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Remember when Audi held the mantle for aluminum unibody construction? That monopoly couldn't last long in a world where every manufacturer is looking for ways to make the large, premium cars and trucks we in North America want while providing econobox fuel economy ratings. Jaguar's C-X17 concept will likely take the company to the forefront of this race, as it previews a mid-size premium aluminum-unibodied SUV that will bow in 2015.

An obvious non-concept concept, the C-X17 is really a design study that's most of the way to production readiness; a showcase for the next-gen aluminum unibody technology that will find its way under Jaguar's future lineup. Modularity is the name of the game. And since the C-X17 is a team player, it'll use Jaguar's family of engines, including the V6 found in the snarling F-Type.

,While the C-X17 is the first car to show off this aluminum architecture, it won't be the first to actually go into production. Instead, it'll likely debut on an as-of-yet unnamed C/D segment car, perhaps the sub-XF "baby Jag" that's been rumored forever, and will drop in 2015/2016. Seeing as the C-X17 is about ten inches shorter than the current XF, that's a reasonable assumption. Since the architecture can already support that F-Type V6, what Jaguar's telling us is that this SUV might spawn a four-door, four-seat 3 Series competitor. Or perhaps just a smaller, leaner XF replacement. Either way, that's exciting enough news to give Jaguar a pass for jumping onto the SUV bandwagon.

The rest of the C-X17's driveline is what you'd expect: all-wheel drive with torque vectoring, almost assuredly offered only with Jaguar's 8-speed auto.

Outside, the sheetmetal is all typical modern Ian Callum, updating the current Jaguar design language in an evolutionary way. It's a family affair. Inside, in an homage to the silly touches that concept cars used employ, the cabin metal brightwork is made of ruthenium. That's a metal similar to platinum, although it seems like they're using it because it's related to platinum and not because of its superconductive properties.

This Is A Developing Story

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