New Models

Jaguar says no to Bertone B99 Concept

Italian automotive design house, Bertone, unveiled a stunning new concept vehicle at the recent Geneva Motor Show pitched towards Jaguar and its upcoming new BMW 3 Series rival. It generated loads of interest before and during the show and it wasn't long before speculation arose that Jaguar could perhaps take inspiration from the B99 when designing the upcoming Jaguar X-Type replacement.

Brett Davis

12:0808 March 2011

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It seems Jaguar isn't interested though. The company has seen the concept but is currently going through loads of other design pitches. In an interview with Automotive News at the Geneva show, Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's global brand director, spoke about the B99 concept, saying

"It is not our concept. 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."

The company has said that a new small Jaguar sedan is scheduled for release sometime in 2013 or 2014, and says it is not in a real rush to get it on the market. Hallmark added,

"We have so much room to grow to get to a normal level of performance. We did not have XJ for most of the year. The potential for us to improve is driven by lack of product the year before."

So it looks like the elegant Bertone B99 isn't about to enter the market anytime soon. Pity, it would have been nice to see one of these bad boys cruising the streets.