Jaguar Cars, the UK-based luxury car manufacturer, has chosen the Western Cape as the venue for the global launch of its new XK sports car. With over 650 of the world´s media coming to the region, the spotlight of the motoring world will be on the area of Stellenbosch and other venues all around the Western Cape, including Greyton Lodge.
This international event is the first opportunity for the global press to test-drive both the coupé and convertible versions of Jaguar´s new sports car. Made entirely from aluminium, the 4,2 litre Jaguar XK is a continuation of the line of beautiful sports cars Jaguar has been producing since the company was founded in Coventy in 1923.
Jaguar chose the Western Cape as a venue after an exhaustive selection process during which it looked at venues from all over the world. The Western Cape was chosen for its outstanding beauty, its excellent road network and the famous hospitality of the local community. Jaguar chose the Lanzerac Manor Hotel in the heart of Stellenboch as the base for the operations. However, the road routes for the journalists testing the new models took in venues such as Greyton Lodge in Greyton, Franchhoek, Caledon, Kleinmond and Cape Town itself – a perfect opportunity to showcase the beauty and attractions of the Western Cape to many journalists who had not previously visited South Africa.
Commenting on the choice of the Western Cape as the venue for this important launch, Jaguar Global PR Manager jay Warden said: "We are delighted to be able to bring such a large number of the world´s media to this most beautiful country. We feel strongly that the area will provide the perfect backdrop for the beautiful new Jaguar XK and we have been delighted by the feedback that we have received so far, as well as the wonderful hospitality we have been afforded since our arrival."
With a total of 71 cars and a team of over 50 people working on the project, the logistics of putting together such a huge operation were challenging. Work on the project took over a year and the planning was meticulousThe result was an event that ensured that the media had the opportunity to drive the cars on excellent roads as well as experience at first hand the local ambience.
The local community in Stellenbosch and surrounding areas played a huge part in the overall running of the event, and played host to journalists from countries as diverse as the United States, China, Russia, Japan and all of the European countries. In total some 272,000 kilometres were be covered over a 6 week period making this one of the biggest press launches in Jaguar´s history. With a permanent team of 11 mechanics and a wash crew team of 10 keeping the cars on the road and in pristine condition, the Jaguar XK should stood out as they passed through the towns and villages of the Western Cape.
Greyton Lodge was very proud to participate in this event. 650 International journalists and the Jaguar team came to Greyton Lodge 2-3 times a week over a 6-week period for lunches and coffee/tea breaks. The first group came for a lunch January 16th and it was great to see all the fabulous cars outside the lodge. In the weeks that followed Greyton Lodge was delighted to offer hospitality to the Jaguar teams on several occasions. The Lodge certainly provided a great backdrop for the elegance of these sleek and sophisticated machines!
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