Jaguar World Magazine XKR to Spa. June 2010 Back Issue

Though important, the work of the
Vehicle Certifi cation Agency is hardly
likely to set hearts racing; vehicle type
approval and the production of new
car fuel consumption and CO2 databases,
just two of the areas it’s involved in, are not
exactly top of petrol-heads’ reading lists.
However, the news that the VCA has certifi ed
a full life cycle assessment of the new XJ is
certainly worthy of note.
Now, whatever your views on climate change
may be, the fact is that car manufacturers are facing
both ever-tightening regulations on emissions and
a buying public that, on the whole, is increasingly
conscious of a car’s ‘green credentials’. And I’m not
talking about colour palettes. Any manufacturer
that chooses to ignore these facts, even one that
produces large luxury cars, will be on a very sticky
wicket indeed in a short space of time. Jaguar,
however, is proving itself to be increasingly proactive.
While alternate-power Jaguars, though
undoubtedly in development, are still some way
from being a production reality, the marque’s use
of lightweight-aluminium construction in the XK and
new XJ (and before that, of course, in X350 XJ),
is very much key in its building of cars that have
a minimised environmental impact, despite their
luxury and performance credentials. The latest VCA
certifi cation will help Whitley’s engineers
ensure that the next generation
of Jaguars will be the
‘greenest’ yet.
The analysis
of the new XJ
included all aspects
of its life cycle, from
materials used, through
manufacturing, projected
use, and ultimate disposal. Not only
is it the first Jaguar to have been subject to such
scrutiny, it is one of only a few vehicles worldwide
to have been analysed in this way. It’s not hard to
envisage that the publication of such data may well
become mandatory in the not-too-distant future, so
for Jaguar to be in there at the beginning can only
be a good thing.