to consumers’ desires for even greater performance. A list of priorities from the average Corvette owner puts performance at the top, with fuel efficiency somewhere just above the desire for rear seats and a better tow rating.Had GM not filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the next Corvette, the C7, was going to be a mid-engine design. That plan, however, has been put on hold, perhaps until the C8. In the meantime, the new C7 will retain a front-engine design, but the car will lose weight while its engine will become more effective at extracting energy from fuel2012 Porsche 911
Shocking news flash: The next update of Porsche’s iconic 911, scheduled to arrive in 2011 as a 2012 model, won’t look drastically different from the current car! Okay, not really a news flash, but apparently enough changes will take place, specifically under the skin, that the 2012 model will be designated a 998 .Visually, the next 911 will sport reworked headlights, a new front fascia, larger LED taillights, a new rear bumper and an update to the speed-activated rear wing. Porsche is keen to add performance and improve efficiency of the 911 through weight savings and new engine technologies that increase horsepower while reducing fuel consumption. We expect the Carrera will jump to about 360 bhp and the Carrera S to 400 bhp.
2012 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster
Even though the Mercedes SLS AMG will have only just hit dealers when you read this, the engineers at AMG have been hard at work developing a convertible version of the division’s first ground-up automobile.Of course, the convertible top necessitates conventional doors in place of the coupe’s gullwing setup, and the car’s curb weight should rise slightly from the current 3573 lb. But performance will remain exceptional, thanks to the SLS’s 563-bhp 6.2-liter V-8. We’ll see the SLS Roadster in production form early next year, with a price expected to be in excess of $200,000. 2012 Mazda RX-7
There was a time, not so long ago, when the name Mazda was synonymous with the rotary engine. However, these days, what with lackluster sales of the RX-8 and the success of the Mazda3, not to mention the continued popularity of the MX-5 Miata, the Japanese company from Hiroshima is better known for its efficient piston powerplants than its Wankel.Despite reports that the RX-8 will be the last car to have a rotary engine, we at R&T have received information directly from Japanese Mazda execs that the death of the rotary has been greatly exaggerated, and that the company is planning to introduce a new rotary-powered car in the near future. Apparently, there’s a team of engineers currently working on a drastically improved version of the Renesis 2-rotor dubbed the 16X . Mazda U.S. had no comment on the subject.
2012 Ferrari F70
Ferrari has ambitious goals for its successor to the mighty Enzo: Rumored to be called the F70, this mid-engine supercar will have to do nothing less than substantially outperform the Enzo, while being considerably more efficient to comply with ever-tougher emissions standards. As such, it will have to do more with less. Less weight, less cylinders…but one thing will be more: the price. It’s said that when the F70 goes on sale in 2012, it could very well cost over $1 million.Using knowledge gleaned from its Formula 1 race machines, the FXX Enzo-based track car, the FXX Mille-Chili lightweight concept, the 599XX track car and the 458 Italia road machine, Ferrari has much at its disposal. The Mille-Chili from 2007 gave a clear indication of Ferrari’s new path to achieving ultimate performance: a much lighter vehicle through greater use of exotic materials such as carbon fiber. Incidentally, “mille chili” refers to 1000 kilograms , the target weight for the F70.
2011 Hennessey Venom GT
John Hennessey’s Venom GT supercar is now in the test phase of its development, and the first mule recently rolled out of the production facility at Silverstone in England. The dramatically modified Lotus Exige S chassis was originally going to be powered by a twin-turbo Viper V-10. Now, though, the Venom GT is powered by a tweaked LS9 V-8 from the Corvette ZR1, sporting a pair of turbos in addition to the supercharger! The $600,000 top model will have in excess of 1000 bhp, although Hennessey says he’s also building two other versions—one with a 725-bhp LS9 and another with a twin-turbo 7.0-liter V-8 in 1000-bhp street trim or 1200-bhp race trim. This, in a car weighing less than 2400 lb.
2014 Nissan GT-R
There has been all sorts of speculation surrounding the next-generation Nissan GT-R, including its anticipated arrival date (2013) and a possible hybrid version that would use the powertrain of the Infiniti Essence show car. We asked Kazutoshi Mizuno, the chief engineer and project boss of the GT-R, to comment on these rumors, and he vehemently denied that any such project was in the works.
