FRANKFURT MOTOR SHOW: Jaguar F-PACE revealed

The first image of Jaguar's showroom-ready F-PACE has been revealed ahead of its world debut at this month's Frankfurt motor show has been released.

This single side-profile images shot in Shanghai confirms that, as expected, the British luxury brand's first SUV will looks a lot like the C-X17 concept that previewed it, as indicated by the multitude of lightly disguised prototypes seen previously.

On the eve of its global public unveiling in Germany on September 15, where full specifications will be announced, the F-PACE will make its video debut on September 14, as part of Jaguar's 80th birthday celeration.

Jaguar's five-seat 'performance crossover' – the third all-new Jaguar this year following the mid-size XE and large XF sedans – goes on sale in Australia around mid-2016.

As we've reported, it will be based on the sale aluminium-intensive chassis architecture as the XE, with which it will share its petrol and diesel engines.

The F-PACE will be joined at Frankfurt by the facelifted XJ limousine and new XF sedan, both of which also arrive Down Under next year.

To be built at Jaguar's new manufacturing plant at Solihull, the F-PACE is likely to be offered with a range of engines, starting with four-cylinder turbo-petrol and turbo-diesel options. Like the XE sedan there will also be performance versions with bigger brakes, sporty bodywork and the company's tried and tested 250kW 3.0-litre supercharged V6.

That 3.0-litre V6 engine should be good for around 250kW and 450Nm and will see the F-PACE accelerate to 100km/h in around five and a half seconds. There's even a chance that a 400kW-plus 5.0-litre supercharged V8 model will emerge later in the model cycle.

Rivals for the new Jaguar F-PACE will include the likes of BMW's X4, the Mercedes-Benz GLC and Porsche Macan.