Jaguar Land Rover to test lightweight materials with aerospace tech

Jaguar Land Rover has announced it will launch a “pioneering” research trial to test new lightweight materials for use in future models.

The two-year project, said to use sensor technology developed for the aerospace industry, will look at how innovative metals and composite materials respond to harsh or corrosive environments. 

The materials will be tested in "some of the world's most extreme physical conditions" in a 250,000-mile regime across various parts of North America.

The data gathered from the testing will be shared with the UK product development team to allow them to accurately forecast the future behaviour of these materials. That means any innovation in that field can meet "the company's stringent standards" for longevity and quality.

Lead engineer Matt Walters said the research project is an example of the brand's "commitment to developing lightweight, durable and robust materials for our future vehicles".

The research, said to include "world-class partners", forms part of a consortium of aluminium manufacturers and other car makers with similar objectives. It builds on research projects such as JLR's 2019 testing of printed structural electronics for interiors, said to reduce the weight of in-car electronics by up to 60%.