Jaguar Land Rover Makes Powerful Statement at the 2013 New York International Auto Show

There is something about New York City, both as the media and business capital of the U.S. and as a market itself, which aligns with the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. One respected and senior auto writer commented to me, and I quote, ‘The New York Show is SO Jaguar Land Rover!’ – and we couldn’t agree more, writes Stuart Schorr, Vice President of Communications & Public Affairs, Jaguar Land Rover North America.

Yes, New York is the biggest metropolitan market in the world for Range Rover and the Range Rover Sport is Land Rover’s best‑selling vehicle in the U.S., so it was an obvious decision to globally debut the all‑new Range Rover Sport here. Also, the newest Jaguar models; Instinctive All‑Wheel Drive™ XF and XJ vehicles, XJR,   XKR‑S GT and F‑TYPE will have the U.S. as their largest market and hence are well suited to debut under the bright city lights.

To celebrate this momentous debut for the Land Rover brand, British actor Daniel Craig delivered the all‑new Range Rover Sport on Tuesday, March 26, to an exclusive event, which was streamed live on https://newrangeroversport.landrover.com/#explore/overview and viewed by over 65,000 people in over 150 countries.

The evening’s reveal included a dynamic film of the all‑new Range Rover Sport driving throughout New York City titled ‘The Delivery’, directed by action film expert Jonathan P. B. Taylor.  The film starts upon arrival in America at a Brooklyn container terminal and details the car’s journey, with a mysterious driver, over the Manhattan Bridge, across New York City, and through the Park Avenue tunnel. The all‑new Range Rover Sport arrived, in real‑time with Daniel Craig behind the wheel, up 8th Avenue and straight onto the stage at Skylight at Moynihan Station to reveal the car to over 600 customers, media guests and employees.

Daniel Craig’s involvement in the film, the live‑drive, media interviews and live webcast interview truly helped the debut of the fastest, most agile Land Rover ever, reach a new level.

Craig was attracted to working with Land Rover not only because of his love for the British brand and its vehicles, but also because both he and the brand share a link with the charity S.A.F.E., of which he is a patron.

For Jaguar, this year’s show was highlighted by the expansion of its R performance line up from four to six cars with two global debuts.  The Jaguar XJR, a 550 hp sports sedan which combines supercar performance with the opulence and comfort of British luxury, was revealed along with the limited production Jaguar XKR‑S GT, a track‑ready and street legal version of the XKR‑S Coupe.  Both of these high performance vehicles are expected to be most popular in the United States; especially among automotive enthusiast journalists.

The expansion of the R performance line up dovetails nicely with the Jaguar brand’s overall increased emphasis on dynamic driving performance, which is highlighted by the Jaguar F‑TYPE. On the second press day, the Jaguar F‑TYPE was awarded the World Car Design of the Year award adding even more focus to the stunning new convertible. We are thrilled that the work of the Jaguar Design Team, led by Ian Callum, has been recognized for this achievement.

In addition to the World Car Design of the Year accolade, the Jaguar F‑TYPE made its national TV debut last week and was featured as one of the sports cars to look out for at the 2013 New York Auto Show on Live! With Kelly & Michael on ABC‑TV and Fox and Friends on FOX News. The Jaguar F‑TYPE convertible goes on sale this May.

With three global debuts, Jaguar and Land Rover certainly had a busy New York Auto Show. There is no denying that New York certainly is our kind of town. Thanks everyone.