Jaguar is known for its use of aluminum in the construction of some of its models, and the weight and dynamic advantages that this approach offers compared to traditional steel-bodied automobiles. Now, it has been revealed by Tata Motors chairman Ratan Tata that all future Jaguar and Land Rover models will make use of aluminum in their bodies - a move that will help Jaguar and Land Rover models keep weight down and improve mileage and efficiency figures.

Tata Motors, which owns Jaguar and Land Rover, revealed the information through Ratan Tata's comments in the company's annual report. The news comes following massive losses for the Jaguar and Land Rover duo in 2008, with numbers hovering around the negative £673.4 million ($1.1 billion) mark.

These losses were largely attributed to high development costs for new models, as well as the poor luxury car market, but vehicle production costs would also have been a factor. The use of aluminum in the construction of cars is certainly more expensive than using steel, but Jaguar and Land Rover will be banking on the efficiency gains that the material affords to woo a more environmentally-conscious public in the future.

Jaguar has already made extensive use of aluminum in the construction of the XJ and XK models. As revealed to Autocar by Jaguar senior engineer Andrew Tarpey, “an all-aluminum body is the foundation for the major vehicle attributes of safety, driving dynamics and performance", and that more extensive use of the material will allow the designers to "produce a lightweight, efficient body structure with fewer parts and joints, meaning a stiffer body".