Well it's hardly news now given the number of leaked images ahead of today's embargo, but here's the full official lowdown on the Jaguar C-X17, an SUV-like concept that is set to test the water for a potential new production car of the future. Weeks before the Frankfurt Motor Show, we had the opportunity to visit the Jaguar design studio in England to take a close-up look at the star of the Jaguar stand and discuss it with the company's head designer, Ian Callum. Not only that, we saw the car being driven around in daylight alongside current production cars to really get a feel for its proportions and shape.
Exterior
Believe me when I say that the official press photographs do nothing for this car. In them it looks tall and gangly and nowhere near as elegant or sporting as a Jaguar should be. In person, and in particular, in daylight, it's a masterpiece. The front end is clearly drawn in line with Jaguar's current saloon models, where the expressive headlights flank a huge grille. In this case the extra air intakes are emphasised with bright LED bars. We noticed slender front pillars too, which sadly may never reach production. But it's along the sides and over the rear haunches where this design really comes alive. It draws heavily on the F-Type's sculpting for inspiration and the result is real muscularity and, dare I say it, sportiness. The rear lights continue the link with the F-Type, with a more rectangular twist. Despite being quite a high car (the top of the roof is about level with my eyes, though I'm not six-foot tall), it looks low, squat and wide in person - something the images fail to capture.
Ian Callum, Jaguar's design guru, is as down to earth as ever, crediting his team with the C-X17's style rather than taking credit for it himself. He candidly admits that he has resisted doing a Jaguar SUV for a long time, feeling that it was not the right way for the brand. However, recent research told him that SUVs are what a whole new generation of buyers are aspiring to, especially in developing markets, and so it is now time for Jaguar to follow suit. Callum also reckons he was in his comfort zone with cars like the F-Type, and a Jaguar SUV will be a big challenge. He was clearly nervous and keen to know our feelings on the C-X17.
Interior
While the purpose of this show car is to explore the demand for a Jaguar SUV (surely a foregone conclusion?), it's good to see that the designers were allowed a free rein with the C-X17's cockpit too, and it's stunning. There is advanced touch-screen technology employed throughout, plus lots of expensive materials (no wood at all) and loads of tactile texture and exquisite detailing. The dials mimic the 'rifled' look of the exhaust pipes and there's comfortable seating for four. One of the most stunning aspects of the cabin though is the ceiling, which employs a highly architectural look with slats running the length of the car shaped in a wave-like pattern. It really adds something special and relies on nothing far-fetched or too technical.
The boot is stylised and accessible from the main cabin to enhance the feeling of space, and it features a neat pop-out seat, for changing your wellies or whatever.
Mechanicals
While this concept car is a runner (we saw it driving with our own eyes), it's that way purely for convenience and the running gear is a mishmash of Jaguar components that has no relevance to any possible production model. However, if a car like the C-X17 goes into production it would certainly use all of the company's current range of petrol and diesel engines. More significantly, the concept arrives at the same time Jaguar unveils its new iQ-Al architecture, a completely new strategy employing all-aluminium construction for Jaguar's future models. It is designed to underpin cars with emissions below 100g/km and others with a top speed of 300km/h. It's a considerable leap forward from the current monocoque design of the Jaguar XJ and there's nothing 'concept car' about it, as you'll read below.
Anything else?
Despite what you'll read elsewhere in the media, there are no development prototypes of a Jaguar SUV in existence; we were told that the project has not even been given the go ahead - though customer research carried out by Jaguar points to high demand for such a vehicle, and let's face it; it's just a matter of time. Even so, it couldn't be on the market before 2017.
Nonetheless, the iQ-Al architecture gets its debut in 2015, in a rather important new model. Jaguar confirmed that it is going to produce an all-new 'mid-size sports saloon' (i.e. a rival for the BMW 3 Series). Bullishly, Jaguar claims it will be the 'most efficient, advanced and refined sports saloon in the segment', while admitting that it 'deeply admires the existing class leaders'. We were even shown photographs of the new car's platform, engine, exhaust system and suspension components. Up front there's an aluminium double wishbone set-up and at the back is a multi-link design. It was confirmed that the new car will be available with rear- or four-wheel drive. Jaguar also let slip that it is targeting emissions as low as 99g/km.
The new small Jaguar will be produced at a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Solihull in England.