MIAS 2019: Jaguar Land Rover PH Gets Down to Business

"I should just warn you, I'm not gonna be singing and I'm not gonna be dancing," said Chris Ward, president of Coventry Motors Corporation. "But I am gonna talk to you about some great cars."

It was Ward’s first time in the Philippines and he expressed excitement over the fact that he was going to share some great interesting products and details about what's in store for the Jaguar Land Rover brand in the country.

"We are very proud of heritage, which is very hard to match in the auto industry. But whilst our sights are clearly and firmly set on the future, it's very relevant to know that we still retain design cues from our past," Ward said.

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British multinational automotive company Jaguar Land Rover carries three nameplates: Jaguar, Land Rover, and Range Rover. The brand offers both lifestyle and life stage vehicles, giving car buyers a range of 13 models to choose from, all imbued with the distinct Jaguar Land Rover motorsport pedigree.

It's just been over a year since Jaguar Land Rover appointed Coventry Motors as the official importer for the British marque in the Philippines, and soon after, appointed All British Cars as the official retailer. The next big step, Ward said, is the arrival of the all-new Range Rover Evoque.

"The Evoque first hit headlines back in 2011," Ward said. "Since then, sales globally have been an enormous success for the company."

"This isn't a facelifted car," he emphasized. "This is an all-new car, right from the ground-floor up. So although it has similarities of course to the original, it's a very different car."

Ward then introduced a sneak peek of the brand new Evoque via a visual presentation.

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Like its bigger brothers the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Velar, the all-new Evoque will bring luxury and technology with a 'less is more' theme via cleaner lines, reduced levels of noise vibrations and harshness in the car, and a new interior with improved functionality and cool technology.

Speaking of cool technology, Ward also introduced the new ClearSight rearview mirror and ground view.

The ClearSight rearview mirror brings the driver clear visibility even when you've loaded the boot, obscuring the rear mirror. There's a camera mounted on the little shark fin on the roof which beams up to the rearview mirror so you can still see even though you've loaded the boot.

The ClearSight ground view, on the other hand, puts cameras in front of the car, so you can see the things you're about to go over. This can be especially useful for those who go off-road often. Meanwhile, urban drivers now have a way to confirm if it's a stray kitty or just road debris that's blocking their way.

While the outgoing Evoque shared its platform with the Jaguar Freelander, the latest version uses that of the Range Rover Velar, which adds one mm to the total length, and a whopping 20 mm to the wheelbase, allowing for a more spacious cabin.

Unfortunately for those who would like to lay their eyes on the real thing, the all-new Evoque is still being shipped to the country and couldn’t make it for MIAS 2019. But Ward and his cohorts at Coventry were able to provide the next best thing--a virtual reality simulation of the car where you can put goggles on so you can view the car in VR.

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If you can't be satiated by the VR experience, Ward promised a proper formal launch of the new Evoque as soon as it arrives.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For the meantime, here's a photo of the all-new Range Rover Evoque that we took at the Singapore Motorshow last January.