Jaguar C-X16 concept (2011) the first official sketch of Jag's F-type

This is Jaguar’s new sub-XK sports car. As we revealed back in 2009, Jaguar is working on an all-new small sports car, nicknamed the XE, to compete with Porsche’s best – and this is it.

This official design sketch teases the concept car (dubbed C-X16, the hybrid supercar concept is C-X75) that will appear at the 2011 Frankfurt motor show in September.

Click here for Jaguar's new F-type, now revealed.

Jaguar is keeping mum on most of the details – it’ll announce more at the Frankfurt show – but we scooped a lot of the information two years ago.

Underneath the almost-certainly-gorgeous body will be a lightweight aluminium platform with a front/mid-engined layout, and V6 petrol engines (in 275bhp naturally aspirated or 350bhp supercharged forms) sending power to the rear wheels via a six-speed manual gearbox.

The drop-top comes first in 2013, while coupe and R versions arrive by 2015. And that means the next XK is pushed more upmarket.

That’s what we know from before, but the official release that accompanied this solitary sketch said little. However, Jaguar is calling the show car a ‘production concept’ and claims it is ‘a precursor to future Jaguar sports cars that will aim to set new class benchmarks in design, vehicle dynamics and technology’, so that should tell you what the future holds for this car.

The design team that created the C-X16 was led by Jag director of design Ian Callum, who commented: ’Great Jaguars have always been beautiful, innovative and have looked firmly to the future. The finished C-X16 concept has the potential to do these things while retaining the ability to surprise, to excite and invigorate.'

By Ben Pulman