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Jaguar C-X17 Concept teased before Frankfurt

Just ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show, which begins September 10, Jaguar is teasing the reveal of a design study to introduce its new advanced vehicle architecture. Dubbed the C-X17, the mysterious concept "illustrates the diversity of vehicles that could be produced using this architecture, which underpins the innovative future of the Jaguar brand."
While it's not entirely clear what this architecture involves or what type of vehicle the C-X17 may be, this reveal is reminiscent of Jaguar's decision to unveil the C-X16 concept, a hybrid electric sports car, in Frankfurt in 2011. From the looks of the teaser image Jaguar released (click above to enlarge), we're guessing the C-X17 will be something between a low-slung crossover and a sporty wagon. But we won't have to wait too long to find out - Jaguar is streaming the live pre-show reveal to invited guests on its Facebook page on Monday, Sept. 9.
In addition to the C-X17, Jaguar be showing off the performance-oriented XJR and XFR-S, and, of course, the F-Type convertible. Scroll down for the official press release.

Land Rover wins legal battle over Evoque clone Land Wind X7

Luxury carmaker Jaguar Land Rover, part of Tata Motors Ltd, said it won a case in China against local rival Jiangling Motors Corp for making cars that copy features of Range Rover Evoque. Beijing Chaoyang District Court said on Friday that Evoque, whose latest model was launched in 2018, had five unique features that were copied directly in the Land Wind X7 built by Jiangling Motors, leading to widespread consumer confusion. The court ruled that all sales, manufacturing and marketing of the Land Wind X7 must stop immediately and Jaguar Land Rover be paid compensation. The two sports utility vehicles have a similar shape, with the roof and windows tapering from front to back, and near-identical tail lights and character lines on the side panelling. Britain's biggest carmaker had sued Jiangling in a rare move in 2016. Despite widespread and often blatant copying, global automakers generally don't take legal action in China as they feel the odds of winning against local firms are low. Also, a lawsuit can be bad for branding if the Chinese public think a foreign company is bullying domestic competitors. The new Range Rover Evoque will be launched in China in April 2019. Jiangling could not be immediately reached for comment.

Jaguar could morph into an electric-only brand and explore new segments

Jaguar is set to morph into an electric-only brand whose products will be aimed directly at Tesla's and Polestar's, according to a recent report. Its future range will allegedly include alternatives to the Tesla Model 3 and the Polestar 2. Nick Rogers, the head of Jaguar-Land Rover's engineering department, told British magazine Auto Express that a small electric Jaguar "would be great." His definition of small is different than, say, Smart's; don't expect the company to release an alternative to the ForTwo, or something along the lines of a Renault Twizy. Instead, he's likely referring to a model positioned below the XE, which is currently the smallest Jaguar, in terms of size. If approved, the car will be about the same size as a BMW 1 Series, though it might sit a little bit taller. Adding a few inches of ground clearance would give engineers more space to stuff a battery pack under the floor, while allowing its marketing department to reach a wider audience by presenting the hatchback as a crossover. "We need to think about that. That's a really cool space that we ideally want to be in, and ideally our customers want us to be in. It's extremely relevant at this time," he said. This isn't the first time we've heard that Jaguar is starting to think small. In June 2020, we reported the company is considering replacing the aforementioned XE and the XF with a single compact model that would almost certainly be offered as a hatchback and as a sedan. Jaguar's transformation into an electric-only manufacturer is allegedly the brainchild of Thierry Bollore, who will take the firm's reins in September. He recently led Paris-based Renault, which is also allocating huge resources to electrification. We know the next-generation XJ (shown in spy shots taken far north of the Arctic Circle) will be offered with an electric powertrain (though internal combustion variants will be available, too), and Auto Express learned an XE-sized battery-powered model placed in the Model 3's segment is very likely, too. Finally, at least for now, an electric SUV tentatively called J-Pace will reportedly enter production in the coming years. It's too early to tell what the future holds for the E-Pace, the F-Pace, and the XF, though we wouldn't be surprised if the latter does not get a replacement. Where the F-Type would fit in an electric-only range hasn't been decided yet; sealing its fate one way or another will be one of Bollore's first tasks.