Jaguar has unveiled more information about the upcoming Jaguar XE – it will employ extensive use of aluminium in its chassis, which is said to be the first in its class. Jaguar will use a new highly recycled aluminium alloy called RC5754 that was developed specifically for the XE.

While the company is known for its aluminium construction, we weren’t too sure at first if the XE would get it. This is because its big brother the XF got a conventional chassis instead of an aluminium chassis like the big XJ. The benefits of using aluminium are obvious – just compare the weight of the XF 2.0 Ti and the long wheelbase XJ 2.0 Ti on CarBase.my – they both weigh 1,660kg despite the massive difference in size!

Thanks to a body that will use over 75% aluminium content, expect the Jaguar XE to be one of the lightest cars in its segment. Because the engine has to lug less weight around, Jaguar is targeting to deliver a fuel economy of less than 4 litres per 100 km on the EU combined cycle for the most fuel efficient XE.

The XE will use Jaguar’s new Ingenium engine family, which will also be shared with Land Rover. Ingenium engines will be modular in nature – they share the same bore, stroke, cylinder spacing, 500 cc capacity per cylinder and many common internal components. All Ingenium engines will be turbocharged and feature central high-pressure direct injection, variable valve timing and stop-start systems, and will also support pairing with an electric motor for hybrid drive.

The Jaguar XE will get its global unveiling in a little more than a month’s time on September 8 2014. It will join many other other new entries to a market has traditionally been a 3-Series and C-Class game. How will it fare? We can’t wait to see how it looks like and experience how it drives.