Jaguar’s first-ever SUV, the F-Pace, will debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show (September 17-27), brand director Steven de Ploey confirmed.

Expected to go on sale in 2016, the Jaguar F-Pace will look very similar to the C-X17 concept car (pictured) unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013 – as recent spy shots of a prototype have shown.

The size of the vehicle will be nearly identical to the concept’s, which is 4,718mm (185.7 inches) long, 1,649mm (64.9 inches) tall and 1,959mm (77.1 inches) wide.

While the exterior of the F-Pace will borrow heavily from the C-X17, the interior will be a different business, as the study’s cabin is too futuristic for a production model. However, it will bear little resemblance to any of Jaguar’s current models.

The Jaguar F-Pace will be offered with the new Ingenium family of petrol and diesel four-cylinder engines, which will debut in the Jaguar XE and Land Rover Discovery Sport this summer. The range-topping engine will be a supercharged 3.0-liter V6 petrol engine – unless Jaguar decides to use the supercharged 5.0-liter V8 as well.

In terms of pricing, the F-Pace is expected to target the Porsche Macan and BMW X4, which means pricing should start from around £35,000, with more luxurious variants to cost as much as £50,000.

Alongside the XE, the F-Pace will play a key role in pushing Jaguar’s annual sales beyond 200,000 units, up from 80,000 units in 2014.

Story references: Autocar

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