Prospective Jaguar car owners will be able to build, see and accurately price the Jaguar car of their dreams online, thanks to a new feature launched at http://www.jaguar.com. Allowing real-time configuration and pricing at the click of a mouse, for any Jaguar car currently under manufacture, the "Build your Jaguar" feature was designed to facilitate the increasing trend amongst luxury car-buyers of researching their purchases online. The centerpiece of the facility is a spinning, virtual car, developed for Jaguar Cars by digital communications agency Global Beach, which allows users to view and update more than 1250 possible exterior combinations in real-time, rotating the car through 360 degrees by moving directional arrows. As customers click their way through their choice of range, model, color, trim, wheels and accessories, both image and price information automatically update. Up to 10 personalized selections per customer can be stored in a "virtual garage" or be forwarded directly to the user's local dealer to initiate the one-to-one sales process. The spinning car feature, which handles 1250 possible exterior combinations and 36,000+ individual frames, was developed using bespoke Global Beach software, specifically designed to accelerate the user experience. As a streamed interactive download, the Virtual Car avoids download-downtime, allowing the user to spin and view changes immediately. By creating data-driven color tinting instead of image imports to reflect the full palette of Jaguar paint finishes, the user benefits from real-time color updates. A powerful configuration database integrated with Jaguar Cars' production systems has been created, to enable the user to navigate through possible specification and pricing combinations in real time. This new functionality was developed and built by a Ford Motor Company-Trilogy joint venture company that was formed last February and which develops and operates Ford's consumer Websites. The joint venture company is overseen by ConsumerConnect, the Ford Motor Company unit responsible for transforming the company into the leading online consumer company for automotive products and services. Phil Cazaly, Jaguar's director of marketing, said, "As a company going through rapid growth, Jaguar is totally committed to the use of new technology. The car configurator on the Jaguar Website is our first step towards e-commerce and will have real value to Jaguar Customers. Reflecting on the feature's technical achievements, Clive Jackson, CEO of Global Beach added, "Speed, style and usability are critical in delivering a premium brand such as Jaguar online -- but so too is performance. Ultimately, we have delivered an added-value customer service, achieving what would be impractical using traditional print media. "Customers worldwide are increasingly researching their purchases online -- we have delivered a powerful tool which enables the customer to explore, price and visualize options, familiarizing themselves with the Jaguar brand before ever visiting a showroom," Jackson said. Chris Porch, CEO of the Ford-Trilogy Joint Venture responsible for developing the configuration database, added, "Jaguar's e-commerce platform will help transform the customer-buying experience on the Web. This proven platform will deliver value to Jaguar and its dealers by ensuring their leadership position in supporting their customers."
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