Aluminum-Intensive Technology Announced for Jaguar XJ Sedan

    FRANKFURT, Germany, Sept. 11 The next generation of
Jaguar's flagship XJ sedan will be the company's first series production model
to feature an advanced aluminum-intensive body structure, marking a
significant step forward in Jaguar's development and use of innovative
technologies and new materials.

    Making the announcement today at the Frankfurt Motor Show (IAA), Jaguar's
managing director Jonathan Browning said, "Jaguars have always been cars to
stir the emotions, but forthcoming vehicles will also increasingly appeal to
our growing customer base at a rational level, too.  Advanced technologies and
materials, such as aluminum, will play a far more prominent role in Jaguar's
future, adding further impetus to the company's product-led transformation,
which has already delivered a doubling of sales in the last three years."

    Weight-saving aluminum-intensive technology

    As a full-size luxury vehicle, the future 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.

    Though the next-generation, aluminum-bodied XJ will be a series production
first for Jaguar, the company has long experience of creating specialized
aluminum-intensive vehicles, from the original XK 120 sports car of 1948,
through the C-Type and Lightweight E-Type of the 1950s and 1960s, to the XJ
220 supercar of the early 1990s. In addition, aluminum features under the skin
of recent production Jaguar cars, primarily for powertrain and suspension
applications. The combination of light weight and strength have helped
establish Jaguar's reputation for high performance, agile handling and
superior ride.

    World-leading technology

    Engineers at Jaguar's Research and Development Center at Whitley, near
Coventry, England, are also developing a wide range of other new technologies
to be introduced on future generations of Jaguar cars. These will help sustain
the company's lead in such areas as telematics and vehicle safety, where
Jaguar has introduced world-leading technology over the past two years.

    Jaguar's Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Adaptive Restraint Technology
System (A.R.T.S.) place the company in the vanguard of automotive safety
technology. Jaguar's growing reputation at the forefront of in-car telematics
and communications is represented by the JaguarNet emergency messaging system,
voice activated in-car systems, and the fiber optic and advanced screen
technologies introduced earlier this year on the X-TYPE compact sports sedan.

    Strengthening and broadening Jaguar's appeal

    "The increased emphasis on innovative technology represents a significant
change in strategic direction for Jaguar, which is both strengthening and
broadening the appeal of our products," said Jonathan Browning. "Jaguar has
always offered its customers stylish, sensuous cars with a true performance
spirit. In recent years this has increasingly been allied to industry-leading
technology. For the future, we are fully committed to the intelligent
application of customer-focused innovation which delivers tangible benefits
for quality, safety, security and value-for-money, and which enhances Jaguar's
core marque values of design, performance and chassis dynamics."