FRANKFURT, Germany In an effort to reduce fuel-consuming weight and to look cutting edge, Jaguar will take a big step in the use of aluminum with the introduction of its next version of the XJ sedan.
When it arrives next year, the luxury XJ sedan will have "an advanced aluminum-intensive body structure," said Jonathan Browning, the company's managing director, at the auto show here. Aluminum is used in a number of places on most cars in the world today, but in limited quantities in things like suspension bits and engine parts.
Browning made the point that, as a full-size luxury car, the Jaguar XJ is "an ideal vehicle to pioneer the company's move into weight-saving aluminum-intensive technology, which benefits performance, fuel economy and emissions."
The fact that aluminum is lighter than steel is its weakness as well as its strength, since the laws of physics degree that all other things being equal a heavier car will always protect its occupants better than a lighter car.
The charms of aluminum have been known for some time, but the lack of a stable price level has made car companies shy away from using it in great quantities. It seems that Jaguar's parent, the Ford Motor Company, believes aluminum will stay low enough to make its use feasible. The lightweight metal has recently been trading at a two-year low.