Jaguar says its first crossover will be called ‘F-PACE’. The new vehicle is due to enter production in late 2015 and has been previewed by multiple concepts, each named C-X17.
Ian Callum, Jaguar’s director of design, said in a media statement that there had been “an overwhelmingly positive response to the C-X17 concept”, adding, “The Jaguar F-PACE, inspired by the F-TYPE, represents a perfectly judged balance of style, performance and practicality.”
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This additional model is due on sale in Europe from early 2016 and will be manufactured on the same line as the XE at JLR’s Solihull plant. As would be logical, the firm will take on over 1,000 new workers to build the F-PACE.
A closely related SUV for Land Rover, project L560, will follow. Though larger than the Range Rover Evoque, these vehicles will likely also be competitors for that model. The F-PACE should be aimed mainly at the Porsche Macan, as well as, in relevant countries, the Audi Q5, BMW X3/X4, Mercedes-Benz GLC, Volvo XC60, Lexus NX/RX, Acura RDX, Infiniti QX50/QX60 and Lincoln MKX.
The architecture to be used by the F-PACE and Range Rover L560 is a development of JLR’s PLA aluminium platform as used at present by the Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. The Jaguar XE will also use this architecture.
The F-PACE was first previewed by the C-X17 concept which premiered at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013. At that time, Jaguar’s media information referred to the future platform name as ‘ iQ[Al]’, though it has also been known as the D7a architecture.
The dimensions of the C-X17 were quoted as follows:
- Length: 4,718mm
- Wheelbase: 2,905mm
- Height: 1,649mm
- Width: 1,959mm
- Ground clearance: 213mm
A five-seater C-X17 premiered at the Guangzhou and Dubai motor shows in November 2013. A further concept, this time painted red, was revealed at the Brussels motor show in January 2014.
Annual production of the F-PACE at Solihull is estimated by analysts to be around 50,000 units per annum.
The vehicle’s curious model name has been explained by Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover’s global sales director, speaking at an event in Detroit: “In 2015 we will celebrate Jaguar’s 80th year. We have started it by announcing our first performance crossover which we consider to be the ultimate practical sports car – a car that builds on the marque’s founding ideals of Grace, Pace and Space to become one of the most innovative Jaguars we’ve ever developed. The F-PACE has now begun its engineering and development testing programme ahead of the new model going on sale in 2016.”
