| COVENTRY, England — Despite rumours to the contrary, Jaguar has decided against the new S-Type replacement, codenamed X250, being all-aluminium. Instead, the new model due to be launched in 2007, will be of a more conventional design.
It had originally planned to build the next S-Type using the same riveted aluminum technology as used on the XJ and the forthcoming XK coupe, but it has proved to be too expensive to continue even though it would have helped to justify the company's major investment in building aluminum-chassis cars. Jaguar has therefore decided to re-engineer the current S-Type platform rather than adapt the XJ. It will have aluminum body panels on a steel floor pan, and feature "four-door coupe" styling based on the R-D6 concept from 2003 making it more of a rival to the Mercedes-Benz CLS.
Jaguar's restructuring plan also involves facelifting the XJ, codenamed X357, which is also due in 2007, replacing the X-Type with a "crossover" vehicle in 2008, and possibly a smaller sports car along the lines of the F-Type which never made it into production.
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