Jaguar unveils crossover SUV concept, hints at new sedans

After teasing us with a darkly silhouetted outline last week, Jaguar got down to brass tacks Monday morning and officially revealed its concept crossover SUV.

Currently dubbed the C-X17 -- a name that will change with the production vehicle -- the purpose of the crossover concept is twofold. It’s a strong hint at what a future Jaguar crossover will look like, and it’s a demonstration of a new, all-aluminum platform that Jaguar is developing for several new vehicles.

The concept will debut on Tuesday, the opening day of the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show.

“The C-X17 sports crossover represents an exciting new direction for Jaguar,” said Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director for Jaguar. “Its purpose is to highlight our all-new aluminum architecture. With this technical foundation, we will dramatically expand Jaguar’s product offering, market potential and customer appeal.”

PHOTOS: Jaguar’s C-X17 crossover concept

The first production vehicle to use these underpinnings will be a sedan, Jaguar said. It will go on sale in Europe in 2015 and will arrive in the United States in 2016. The automaker provided few specifics about that vehicle, saying only that it will be a midsize sedan in the same segment as BMW’s 3-Series or the Mercedes-Benz C Class.

PHOTOS: Highlights of the 2013 Frankfurt show

These segments are traditionally where many European automakers sell a majority of their vehicles in terms of volume. It’s also a source of healthy profits.

Jaguar has made it clear it intends to increase its worldwide sales by expanding its lineup, and this will be the aim of both the sedan and crossover when they come to market. Jaguar sold just under 56,000 vehicles in the United States in 2012, which is about one fifth the number of BMWs sold in the country in 2012.

Jaguar didn’t release powertrain details for the sedan or the crossover, but did say the sedan “will be the first vehicle to be equipped with all-new four-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines.”

Currently, Jaguar cars are only available with six or eight-cylinder engines. All-wheel-drive will also be available.

By using aluminum to underpin these new vehicles, Jaguar is hoping to keep weight -- and therefore emissions -- down. The size of the vehicles using this platform will vary, as Jaguar says it is scalable.

The C-X17 concept is roughly the size of the Audi Q5 crossover, a vehicle that will be one of its main competitors. Others include the BMW X3, the Mercedes-Benz GLK, and the forthcoming Porsche Macan crossover that will debut at the L.A. Auto Show in November.

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