You’ve probably never asked yourself whether a car (a Jaguar XJ for the sake of detail) can outmaneuver a drone. But JLR did wonder, or at least that question might have preyed upon their marketing team’s collective mind, and they decided that its important to find out.
To do that, they’ve tapped movie stunt driver Mark Higgins and pro drone pilot JaeHong Li, with the former at the helm of the XJ (not sure which exactly, but not the V8-powered XJR) and the latter on the controls of a DJI Inspire1Pro.
At the Zhuhai International Circuit in China, the stage was set for the drone/car game of cat (it’s a Jag, get it?) and flying remote-controlled mouse. The premise was simple, both of them would start at the same spot, and the XJ would win if it managed to pull far enough away from the drone so that Mr Li can’t catch up.
Before long we see the Jag display some very impressive displays of agility for a big sedan, as we’ve long known it to be capable of, through the circuit’s parking lot and nearby industrial areas and derelict buildings.
But once the XJ finds some larger, more open stretches, the car leaves the drone in the dust. Of course, the car had to win, otherwise why would Jaguar publish much less fund this little experiment…
They said that this was also meant to showcase how drones are being used to film car chase sequences. And also, despite not directly admitting it, saying how Jaguars – even the big ones – are the best choice of car for movie makers to use. In the previous big budget flick to star a Jaguar, Spectre, the car really did steal the show.
