Hey, this reminds me of that old Joe Dolce song, Shaddup You F-Pace...
I think that was Face but there's no denying that there's a tinge of 1980s novelty comedy song to the name of Jaguar's officially-official-now SUV, which will be called the F-Pace when it goes on sale next year.
Based on the C-X17 concept and using a full aluminium architecture (which will keep its weight, consumption and emissions down), the F-Pace will be Jaguar's first ever foray outside the world of conventional saloons, coupés and estates. In fact, it wants you to think of the F-Pace as an entirely new type of car - a traditional Jag in its performance and styling, but just taller and more practical.
What can we expect?
We can expect styling that very much follows the template laid down by both the C-X17 and the XE saloon. We can expect 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines from the new Ingenium range and probably a 500hp supercharged V8 R version too. Thanks to those Ingenium engines, emissions should be around the 100g/km mark for the simplest diesel model.
Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, commented: "We received such an overwhelmingly positive response to the C-X17 concept car last year that we just had to make it a reality.
"The Jaguar F-PACE, inspired by the F-TYPE, represents a perfectly judged balance of performance, style and practicality. It offers a unique combination of Jaguar sports car inspired exterior design, fused beautifully with a thoroughly practical and spacious luxury interior. The F-PACE is our family sports car."
Speaking in Detroit, Andy Goss, Jaguar Land Rover Global Sales Director, said: "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."
Land Rover will also spin a new model off of the same basic architecture, which is closely related to that seen under the current Range Rover and Range Rover Sport. Expect that car to slot in-between the current Evoque and RR Sport.
Neil Briscoe - 11 Jan 2015