Today, Jaguar will launch FEEL XE, a platform created to harness the “Spirit of British creativity and innovation” using inspiring figures from the creative worlds of music, film and design. The unveiling of the FEEL XE platform coincides with the launch of the brand's new XE sports saloon car, a mid-sized, premium sports saloon that has been designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK. The XE is being heralded as a true “Game-changer,” with class-leading design and innovation that creates a driving experience that Jaguar wish to express through creative interpretations of the feeling of “Exhilaration.”
The unveiling of the FEEL XE platform coincides with the launch of the brand's new XE sports saloon car
Artists that Jaguar will be collaborating with include multi-platinum, singer-songwriter Emeli Sande, Emmy nominated actor Idris Elba and renowned designer Stella McCartney, all home-grown British talents, who will be creating something unique for the platform. Sande will be creating the first FEEL XE project in the form of a song about the feeling of Exhilaration, which will support the reveal of the Jaguar XE. She will be looking to the public for inspiration by asking them; “What makes you feel Exhilarated?" The public will be able to share their answers through social media using the #FEELXE hashtag, and considering the word means many different things to many different people, she expects a diverse range of submissions.
Emeli Sande with the new Jaguar XE sports saloon car
Sande said that she's “Excited about working with Jaguar on the FEEL XE campaign and with an incredible British brand.” She “Can't wait to start collaborating with the world, looking at what defines Exhilaration for them, and premiering the track in London at what is going to be an incredible event!" The event in question will be held at a secret location alongside the Thames on the 8th of September as part of a spectacular, one-of-a-kind audio-visual event. It will also be the first time the song is ever performed. The conclusion of the performance will see the XE finally revealed, just one part of a series of dramatic Jaguar XE stunts and events across the Capital.
“I Can't wait to start collaborating with the world, looking at what defines Exhilaration for them and premiering the track in London at what is going to be an incredible event!" Emeli Sande
Idris Elba, meanwhile, best known for his roles in hit HBO drama, The Wire and BBC detective smash, Luther, will be creating his own FEEL XE project with his production company Green Door Pictures. Elba is a noted petrol head, who explored his passion for cars and speed in the recent BBC2 series, King Of Speed. He says he has a “Passionate, personal connection to cars,” and when he personally thinks of “Exhilaration,” he is “Immediately drawn towards the role that cars have played” in the defining moments of his life. Stella McCartney, who will also be creating a FEEL XE project says she is also “Passionate about British design and innovation,” and is “Proud to be involved in the Jaguar FEEL XE campaign.”
A “Beneath the skin” deconstruction of the new Jaguar XE
Fiona Pargeter, PR Director for Jaguar Land Rover, believes that the XE is a special car that warrants a special launch. She says they are “Very excited to be working with such amazing global talent to create interesting and engaging experiences,” which can be shared around the world. Of Sande, she says she feels the singer-songwriter, who has helped pen such modern soul classics as “Read All About It” with Professor Green, “Beneath You're Beautiful” with Labrinth and her own “Next To Me,” is “An incredible artist and one who embodies the creativity and elegance that is at the heart of the Jaguar brand and the new XE."
Official Jaguar Facebook Page (where you'll find exclusive behind-the-scenes footage and interviews)
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from the UK who will probably never own a Jaguar.
