Jaguar is building a mean, green hybrid machine – an environmentally friendly supercar capable of 0-60mph in less than three seconds.

The £900,000 C-X75 will have a 1.6-litre petrol engine and two electric motors to give exceptionally low fuel consumption.

In addition, its carbon dioxide emissions will be as low as those from a Toyota Prius family car.

These green credentials will exempt it from road tax and London’s congestion charge.

But the car – the most expensive in the British luxury marque’s history – will still pack a punch, hitting a top speed of more than 200mph.

The range using just the silent electric motors is just 30 miles, although the total range on combined electric and petrol power will be around 300 miles. Bosses at Jaguar said their claims for the two- seater’s performance proved ‘green’ did not have to mean ‘boring’.

Just 250 will be built between 2013 and 2015 as part of a collaboration with the Williams Formula 1 team, combining race engineering with cutting-edge environmental technology.

Jaguar says the four-wheel-drive supercar will put it on a par with Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini, while its technology will be used in future models including a successor to the legendary E-Type.

Design boss Ian Callum said: ‘This will be the finest- looking and most innovative Jaguar. Even in the world of supercars, we can still produce the most beautiful.’

The new supercar is the centrepiece of Jaguar’s ambitious plans for a £5billion a year expansion over five years that will see hundreds of new jobs created at the UK luxury car maker, as well as 40 new models and variants, and a new £750million engine plant, expected to be in the UK.

Expansion into China and India is also planned. It could see at least a doubling of sales from the current 50,000 vehicles a year.

The C-X75 supercar aims to compete with the likes of Ferrari, McLaren and Lamborghini.

The technology will trickle down to new future cars – including a planned small car and a 21st century sports-car successor to the legendary E-Type roadster, as well as limousines like the XJ used by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Jaguar says the production of the C-X75 will create more than 100 highly-skilled jobs in the UK. It has already announced plans to recruit 1,000 engineers and 1,500 more staff.

The petrol-electric hybrid four-wheel drive supercar will be powered by a 1.6 litre four cylinder petrol engine linked to two powerful electric motors.

Electric charge is stored in giant batteries which will be re-charged while in motion from energy released during braking.

A ‘plug-in’ option will allow car to be charged from domestic mains to run on electric power only.

Range in silent electric-only running mode is just 30 miles though the total range on combined electric and petrol-power will be around 300 miles.

Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar Brand Director said: ‘People expect Jaguar to be innovators – that is when Jaguar is at its best.

‘There is a clear business case for this exclusive halo model. No other vehicle will better signify Jaguar’s renewed confidence and excellence in technological innovation than this.’

Jaguar Land Rover employs about 18,000 people in the UK, plus 1,000 globally. Some 75 percent of production is exported from three plants in the UK.

Jaguar Cars was founded in 1922, and Land Rovers have been manufactured since 1948.

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