Jaguar C-X17 Might Be Closer to Reality Than Brand Says

Jaguar hasn’t laid plans to offer its customers a crossover, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one.

Last week during the Frankfurt Motor Show, the company unveiled its new scalable aluminum architecture underneath the C-X17 crossover concept. The platform will underpin Jag’s answer to the BMW 3 Series and a wide range of other vehicles in its lifespan.

Members of the Jaguar executive team were quick to insist that plans for mass production of a Jaguar crossover don’t exist. JLR boss Ralf Speth will need to be convinced before approving such a project, but it might not be very hard to sway him.

“The U.S. market would love a vehicle like that,” said JLR North America president Andy Goss during a meeting with journalists at the show.

2013 Frankfurt Motor Show Complete Coverage

And the concept’s tour of duty is just beginning. “It will be in China, it will be in the U.S., we’ll have it in L.A. and we’ll see what people say. You know, if people scream the doors down to say ‘you’ve got to build the damn thing,’ then clearly we’ve got to build it.”

Something based on the C-X17 could bring a big sales boost to Jaguar’s sales, which trail Land Rover despite strong gains through this year.

“If you thought of this five to 10 years ago, it was unthinkable. Certainly in my mind it was unthinkable,” Callum said of Jaguar designing a crossover. “And yet, we’re embarking on this adventure and I hope it goes further.”

With a fuel door and realistically-sized side mirrors, the C-X17 looks like a near-production concept. If Callum’s wish comes true, Goss hinted that the production vehicle could closely resemble its concept precursor. It’s all up to reactions it gathers in the coming months.

“If you look to the things we’ve done recently, C-X16 was so close to the final car, it’s a negligible difference, actually. And why? Because that got a massive thumbs up,” he said. “It’s not just a rouse to show a concept car.”