Picking up the XF label, the new sedan is scheduled for launch midway through next year as a 2009 model. Although the production version will feature a similar shape to the C-XF show car, expect certain design elements to be toned down. The grille and headlights are likely to be revised, while most of the air-vents should shrink in size. The windshield will most likely be angled higher, raising the roofline to provide a larger glasshouse for added interior space.
Recent spy-shots have showed a vehicle with a much more conventional roofline, and a body that appears to have lost the sculpted fenders and the flowing panels of the show car. The spied test-mule also revealed more conventional door handles, replacing the pillar-mounted units of the concept. The interior design is said to resemble the current XK’s cockpit, with brushed aluminum paddle-shifters located behind the steering wheel for manual control of a new six-speed auto gearbox.
The spy-shots also reveal that the production version will be getting a new tail-light design, which drop the concept’s clear lenses in favour of conventional red plastic lamps. Power will come from a range of six and eight cylinder engines, with the base model getting a new 3.2L straight-six motor from Volvo. Jagaur’s familiar 4.2L V8 will carry over for the initial release, but a revised version displacing 5.0L will debut sometime in 2010. The XF lineup will also feature two force-fed models for the first time, breaking with the tradition where a supercharger was reserved for the potent ‘R’ series of vehicles only.
Follow the jump to see high-res renderings of the front and rear in full.
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