Million Air September-October 2018

elite traveler SEPT/OCT 2018 71

If staunch discipline and the posthumous opinions of Sir Lyons provide a pair of guiding headlights for Callum, integrity and emotion are his taillights. “I knew the I-Pace design needed to touch the mind and the heart in an exciting way and that those three lines — the fender lines over the front of the wheel, the haunch of the back, and the silhouette of the car’s rear spoiler — would cause an emotional response.” Electrifying cars is inevitable, Callum explains, but at the moment he’s excited to “have it for ourselves for a little while.” Head-to-head comparisons with the Tesla Model X already abound, but Callum says he is neither surprised nor caught up in the hullabaloo. “I’m delighted to find a good purpose in life here. Electrification doesn’t deviate or dilute any of our values. We’re still at the forefront of innovation and design and it’s the right place to be.” Callum nods to the recent spotlight Jaguar found itself in when Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, freshly married and heading to their wedding reception, drove off in a one-of-a-kind silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero. “It said a lot about them and a lot about us. It was a very good moment.” Although electrification is consuming much of Callum’s time, he’s also pondering autonomy. “I call it autonomous anonymous. It’s a huge moment and it’s coming, but I believe in the luxury car market; people will still want to lease or own their own car. Autonomy, sharing cars is a bit like lending your favorite trainers [sneakers] to the guy down the road. Not terribly appealing.” While Callum notes he isn’t discounting the potential benefits of autonomy, the Dumfries-born director remains steadfast in his core values. “There’s still this need, hope and desire to create emotional responses to products. Autonomous cars are a big unknown, and how much another generation get into it is also unknown, but creativity will drive excitement, which will drive excellence. I’m optimistic.”

“You have to trust your own judgment and be ruthless with yourself and with your team. It’s a bit like scolding your own children, but the discipline of beauty is so important that you must leave out as much as you can.”

had. It was fresh from the ground up. We were told the number of batteries (two), the number of total possible passengers (five), and how far apart the wheelbase would be (117.7 inches). I knew it had to be dramatic. We could put the people where we wanted, so we brought them further forward, which won us a lot of favors and trunk space. In that moment I knew, because of the freedom we got, that we were creating something with complete integrity.”

be drawn in two or three lines.” I detect a smile pushing through the phone as Callum continues. “What may seem obvious takes a long time.” In June, Jaguar announced its investment of $18b over the next three years to electrify its lineup. That shift began with the September launch of the I-Pace, its entrée into fully electric automobiles. Callum and his team commenced work on the I-Pace with carte blanche, “more freedom than I certainly ever

prolific reader, although I wish I was. I do love David Bowie. He’s my number one, and when I do things in a hurry he’s in my head with me. But I’ll also press play on my phone and with 5,000 songs, I’ll randomly stumble across some great female classic rock band.” It’s that purpose of discovery, serendipity even, that’s been the driving force and constant through line linking Callum’s body of work. “I’ve always believed any good design can