• by Karl Greenberg , March 16, 2012

Jaguar, which in 2012 getting its biggest advertising commitment in years, is taking the cats to the street with an 18-city test-drive experience. 

The tour, called "Jaguar ALIVE Driving Experience," has a performance-driving focus with professional race car drivers riding shotgun. It supports the new global ad push. "Alive," starts in Phoenix on April 12 and travels to key U.S. markets throughout the year, according to the Mahwah, N.J., U.S. sales arm of the automaker. Jaguar and Land Rover are owned by Mumbai-based Tata Motors.  

The tour, which brings a multi-day brand event to each stop, goes as far south as key west cities, then on to Southwest markets through the summer before heading to the East and Southeast markets in the second half of 2012 and into 2013, per the company, which is directing consumers to www.jaguarusa.com/JaguarALIVEDrivingExperience to register for the program. 

The events, which are free to attend, feature the XF sports sedan, the XJ full-size luxury sedan and the XK coupe and convertible grand tourer. Jaguar says people who come to partake will be steeped in Jaguar's key values of performance, style, technology and refinement. The event includes something of a history exhibition with a display of classic Jaguar vehicles like the E-type and its newest model, the XKR-S, as well as exhibits on Jaguar technological innovation and a retrospective on the brand's design philosophy. 

Said David Pryor, brand vice president, Jaguar North America, in a statement: "Coupled with the launch of the ALIVE marketing campaign, we are excited by the opportunity to introduce the Jaguar brand in a refreshed, contemporary way." 

The year-long tour will also visit the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cricket Verizon Amphitheater in Jaguar's old stomping grounds when it was part of Ford's Premier Auto Group,  Irvine, Calif.; and Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles proper. The tour is also going to Dallas, Denver, Seattle, and Oakland, Calif. 

The company says the tour will then go to Atlanta; Chicago; Boston; the N.Y. /N.J./Conn. Tri-State area; Philadelphia; Washington, D.C.; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Orlando, Fla.; Tampa/St. Petersburg, Fla.; and Charlotte, N.C.