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A speedy catwalk

2014-07-28 11:13 China Daily Web Editor: Qin Dexing
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Jaguar F-Type Coupe at the Zhuhai International Circuit. CHINA DAILY

Jaguar F-Type Coupe at the Zhuhai International Circuit. CHINA DAILY

British brand Jaguar showcases power and beauty in 'Year of the Cat'

Jaguar's test drive of its most dynamically capable, performance-focused production car, the F-Type Coupe, took on an air of motor racing at the Zhuhai International Circuit after it launched in June.

The British premium car brand is out in full force in the Chinese market and just like its namesake animal it is fiercely beautiful.

While celebrating its 10th year in China, which has been its largest market in the world since 2012, Jaguar is setting itself up for a new sprint in terms of product planning and branding to make 2014 the "Year of the Cat".

Competing as a relative latecomer in China's premium car segment is challenging but the brand is a born challenger.

"Never Stop Achieving" is Jaguar's motto. Throughout its nearly 80 years of history, the car brand has honored its traditions and reinvented its classics.

More than half a century after creating the Jaguar E-Type, which is considered one of the world's most beautiful cars, the brand has revitalized its glory in the sports car segment with the F-Type range.

The new range is reckoned to be even greater than the E-Type and combines the brand's typical British elegance with cutting-edge technology.

The F-Type Coupe's lightweight yet strong body structure plays a critical part in developing enhanced dynamic attributes. The brand's charm in dynamics is not confined to the high-performance model.

With its XE sedan on track to roll out in September, Jaguar aims to redefine the concept of a compact sport sedan it set 50 years ago with the Mark II.

The XE will be the first in its segment to feature aluminum-monocoque construction and Jaguar's first production model to use the advanced aluminum architecture seen in the brand's C-X17 Concept. Also making a debut in the model will be the brand's self-developed all-new Ingenium engine family, which is made of a series of lightweight, modular diesel and petrol turbocharged engines with segment-leading power torque and fuel consumption.

To meet the market's increasing need for versatile styling and diversified lifestyles the brand brought its XF Sportbrake to China in April. The car offers both the dynamism of an XF and the practicality of an estate car.

Backed by Beckham

The wagon was certainly not Jaguar's only eye-catcher.

Leading the star-studded line-up of Jaguars in Beijing's auto show in April was its first ever brand ambassador for China- David Beckham.

The former England soccer captain, who is a household name in China, was the talk of the town for the role that he took up in March.

Beckham's retirement as a professional athlete was not the end of his career, but marked a new start for his work in fashion, investment and philanthropy, including contributions to Jaguar's social responsibility work.

As part of the Beckham-backed Jaguar China Youth Football Development Initiatives, the first Jaguar Football Public Open Day kicked off in Shanghai this month after the thrilling final of the World Cup.

About 400 guests, including around 300 local children, experienced the fun of football in friendly matches. Half the children are from schools for migrant worker's children, an underprivileged group to which Jaguar Land Rover China Children & Youth Dream Fund dedicates its help. Jaguar said Beckham was the perfect embodiment of the "never stop achieving" spirit that the brand stands for.

In a China-exclusive TV commercial released in June Beckham drives a series of Jaguar cars through time to show how the C-Type, D-Type, E-Type and F-Type have built up the brand. The commercial illustrates Jaguar through decades - a showcase of British style, elegance, craftsmanship and mix of its 80-year history with a modern flair.

Aspirational shoppers in China, who resonate well with Jaguar's image, are typically aged between 25 and 40, according to the company.

The group represents a much younger demographic than the brand's traditional fan base and they are harder to reach through the usual communication models the brand formerly relied on.

More customer engagement was Jaguar's answer to reaching out to the digital generation.

On China's popular social networking platform Wechat, the brand launched an official account called XFriday to promote British lifestyle to Jaguar XF fans through sports, travel and music.

Online relationships created with potential customers can be extended into the real world.

Based on a series of offline events, like the XFriday Football Night hosted in eight cities during the World Cup, a community of Jaguar owners and would-be buyers is in the making. This month, under Jaguar's sponsorship, pop singer and songwriter Jessie J, from the United Kingdom, hosted her first China concerts in Shanghai and Beijing.

Jaguar F-Type Coupe

For an engaging, precise and intuitive sports car like the Jaguar F-Type Coupe, there is probably no better place than racetrack to bring out the animal inside.

The car is striking, with two shark gill openings on either side of its formidable grille. The line then arcs up over the front wheelarch before dropping elegantly as it runs through the door, washing out into the muscular rear haunch.

The model's tough character is reinforced by the use of Jaguar's advanced aluminum technology in its lightweight and high-strength body.

This also helped achieve the highest torsional rigidity of a Jaguar car - 33,000 Nm/degree.

Among the three variants of the F-Type Coupe, the range-topping F-TYPE R Coupe packs a ferocious 5.0-liter supercharged V8 engine that delivers 550PS/680Nm at maximum. The power is strong enough to take it from standstill to 60 miles (96.6 kilometers) per hour in 4.1 seconds on its way to a top speed of 186 mph.

The F-TYPE S Coupe and F-TYPE Coupe are both powered by 3.0-liter V6 supercharged petrol engines, which, with 380PS/460Nm and 340PS/450Nm in tune, enable a respective acceleration from zero to 60 mph in 4.8 and 5.1 seconds, and hit top speeds of 171 and 161 mph.

Immediate responsiveness and assured handling are made possible by a variety of technological support and offer Jaguar F-Type Coupe drivers an involving and thrilling experience.

Making a debut in the F-TYPE R Coupe is Jaguar's second-generation Electronic Active Differential, which automatically redistributes engine torque between the rear wheels to ensure on-the-limit control.

The system is complemented by a new Torque Vectoring by braking system that applies precisely metered braking force to the inner wheels as necessary during cornering to enhance agility. Every F-Type Coupe carries Jaguar's eight-speed close-ratio Quickshift transmission, with full manual control available to the driver at any time using the central SportShift selector or steering wheel-mounted paddles.

"Even when the car is at a standstill, the driver-focused cockpit conveys an engaging sense of control - through its combination of taut, technical styling, involving interfaces, premium materials and textures," said Alister Whelan, creative director of Jaguar Interiors.

The F-Type R Coupe, for example, features inflatable side-bolstering and prominent wings for support during high-speed cornering, and a small-diameter, flat-bottomed steering wheel.

Its premium trim includes leather on the instrument panel and binnacle, armrests, door inserts and the center console.

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