The 'state-of-the-art' design facility draws on advanced audio visual technologies with the projection power of the world's highest resolution projectors to significantly speed up product development cycles following an investment of £2 million (GBP).

Engineers and designers are able to see and interact with life-size, three-dimensional models of vehicles and components. The system reduces the need for physical prototypes, saving both time and money.

The most advanced facility of its kind in the world, Jaguar Land Rover's ground-breaking four-walled centre is a complete turn-key solution using cutting-edge projection technology, advanced motion tracking of the user's head and hands and is driven by advanced virtual reality software. The total solution provides a virtual reality environment like no other for simulating vehicle exteriors and interiors and capable of making bodywork appear solid or transparent, all at a resolution that is near photo-realistic.

Brian Waterfield, JLR Principle engineer and Virtual reality centre manager said: "Jaguar Land Rover has taken another giant step forward in its thrust for technological advancement; enhancing its design and engineering process to enable quicker, more robust decision making. This facility offers a different level of engineering, one that will help future our products to meet the demand of an ever changing market place."

Eight Sony SRX-S105 ultra-high resolution projectors - each capable of delivering the world's highest resolution imagery - provide a visual quality that clearly outstrips existing industry virtual reality Walls and CAVES. In the unique projector set-up these produce photo quality interactive 3D imagery where pixilation on the rear-projection screens is almost impossible to see. The user wears 3-D glasses to experience 'ultimate realism' with an ultra-high resolution that is four-times the definition of full-High Definition TV!

Working in partnership with Sony, Sun Microsystems and ICIDO and Midlands-based HoloVis International Ltd, the JLR team was able to bring together all of the different components of the project to design, manufacture, install and support this next-generation virtual environment for Jaguar and Land Rover.

Stuart Hetherington, Managing Director, HoloVis International comments: "We spent just over 18 months working closely with Jaguar Land Rover and our chosen system partners to design, develop, test and benchmark the proposed solution prior to the project being approved. This gave everyone the confidence in the unique technological solution we were going to provide, as well as our capability in delivering such an advanced turn-key system of this nature. This really is a world's-first in this industry and we're proud to have delivered this for such a prestigious client."

Notes:

• After setting its highest January retail result on record, Land Rover Australia set its best quarterly result since 2001 with 1,337 units. Currently Land Rover Australia retails sales are up 60% YTD (to the end of May) over last year.
• Jaguar Land Rover is a business built around two great British car brands that design, engineer and manufacture in the UK. Jaguar Cars Limited, founded in 1922, is one of the world's premier manufacturers of luxury saloons and sports cars. Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that define 'breadth of capability' in their segments. The Jaguar XF, XJ and XK models are manufactured at the company's Castle Bromwich plant in Birmingham, while the Jaguar X-TYPE is produced alongside the Land Rover Freelander 2 at the Halewood plant in Liverpool. Land Rover's Defender, Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Vogue models are all built at the Solihull plant. The Jaguar Land Rover business employs some 16,000 people, predominately in the UK, including some 3,500 engineers at two product development centres in Whitley, Coventry and Gaydon, Warwickshire (England). The business is a major wealth generator for the UK with 78 percent of Land Rovers exported to 169 countries and 70 percent of Jaguars exported to 63 countries, with sales to customers conducted principally through franchised dealers and importers.