Jaguar XE's aluminium construction could make it deliver 31km/l

The new XE has been designed around Jaguar’s modular vehicle architecture. The XE is the only car in the class to use an aluminium-intensive monocoque, with lightweight aluminium accounting for 75 per cent of the structure. The competition does use aluminium but the usage isn’t of this percentage. Jaguar Land Rover has one of the largest aluminium producer, especially in the automotive industry as all its new products have maximum usage of this metal.

This milestone in body engineering ensures that the Jaguar XE combines outstanding design with benchmark levels of ride and handling – it will be the true driver’s car in the segment. As the bodyweight of aluminium is lesser than the currently used metals.vLightweight construction is a core element of Jaguar’s DNA and Jaguar uses it in the XJ, XK and F-Type with stiff bonded and riveted aluminium structures: now the XE becomes the latest model to use this aerospace-inspired technology.

The weight reduction realised ensures that the XE is the most fuel-efficient Jaguar yet with fuel consumption cycle of over 31km/l.

“The Jaguar XE body uses over 75% aluminium content, which far exceeds any other car in its class. This gives us a body structure with unrivalled low weight: it’s light but also immensely strong with extremely high levels of torsional stiffness. We’ve made sure our aluminium-intensive body structure exceeds all global safety standards without compromising on vehicle design or refinement,” says Dr Mark White, Jaguar’s Chief Technical Specialist; Body Complete

The Jaguar XE’s aluminium-intensive body structure delivers exceptional torsional stiffness. The light but strong architecture incorporates highly advanced suspension systems and Jaguar claims that this helps to deliver unparalleled levels of ride quality, handling and steering.

The Jaguar XE is also the first car in the world make use of a new grade of high strength aluminium called RC 5754 which has been developed specifically for the XE. This new alloy features a high level of recycled material and makes a significant contribution to Jaguar’s goal of using 75 per cent recycled material by 2020.

Designed and engineered in the UK, the XE will be the first Jaguar to be manufactured at a new purpose-built production facility at the company’s Solihull plant in the West Midlands in the UK. Even the new four-cylinder engine plant will be ready by this year-end. These will be the first set of engines that are designed and manufactured by Jaguar Land Rover in-house after a gap of over a decade. Earlier, the company procured engines from Ford as it was under its ownership prior to Tata Motors.

Source : CarDekho