New Jaguar I-Pace - why car launches will never be the same again

In the darkened VR world, up popped Andy Jaye, the radio and television presenter compering Jaguar’s launch. He was located in a room elsewhere in the building in LA, being projected in 3D into the virtual space. Then in strolled Jaguar’s design chief Ian Callum, who explained the I-Pace’s design as the car began to take shape alongside him. 

Of course, the VR world can put you anywhere in the universe. One minute we were in space, looking down on the Earth as Jaye quizzed Callum on the design origins of the I-Pace. The next minute we were at Venice Beach in LA, sitting in the driver’s seat of the I-Pace and examining the cabin in detail. 

It was a fully immersive experience. As Ian Hoban, Jaguar’s vehicle line director, appeared to explain the technology underpinning the I-Pace, it was possible to zoom in on components such as suspension or the battery pack using a hand-held controller.

To cap it all, once we removed our headsets and left the VR world, the real Jaguar I-Pace Concept had been wheeled out in front of us. 

I was at a Renault event at the recent Paris motor show that used VR to showcase the new Trezor concept car, but the scale and ambition of Jaguar’s effort was certainly on a different level to any VR stunt I’ve experienced before.

Jaguar claims this was the largest live and connected VR event of its type to date, and it is clear that some serious resources went into making it work. 

Jaguar worked with HTC, which supplied its latest Vive headsets, headphones and VR controllers (about £1000 per kit for each of the 66 guests who attended one of the launches Jaguar hosted during the day). Dell provided the computing power required to run the VR systems, and Jaguar employed a virtual reality director named Alexander Horton to direct the launch event.

Horton, a Brit who drives a Land Rover Defender, told me he had about 12 weeks to take the project from concept to reality, although Jaguar had laid the groundwork months earlier.

“I’ve never done a product reveal. The other things I’ve done have been brand experiences aimed at elevating awareness of a particular brand,” he said.

Horton - who also describes himself as a “failed product designer who has the same degree as Ian Callum, albeit 20 years later” – explained that one of the key challenges was to create an environment which didn’t distract viewers from the I-Pace. 

“We’re not going to eclipse the car with visceral stunts that hit you in the face. It was all about restraint, letting the car and the designers speak,” he said.

Jaguar has plans to make the virtual presentation available for anyone with suitable kit via Vive Port, an online VR app store.

It’s one thing opening up this kind of experience to some A-list celebs and Z-list journalists, but as VR technology becomes cheaper and more accessible, this could present an effective way for car companies to get closer to the customers who buy their models.

The future could involve customers in Scunthorpe, Sao Paulo or Sydney donning VR headsets and virtually jumping to an exotic location where a new car will be presented to them. Anyone will be able to attend.