Things are looking more and more promising for Jaguar->ke39 to bring a crossover->ke288 utility into its lineup. The assurance comes from AutoGuide who interviewed Jaguar->ke39 Land Rover->ke46 North American marketing vice president Kim McCullough.

“ smaller crossover is an opportunity for the biggest growth. That’s the area that’s really exploding. Between that and the compact sedan->ke142 segment, those are two big areas of white space for that will provide the volume that’s so important as we look ahead,” McCullough said.

This comes after last year’s debut of the Jaguar C-X17 crossover concept. The beautifully designed vehicle was directly aimed at the BMW X5->ke326 and seemed all but ready to appear on dealer lots. Though we haven’t seen much of the C-X17 since its original showing at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show,->ke235 it appears Jaguar hasn’t forgotten about the project.

“We need to make sure that a business plan is in place that will allow for profitable, sustainable growth for the brand and that’s why filling some core white space opportunities will be critical,” McCullough continued.

With North America being Jaguar's biggest sales region, it only makes sense to follow the current trend of the crossover->ke288 craze. Adding such a vehicle will surely help Jaguar Land Rover meet its ambitious goal of selling 750,000 units per year by 2020. That’s a marked jump from the current 425,006 unites the automaker rolled out for 2013.

Also helping in the fight for growth will be Jags all-new XE->ke3138 sedan. The Mercedes C-Class->ke1593 and BMW 3 Series->ke290 fighter will hit showrooms for the 2016 model year, just as the current C-Class turns two years old and the 3 Series sits at five years old.

Click past the jump to read more about Jaguar's future plans.

Why it matters

While crossovers from luxury and performance monikers can sometimes be hard to stomach, those from BMW, Porsche, and Audi have been a runaway success. The U.S. is head-over-heals in love with the crossover, a vehicle that splits the difference between a fuel-efficient sedan and capable SUV. Jaguar would be wise to jump aboard the high-riding bandwagon.

Jaguar C-X17

Looks are always subjective, but the C-X17 is perhaps one of the most beautiful crossovers of the bunch. The concept C-X17 that rolled across the Frankfurt show floor looked darn-near production ready, so we should be expecting it to roll out soon. The news above coming from Jaguar’s marketing team only adds to the certainty.

The C-X17 shares its platform with the upcoming Jaguar XE sedan. It will also share its powertrain with other Jaguar Land Rover products with a performance variant likely in the works.

Pricing of course hasn’t been announced, but figure it being very close to the current BMW X5’s starting price of $52,800.