2017 Jaguar F-Type 2.0-litre diesel spotted testing

Jaguar is testing a 2.0-litre diesel engine in its Jaguar F-Type sports car.

Spy photos show the car's number plate, which, when checked against an online vehicle database, reveals that the model being tested has a 2.0-litre diesel engine and that the car has been under development since April 2016.

Read more: 2017 Jaguar F-Type four-cylinder could get 300bhp

The car was spotted testing near Royal Leamington Spa, not far from Jaguar’s headquarters in Coventry. The photos also reveal that Jaguar Land Rover’s chief engineer, Mike Cross, behind the wheel.

Jaguar has long been rumoured to be developing a diesel variant of the F-Type, as well as a four-cylinder petrol version running an upcoming Ingenium engine. It’s expected to produce as much as 300bhp in the F-Type.

The F-Type diesel project was reported to have been shelved, but the emergence of these new images suggests it has been picked up once again, at least for evaluation purposes.

The facelifted F-Type is due to be unveiled late next year, so it’s likely that if four-cylinder variants are on the way, they will be revealed with the facelifted car. An introduction of these engines would suggest that Jaguar is aiming squarely at the Porsche Boxster with the new entry-level versions.

Expect a new entry-level price to fit with the new engines. The Porsche 718 Boxster is priced from just under £40,000, so a similar price for the entry-level F-Type is expected.

A Jaguar Land Rover spokesman said: "We do not discuss out future product plans. However, we have said we are expanding our product ranges. As a result there are many Jaguar and Land Rover development vehicles and technologies being tested at any one time. We have nothing further to add at this stage or desire to comment on the speculation with regard to future potential models."