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Tata: All future Jaguar and Land Rover models will feature aluminum bodies

 
7 2,324 views Aug 3, 2009

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2011 Jaguar XJ

2011 Jaguar XJ

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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".
2010 Jaguar XKR
2010 Jaguar XJ

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Comments (7)

  1. ma_Roy avatar Roy Posted: 8/3/2009 8:42am PDT

    Audi is the one that's really known for pioneering the use of aluminium in car bodies. Apparently, aluminium isn't very easy to work with, preventing body panels from being too complicated or curved. However, they worked out many bugs with their partner (Alcoa's AATS) and I guess this has filtered through to other car companies. Any idea which aluminium producer Tata is partnered with?

    Incidentally, Audi were also one of the first companies to galvanize steel bodies. I'm excited about the prospect of Audi A4s with carbon composite bodies...
     
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  2. ma_NC2010 avatar NC2010 Posted: 8/3/2009 9:16am PDT

    Apparently, aluminium isn't very easy to work with, preventing body panels from being too complicated or curved. .....

    What? Can you explain how that would be the case? It certainly makes no sense based on my observations of the complex surfaces produced over the years and currently.
     
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  3. ma_Mike avatar Mike Posted: 8/3/2009 1:11pm PDT

    What? No mention of LandRover's extensive use of aluminium? LR was building aluminium bodies over half a century before Jag started to.
     
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  4. ma_bepsf avatar bepsf Posted: 8/3/2009 3:16pm PDT

    Apparently, aluminium isn't very easy to work with, preventing body panels from being too complicated or curved. .....

    What? Can you explain how that would be the case? It certainly makes no sense based on my observations of the complex surfaces produced over the years and currently.

    Aluminum isn't as ductile as steel and when formed tends to bounce back towards it's original shape, therefore the presses must be made in such a way that the bends in the form are exaggerated to compensate for the way the metal reacts to stamping.

    If you'll notice, Audi and Jaguar don't use elaborate forms in their aluminum bodies - very slab-sided - and at the ends of the body where the most significant curves exist are composed of plastic end-caps.
     
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  5. ma_bepsf avatar bepsf Posted: 8/3/2009 3:19pm PDT

    What? No mention of LandRover's extensive use of aluminium? LR was building aluminium bodies over half a century before Jag started to.

    Quite so - LR started using aluminum bodies in 1948...
    ...and again, very slab-sided designs to deal w/ the innate properties of aluminum.
     
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  6. ma_Roy avatar Roy Posted: 8/3/2009 7:28pm PDT

    I hadn't realized that LandRovers have been using aluminium for such a long time... I guess the old Grumman trucks used by UPS and the like are probably also aluminium. I guess I was only aware of the big fuss that Audi makes about all their patents for working with aluminium (more than 40, apparently).
    The engine components, suspension components, etc are all made by casting the aluminium in molds.
     
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  7. By hj Posted: 1/21/2010 1:09am PST

    You seem to forget that Jaguar's first examples of XK 120 were made of aluminium! only after its massive success and thousands of orders - Jag decided to make it from steal, cause that was faster process. So do not say LR or Audi pioneered aluminium usage! and also Jag's aerospace inspired aluminium body is much more sophisticated than that of the Audi's (tube frame)
    but if talking about form.. hmm, in 60ies cars (mainly sport/rasing cats)were made from aluminium and they were very curvy.. but that maybe has something to do with the fact that the body panels were formed by hand...
     
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