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One of the highlights of this year's Geneva Motor Show was the B99 design study for an entry-level Jaguar sedan by Bertone. The concept car was created independently by the Italian design house, without the involvement of Jaguar. Therefore, the B99 does not preview the design of the future X-Type, as confirmed by a top Jaguar executive.

“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," Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar's global brand director, told Automotive News at the Geneva Motor Show.

One of the most talked about prototype models at this year's edition of the Geneva Motor Show is Bertone's concept for an entry-level Jaguar sports sedan called the B99. While the British automaker has turned a new page with the designs of its latest XF and XJ saloons, Bertone proposes a modernized version of the classic Jaguar three-box saloon. For some it works fine, for others it's an unnecessary throwback to old times. Watch the video after the break and tell us what you think in the comments section below.

Bertone and Jaguar have joined forces again, and the result is this lovely little concept called the B99. Celebrating 99 years of existence, Bertone's B99 is meant to showcase what a Jaguar 3-Series could look like (and thankfully there's no silly black C-pillar as found on the XJ). While some may disagree with this design's placement in the lineup, one thing is certain: an X-Type this ain't.

The B99 measures 4.5 meters long, 1.35 m tall, and 1.95 m wide with a 2.8 m wheelbase. As befits all Jaguars, there's a leaper on the hood; this time, though, it uses some snazzy pedestrian safety sensors that can retract it at airbag speeds should an impaling be imminent. Think of it as dab of Rolls with your Jaguar.

There's more retraction action at the trunk end of things, too, with a speed-sensing spoiler in the trunk.

In all honestly, I really struggle to see how the Bertone B99 fits into Jaguar’s past and current design lineage and line-up. The new generation of Jags – the XF and the XJ – are sleek, risqué and look like nothing else on the market. On the other hand, the B99 could just as easily be badged as a Lincoln, a Rolls-Royce or a Maserati. If you squint at the pictures you’ll see my point. It’s anonymously styled, as if Bertone used a book called, “Luxury Concept Cars 101” as a template. And that grille! It just screams, “Dodge Caliber!” Read more »

[Updated with high-res pictures] After the teaser image we showed you earlier today, the first three images of Bertone's design study for a compact Jaguar, hit the web. Dubbed B99 (for the 99th anniversary of Bertone) the eye-catching concept car has a sleek coupe profile, even though it's a four-door sedan. The suicide doors give it a distinctive appearance, but if Jaguar were to build a production model, it's unlikely that they would remain.

While it might look like a long limousine, the Italian design house's B99 concept is just 4.5 meters long. Combine this with the very low height (1.35 meters) and the pretty wide body (1.95 meters) and you have a small sedan looking like a much bigger and more luxurious model, whose profile brings to mind the classic Jaguar XJ.

Whispers of a new design study for a Jaguar model from Bertone have been going around lately, but today, a teaser image surfaced online providing us with our first peek at the car, which is named B99 (Bertone 99) and is set to premiere at next month's Geneva Motor Show.

The B99 is a conceptual proposal for a 'baby' Jaguar model targeting the likes of the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class saloons. The concept will feature a traditional four-door sedan body with more classic proportions and styling cues than the XJ and XF.

According to UK magazine Autocar, Jaguar is considering the development of a crossover / SUV model, presumably to boost sales in Europe and the North America. While creating internal competition for Land Rover models, such as the Evoque, doesn’t sound like a good idea, the project has the backing of Jaguar boss Adrian Hallmark.

“We need a crossover and we need to stop being a saloon-based company”, he told Autocar. This gives the news some credibility, otherwise we might have been tempted to dismiss it as an empty rumor.

Without doubt, the star of Jaguar's stand at this year's 2010 Los Angeles Auto Show is the range-extended electric supercar concept, the C-X75, which is designed to celebrate 75 years of the marque, but also to provide a glimpse into the future of Jaguar.

As Porsche begins development on the hybrid 918 Spyder, Jaguar is reportedly taking the idea of a limited-run production version of its Paris Motor Show C-X75 concept into consideration. Autoweek reports that the British luxury marque is discussing the possibility of building up to 2,000 units annually of its XJ220 successor. If you're thinking about getting the checkbook out anytime soon, though, hold it right there.

We've already played 'show and tell' with Jaguar's C-X75 Concept (read full details here), but now we've got real live photos from the pre-show media event as well as from the British firm's Paris Motor Show stand, plus a trio of videos including one from last night's presentation.

To celebrate the big 7-5, Jaguar has rolled out its XJ220-inspired 780-horsepower C-X75 RE-EV (range-extended electric vehicle) concept. Power for this looker is supplied by electric motors working in conjunction with "micro gas-turbines", which also throw in 1180 lb-ft / 1,600 Nm of torque. Jaguar claims the 6-hour-to-charge plug-in sports car has a range of 560 / 900 km miles and an Lithium-ion-only range of 68 miles with a "potential top speed" of 205 mph (330 km/h).