Jaguar, together with HTC Vive last night revealed the all-new Jaguar E-PACE in a stunning VR experience. The exclusive event at the ExCel in London featured over 70 Vives to give guests a virtual sneak peak of the model before seeing it in the metal later in the evening.

Taking place over 12 VR pods, the experience featured a series of interactive technology stories, to dive deeper into the mechanics of the E-PACE. With Vive’s tracked controllers, guests could rotate the model to view from all angles and lift away sections of the car to reveal the interior. Whole sections of the car could be interacted with, such as opening the boot to get a 3D view of the capacity inside, or removing the engine for a close up look.

The VR experience culminated in placing the participant between two ramps in the heart of a thrilling car stunt. The 15.3 metre-long jump complete with a 270-degree corkscrew-like ‘barrel roll’ stunt was then spectacularly recreated live at the ExCel, setting an official GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ title, for the Furthest Barrel roll in a Production Vehicle.

The E-PACE is the newest member of Jaguar’s SUV family, joining the all-electric I-PACE Concept which was also revealed with Vive in a live cross-continent virtual reality event in November 2016. The launch was a world’s first, connecting 66 participants wearing Vive headsets based in the US and the UK.

The November launch took the audience far beyond any new car experience, allowing people across the world to connect in real time, be fully immersed within the vehicle and share live together their experience of Jaguar’s first ever-electric vehicle.

Richard Agnew, Global Product PR Director at Jaguar Land Rover said, “The reception from the first-of-its-kind VR launch of the Jaguar I-PACE Concept was incredibly positive and this feedback was taken on board when planning our next car reveal. We believe Vive provides us with a unique platform to share a deeper understanding of the engineering, design and technology that makes our cars, and creates a level of immersion previously unachievable through traditional PR techniques. It’s great to be partnering for a second time with Vive, for the launch of the Jaguar E-PACE and we look forward to the exciting opportunities that VR can further offer the automotive industry.”

Herve Fontaine, VP for B2B and Business Development at Vive commented, “We are seeing rapid growth in the adoption of VR within the automotive space and with Vive we are forging a path for new forms marketing and redefining product launches within the industry. Following the success of the I-PACE Concept virtual launch last year, we’re thrilled to collaborate again with our friends at Jaguar and Imagination on this spectacular VR experience.”