In an interview with Autocar, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) Product Strategy Head, Hanno Kirner, let slip that the company remains committed to sports car despite the growing demand for SUVs globally, saying that the company will continue to “invest in sports cars”.

“The F-Type has been a huge success. We love sports cars and I use the plural quite deliberately. Whether that is delivered by a body variant or something else remains to be seen, but for now let’s just say that the body type is very important for us,” Kirner said.

His comments comes after Jaguar Head of Design, Ian Callum, remarked last year that work on a new model had already commenced, reportedly based on a concept that had been created before the XK was replaced by F-Type.

While Jaguar has so far remained mum on confirming if the new model will indeed be called XK, the publication claims that it could ride on a variation of the next F-Type’s platform, itself based on a heavily updated XK layout, which is due for replacement next year. Autocar further claims that the new platform has the added flexibility to provide a 2+2 layout likely to be utilised by the XK, with the F-Type expected to again offer seating for two.

Both models will likely share engines made up entirely of JLR’s four and six-cylinder Ingenium motors, as well as the 5.0-litre supercharged V8 in standard and tuned SVR forms. A hybrid model has also not been ruled out.

“There is an argument that says hybrid sports cars might cater for both the environment and the excitement such cars deliver. A lot of people like the sound of an engine. That’s a fact, and it is a defining part of a sports car. “I absolutely believe that there will be electric sports cars one day, but I also believe there may be a different step of combining the battery and an engine,” Kirner said.