Jaguar’s first-ever SUV will be called the F-Pace, the British automaker has confirmed on the eve of this week’s 2015 Detroit Auto Show. Coinciding with the announcement of the new name, Jaguar released a teaser of its F-Pace and confirmed that the vehicle will be on sale in 2016, meaning we’ll likely see it arrive as a 2017 model.

Although the teaser doesn’t reveal much, we already have a pretty good idea as to what the F-Pace will look like thanks to the sighting of numerous prototypes as well as Jaguar’s C-X17 concept car from 2013. Thankfully, the F-Pace is expected to look almost identical to the striking C-X17 concept.

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But what’s up with the F-Pace name? Surely one of the rumored names like “XQ” or “Q-Type” would have been a better choice. According to Jaguar design chief Ian Callum, F-Pace provides a better link with Jaguar’s F-Type sports car, which has become a quasi-halo model for the brand now that the XK is no longer in production.

Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralph Speth (left) and head designer Ian Callum

Jaguar Land Rover CEO Ralph Speth (left) and head designer Ian Callum

“The Jaguar F-Pace, inspired by the F-Type, represents a perfectly judged balance of style, performance and practicality,” Callum explained. “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.”

That’s right. Jaguar doesn’t want you to think of the F-Pace as a regular SUV but rather as a sports car that’s also a practical five-seater. The vehicle will take on the likes of the BMW X3 and Mercedes-Benz GLC (next-gen GLK-Class) in the premium small crossover segment but will be set apart by brilliant dynamics and fuel efficiency made possible by an advanced lightweight aluminum platform.

That new platform is the iQ[Al] that recently debuted in the 2017 XE sedan. Derived from the Premium Lightweight Architecture used by Land Rover, the iQ[Al] is a scalable vehicle platform designed not only to be light but also extremely stiff. It’s also been designed to incorporate innovative efficiency technologies such as diesel, plug-in hybrid and even battery-powered electric powertrains, and it also features some pretty sophisticated chassis technology like Instinctive All-Wheel Drive and All Surface Progress Control.

2016 Jaguar Q-Type spy shots

2016 Jaguar Q-Type spy shots

Standard powertrains in the F-Pace will include Jaguar’s Ingenium range of turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinders, and likely the automaker’s supercharged 3.0-liter V-6. An eight-speed automatic is expected to be the standard option.

Production of the F-Pace will be handled at Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull plant in the U.K. A reveal should take place later in 2015, a year that also marks Jaguar’s 80th in business.

For more Detroit Auto Show coverage, head to our dedicated hub.

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