Jaguar’s The Art of Performance Tour Highlights Test-Drives, Spy Caper

LOS ANGELES – Jaguar’s The Art of Performance Tour not only gives car shoppers the chance to test-drive the 2016 Jaguar XE compact luxury sedan, it also lets them “play a rookie spy” and star in a short action film. The tour launched at the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Participants can also get behind the wheel of the new 2017 Jaguar F-Pace SUV.

The tour is part of a major reboot for Jaguar in the U.S., as it emphasizes more affordable pricing, a new warranty-and-maintenance program and a major push to win the hearts and wallets of millennial buyers.

“The Art of Performance Tour will give customers across the U.S. a chance to see the entire new lineup, including the F-Pace and experience the Jaguar XE by taking the traditional test-drive model and updating it for the digital era,” said Kim McCullough, vice president of marketing for Jaguar Land Rover North America, in a statement.

Jaguar said it expects a minimum of 10,000 consumers will participate in the tour over the next six months.

The automaker also hopes to create a buzz on social media as tour-goers share personalized versions of their short action film, dubbed “The Audition,” with friends and followers.

The film angle “celebrates Jaguar’s long-standing relationship with movies,” including the James Bond series.

“Attendees will play a rookie spy racing through a deadly gauntlet, armed only with the Jaguar XE,” the automaker said.

The movie is then delivered to the attendee’s mobile device in real-time. They can then upload the video to any of their social media platforms or upload a 7-second clip to their Facebook page to establish it as their new profile video. In other words, this is crowd-sourced auto marketing and advertising taken to the next level.

The Jaguar tour will be open to Los Angeles area consumers from November 19-22. It will then travel to San Francisco, Dallas, Miami, New York, Washington, D.C. and Chicago.

Consumers can sign up at Jaguar.usa.com/rsvp.

The Jaguar XE is on sale now at Jaguar dealerships. The Jaguar F-Pace will go on sale in the spring.

Edmunds says: An all-star cast of Jaguar vehicles and a scene-stealing approach to advertising sounds like a winner.