JAGUAR has been teasing us, with a few more details about its forthcoming XE, a rival for the BMW 3-Series and Mercedes C-Class – and it looks as though the Jaguar XE is already shaping up as a winner on the MPG and CO2 fronts, which should attract plenty of attention from company car drivers.
The main feature that will mark the Jaguar XE out from its rivals is the extensive use of weight-saving aluminium bodywork, which should give the new baby Jag an edge in terms of both economy and performance.
Aluminium will account for about 75 per cent of the Jaguar XE’s structure. The body will be riveted and bonded together, building on Jaguar Land Rover’s already extensive experience of aluminium construction.
A newly developed aluminium alloy, RC5754, will also be incorporated into the Jaguat XE; RC5754 uses a high level of recycled aluminium, and helps Jaguar on its way to achieving its goal of using 75 per cent recycled material by 2020.
The other factor in the Jaguar XE’s hoped-for success will be the all-new range of four-cylinder “Ingenium” diesel and petrol engines to be built at the recently constructed Jaguar Land Rover Engine Manufacturing Centre near Wolverhampton.
