JAGUAR is set to expand its range after the F-Type roadster was given the production green light.

The all-new, compact Jaguar roadster becomes the fifth model in the company's expanding product range and marks Jaguar's return to the true sports car market, which it helped to create in the 1950s and 1960s.

Jaguar's chairman, Dr Wolfgang Reitzle, said: "Jaguar is one of the most evocative brands and there is a renewed commitment to create cars that stir people's emotions. The overwhelmingly positive reaction across the globe to last year's concept has convinced Jaguar to build the F-Type roadster.

"Due to the unprecedented growth and intensity of new product development at Jaguar, it will take us around three years to deliver the F-Type roadster to market. While F-Type will embody all the passion and excitement of past Jaguar roadsters such as XK120 and E-type, it clearly signals a fresh direction for Jaguar sports cars in the future."

The F-Type has been the subject of a detailed 12-month study to determine both the business implications and potential launch timing. A crucial issue for the study team was to determine the relative priority of F-Type in the context of the company's ambitious long-term product plan.

Jaguar, as a business, is in the throes of a major product-led transformation. The introduction of the S-Type saloon in 1999 led to record sales around the world.

The new X-Type compact sports saloon which goes on sale later this year establishes Jaguar as a four-model line com- pany, accelerating the company's development from a niche player into a major competitor in the premium car segment.

The smaller, more affordable F-Type roadster complements the XK Series range of sports cars and will extend Jaguar's product portfolio to five distinct model ranges - three saloons and two sports car models.

F-Type will therefore continue Jaguar's drive to make the name more accessible and aspirational to a wider customer audience. Within each model range, innovative derivatives will provide greater customer choice.

Jonathan Browning, Jaguar's managing director, said: "The atmosphere at Jaguar is vibrant, exciting and challenging, as the rate of new product development continues at a dramatic pace.

Over the next 36 months, Jaguar will launch 15 new or significantly revised products. F-Type will be the 16th.

From a manufacturer that a mere three years ago had only a two-model line-up, Jaguar today is the fastest-growing of all car manufacturers, but this growth is being managed carefully.