Although the new Jaguar XK looks very compact, it has excellent luggage space, and the Coupe is designed to be able to carry two golf bags. The rear overhang is 122mm shorter than on the previous XK, but the rear luggage volume is only 8 litres less, or actually 22 litres more when the optional runflat tyres are specified - and of course it has gained the enormous benefit of the all-new Liftback design, which provides excellent access to the loadspace area. The Convertible will also carry two medium sized golf bags.

"I am very proud of the new XK," says Ian Callum. "It is contemporary with wonderful modern proportions yet we have succeeded in integrating design cues from our heritage. The front grille, for example, is pure E-type, and makes the perfect statement that this is, first and foremost, a Jaguar."



LIGHTWEIGHT VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY

- All-aluminium construction gives best-in-class torsional rigidity for Coupe and Convertible
- Lightweight body structure means better performance, handling, safety and economy
- Volume production of aluminium monocoque body structure unique to Jaguar in the automotive industry

Key to the all-new Jaguar XK's character is Jaguar's industry-leading bonded and riveted aluminium monocoque body structure, introduced with the latest Jaguar XJ saloons. The aluminium body incorporates the latest thinking in epoxy bonding and riveting techniques to produce a chassis that is very safe and very light. In fact the new XK's aluminium chassis is significantly lighter and stiffer in both Coupe and Convertible form than the steel model it replaces. The new Coupe chassis is over 30 percent stiffer than the previous XK, while the Convertible is an impressive 50 percent stiffer.

As a consequence the new Jaguar XK accelerates faster, uses less fuel and produces lower emissions than the model it replaces, while offering high levels of safety, reduced noise and vibration intrusion, and improved ride and handling characteristics thanks to improved suspension dynamics.

Jaguar's Lightweight Vehicle Technology is unique in the industry as a complete aluminium monocoque body structure as distinct from an aluminium spaceframe with separate aluminium panels. Developed from aircraft industry methods, where strength is critical, Jaguar's manufacturing process produces a massively strong but very light structure. The new XK takes the concept a step further with extended use of lightweight aluminium castings and extrusions as well as the pressed aluminium panels. Its strength and light weight come from the way the shell is constructed, using new jointing technologies developed by Jaguar and its suppliers.

There is only a single welded joint in the new Jaguar XK Coupe body, the one 'cosmetic' joint on the roof. That also has an environmental benefit in that the body construction needs no high electrical current, produces no welding sparks or fumes, and needs no water for cooling. All the other joints in the new Jaguar XK shell are formed using Jaguar's unique combination of riveting and bonding. Most joints are produced using self-piercing rivets applied by hydraulic pressure against a fixed tool. Where access to only one side of the joint is possible, as in some of the new extruded box sections, a new riveting process has been developed; and where particularly high stiffness is required in a joint, a combination of riveting and bonding is used - with the adhesive bond in effect creating a continuous joint which is stronger than a similar, riveted-only joint. All visible exterior panels are bonded to the underlying structure, and a new automated seam-sealing process seals all relevant areas of the shell before painting, to ensure that no gaps are missed.

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