MANILA, Philippines - Passion is what fuels my love for cars,” says Wellington Soong, chairman and president, Jaguar Philippines Inc. “Jaguar owners like me have a love affair with our ‘cats.’”
When Soong talks about his love for cars there is a twinkle in his eye that tells his listeners that cars, British cars in particular, are the loves of his life.
“Yes, I love my wife and my kids,” he chuckles. “But my affair with cars started when I was a teenager and it has never waned.”
At the launch of the Jaguar XJ recently, Soong was giddy with excitement.
“You know, there have been switchers,” shares Soong. “When car aficionados learned that we were bringing in the new XJ they wanted one.” Switchers, Soong explains, are people who perhaps may have preferred a different brand in the past but converted to the Jaguar XJ.
After all, the Jaguar XJ has been christened “brightest diamond” among the Jaguar cars available here today.
The launch was held at Republiq in Newport City, Pasay. Guests included British Ambassador Stephen Lillie and Jaguar overseas operations manager Mick Razza.
“We are confident that the all-new Jaguar XJ will reignite the interest in the brand,” says Jaguar overseas manager Mick Razza. “After its recent launch in the UK, the Jaguar XJ outsold both the Mercedes Benz S-Class by 30 percent and the BMW 7 series by 70 percent in its first month last June.”
The Jaguar XJ, Soong adds, is so big because the new model seems to mark a departure from the company’s traditional look to a sporty and sleek look.
Inside the Republiq, two cars were parked at the entrance was the 1989 XJ Series 3 and sitting at the center was the all-new XJ.
The 1989 XJ Series 3 Jaguar is the typical Jaguar that I grew up seeing. The one with the long wheelbase, even longer hood and the Jaguar logo jumping out on the hood. When I was younger, I used to think that the Jaguar was a car that would never change in design. It’s as if the car company had a design that it felt would be a classic. Through the years, the Jaguar XJ changed, but these changes were mostly in the engine and interiors department and that classy Jaguar look stayed the same.
No longer.
It’s as if the all-new Jaguar XJ ditched the XJ’s old hoop skirts and semi-Victorian attire for some really chic eveningwear. Gone is the “Jaguar-look” of old and in is the Jaguar look of the future. Sexy would be one way to describe the new XJ sexy in a hunk sort of way.
“The line for the all-new XJ is growing,” says Soong. “Matter of fact, the cars that we brought in had already been sold.”
The Jaguar folks are a finicky breed and they know when they see a car if it will be the new “classy” and perhaps even “classic” of the future. The switchers have called up Soong telling him that they can’t wait to get an XJ.
The British flagship sedan is the epitome of fluid, contemporary automotive style. The elongated teardrop shape of the side windows establishes the car’s silhouette balanced by a dramatic lower swage line emanating from the front wheels.
It is truly a sexy sedan powered by a 5.0-liter V-8, one that’s at the very top of any luxury sedan.
Inside the car is a combination of the classic Jaguar look as it retains the same air-conditioning vents of old; the round ones that I truly love. I also like the fact the Jaguar XJ still has knobs for the radio and the air-conditioner rather than the push-button controls in other cars.
As we give the all-new XJ a closer look, Soong explains the little extras that make it truly a car of the future.
“Gone are the days when you could lock your key in the trunk,” quips Soong. “See, if I leave the key in the trunk, it won’t close.”
There are the little details that Soong further pointed out to me. “The tail lights have five grooves on them, much like the claw of a Jaguar,” he adds.
“And then there is the truly unique front grill, which gives this cat a look that says ‘no other car in any class comes close.’”
Soong smiles as he tours me around, “Am I drooling?” he asks. “Can’t help it. This all-new XJ is truly a beauty both inside and out.”
Soong’s love for cars is something he does not hide. He says that no matter how many years have passed since he first got his first British car in his teen years, the teenager in him still comes out when he sees new British cars and Jaguar models.
“There are many people who already own Jaguars; they are the ones looking to get this new model, too,” says Soong. “Our customer base consists of the most loyal clients we have had through the years.”
“Is it a man’s car?” I ask.
“It is a Jaguar lover’s car,” Soong hastily replies. “You would be surprised at the people who come to our showroom. Sometimes, the women are the ones who convince their spouses to get a Jaguar for them.”
Yes, Soong, the ultimate salesman, still entertains the customers that come into the Jaguar showroom in Makati. He likes to share everything he knows and has experienced with his own Jaguars. After all, he owns more than a couple of Jaguars himself.
JPI has been the exclusive distributor of Jaguar since 1997. For the Philippines, JPI is offering the long-wheel base, 238 kW naturally aspirated V8 version of the XJ. At the heart of the XJ’s construction is the next-generation application of Jaguar’s unique lightweight vehicle architecture. Primarily aluminum but also using magnesium and composite alloys it allows Jaguar to produce a significantly lighter body, the lightest in its class.
“I will never forget a letter I got in 1997 from a Jaguar owner,” says Soong. “It said, ‘Thanks for bringing the Jaguar to this country; it is truly the best car in the world, although I may never be able to own one.’ Of course, he was right because the only way I can describe the Jaguar is to say it is truly poetry in motion.”