Cayenne-baiting Jaguar SUV coming in 2021?

Jaguar expects two-thirds of its sales will come from crossovers and SUVs in 2021.

Jaguar's growing family of crossovers and SUVs will soon include a range-topping model named J-Pace, according to British magazine Autocar. The J-Pace will compete in the same segment as the Porsche Cayenne and the Maserati Levante.

The J-Pace name signals the model's positioning as the XJ of Jaguar's crossover and SUV line-up. The luxurious, road-focused soft-roader will rely on an evolution of the Land Rover Range Rover's all-aluminum architecture to keep weight in check and offer a driving experience that's engaging in real life, not just on paper. With that said, Autocar notes insiders believe the J-Pace will be an immense hit among China's chauffeur-driven elites.

Powertrain technology will also come from the Range Rover. This will include gasoline- and diesel-burning six- and eight-cylinder engines and a plug-in hybrid option. It doesn't sound like the J-Pace will join the I-Pace in Jaguar's electric car offensive, however.

The Jaguar J-Pace will make its debut in 2021. Pricing will start in the vicinity of 80,000 British pounds, a sum that represents $112,000 at the current conversion rate. Keep in mind currency conversions are rarely as simple as Google makes them out to be, especially when we're looking three years into the future.

The days of Jaguar making sedans and coupes and Land Rover covering the off-roader segment are over. Last year, the brand sold just 19,000 examples of the XE in Europe, about 150,000 units less than the volume achieved by the Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Jaguar needs more high-riding models to continue growing. Officials expect crossovers and SUVs will represent about two-thirds of the firm's global sales by the early 2020s, leaving sedans and coupes to vie for the remaining part of the pie.

Photo by Ronan Glon.