Jaguar’s first SUV should not be called an SUV at all because of its sporting bias, according to Jaguar Land Rover boss Ralf Speth.

The car has begun testing in prototype form and will be launched in 2016. It will be based on the C-X17concept shown last year and will have a heavy bias towards on-road dynamics, according to Speth.

“A Jaguar SUV is not possible,” said Speth. “SUVs and 4x4s are for Land Rover. The Jaguar concept is far more road-orientated. It will need a different kind of name.”

Internally, the vehicle is being referred to as a “sports crossover”, although the firm is said to be working on a more catchy title for the car’s launch. 

Finding terms to meld the often opposing merits of sporty and high-riding cars has long caused the car industry naming issues. BMW, for instance, calls its X range Sports Activity Vehicles (SAV).

Speth added: “Of course, it will be a vehicle which looks great and which has a strong stance, but the capability will be very different from a Land Rover. Mike Cross and his vehicle dynamics team will do an extraordinary job to make sure that it is sensational to drive on the road. It will be something special in that regard. Of course, it will not be anything like a sports car, but it will have a very specific character that sets it apart.”