Articles by Staff

On 26 August 1959, British Motor Corporation (BMC) proudly revealed a car that captured the imagination of the world and revolutionized the compact car segment. Six decades later, in 2019 MINI marks the brand’s 60th birthday and the extraordinary story of a British innovation that went on to achieve iconic status. To kick-start this anniversary year, MINI is introducing a limited run of 500 very special vehicles for UK customers. MINI is kicking off its 60th anniversary year with the introduction of a limited edition model celebrating the best of MINI. Just 500 examples of this worldwide edition will go on sale in the UK. The car features a new British Racing Green exterior paint finish, black contrast roof, exclusive 17-inch light alloy wheels, and a unique interior.

McLaren Automotive today releases first images and details of the third new model in its £1.2bn Track25 business plan – the McLaren 600LT Spider. The fifth car to carry the Longtail name, the new convertible fully embodies the McLaren Longtail philosophy of increased power, reduced weight, optimized aerodynamics, track-focused dynamics, and limited availability. In addition, it brings a new dimension of excitement over the 600LT Coupé, without compromise to the dynamic purity of the most performance-focused car in the Sports Series line-up: a retractable hardtop to give the choice of open-air driving. The McLaren 600LT Spider adds a new dimension of excitement to the most extreme model in the Sports Series family, while losing none of the Longtail focus. Taking full advantage of the strength of the carbon fibre MonoCell II chassis has ensured that the new Spider has dynamic […]

MG Motor UK is celebrating its biggest year ever after achieving record car sales in 2018. Figures released today by the SMMT confirmed that MG had reached its stated 2018 goal of more than doubling its sales volume versus the previous year.

Group Lotus is delighted to announce two new senior appointments to its executive team, reporting to Lotus Cars CEO, Phil Popham. James Andrew joins from leading automotive and luxury communications agency, Influence Associates – the business he helped establish in London with veteran international automotive PR, Stuart Dyble – now among the most sought-after PR and strategy consultancies in the industry. Previous to this James held senior PR positions at Jaguar Land Rover and in the technology and EV sectors internationally. He joins the Lotus executive team as Director of Communications, effective immediately.

McLaren Automotive’s latest Ultimate Series model to bear the legendary Senna name offers the purest connection yet between man and machine – without ever having to venture further than the kitchen table. The most extreme track-focused road car built by McLaren has been brought down to size, with interlocking plastic bricks replacing carbon-fibre, for the new McLaren Senna LEGO® Speed Champions edition. Like the real thing, the collectible model promises hours of engaging fun – although in this case for petrolheads aged seven and up.

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer, today outlined the next phase of ‘Charge and Accelerate’.

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has achieved the highest annual sales in the marque’s 115-year history, with 4,107 cars delivered to customers in over 50 countries around the world in 2018, and continues to generate a positive contribution to its shareholder, the BMW Group. In a year of multiple records, the world’s foremost Luxury House also enjoyed unprecedented demand for its Bespoke creations and launched the new Cullinan – the Rolls-Royce of SUVs – to great international acclaim. Reflecting on the company’s performance for the year, Torsten Müller-Ötvös, CEO, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, said: 2018 was a most successful, record-breaking year for Rolls-Royce. We have seen growth in all our regions around the world. At Rolls-Royce we are deeply focused on each and every one of our customers and are delivering on their demanding expectations. The Home of Rolls-Royce at Goodwood is acknowledged and […]

Brabham Automotive is delighted to confirm the brand will return to international sports car racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The Adelaide-based automotive manufacturer, which last year launched the record-breaking BT62 track car, is announcing its road to Le Mans. It has committed to a factory racing team and a multi-year motorsport programme with development work already underway. The team’s target is the 24 Hours of Le Mans and World Endurance Championship season in 2021/22, where it intends to enter the GTE class. Fans will be able to follow the journey as it’s shared openly on social media under the hashtag #brabhamroadtolemans.

Lotus Cars has posted its strongest sales results in seven years with 1,630 cars sold worldwide in 2018. Concluding a landmark year for the company, 2018 saw Lotus celebrate its 70th birthday, new majority ownership from Geely, substantial investment in product development and new facilities, and a number of senior appointments, with respected auto and luxury-sector leader, Phil Popham, joining as CEO.

Jaguar Land Rover retail sales in 2018 totalled 592,708 vehicles, down 4.6% compared to 2017’s record year. The introduction of the Jaguar E-PACE and I-PACE led to Jaguar’s best ever annual sales results in 2018 up 1.2% to 180,833. However, this was more than offset by market weakness in China impacting on sales of established models. The lower sales in China (-21.6%) were partially offset by stronger sales in North America 7.2% and Overseas (7.3%). Weaker market conditions primarily relating to diesel and Brexit also weighed on sales in the UK (-1.5%) and Europe (-7.8%). The all new Range Rover Evoque has now been announced and will be going on sale later this year.

I would like to say “Happy New Year”, but first we must acknowledge a sad passing. One of our own and a fixture of both the British car hobby and the British car industry has passed away. Charles Runyan, founder and head of The Roadster Factory passed away Saturday, December 22 at the age of 72. Charles was also the founder of The Coventry Inn. In 1978, Runyan started The Roadster Factory in Downtown Indiana before moving it out to Armagh. His love of British culture also extended into the restaurant field as he was the driving force behind The Coventry Inn, a replica of a British pub which was open for 25 years in Downtown Indiana. It closed in September due to a lack of employees. I do not need to tell any of you how much Runyan and […]

Land Rover North America has announced that the next-generation Land Rover Defender will be offered for sale in both the U.S. and Canada, starting in 2020. Testing of the new vehicle is already underway around the world with the first development mules and prototypes reaching North American shores earlier this month. Testing on the continent provides valuable data to engineers given the wide variety of terrain and surfaces available in America. Engineers will subject the vehicle to rigorous test extremes to make sure the new Defender is the most off-road capable Land Rover vehicle ever; operating in temperatures from -40F to +120F while driving the test vehicles on- and off-road at altitudes of more than 13,000 feet above sea level.

Nothing else on the road looks or drives like the Jaguar I-PACE. It is designed and engineered to take full advantage of its smart electric powertrain and maximize the potential this packaging brings. With two Jaguar-designed electric motors placed at each axle, producing a combined output of 400PS and 696Nm, I-PACE delivers all-wheel-drive sports car performance with 0-60mph taking just 4.5 seconds. The I-PACE is able to achieve a 0-80 percent battery charge in 85-minutes using DC charging (50kW), while home charging with an approved Jaguar AC wall box (7kW) will achieve the same state of charge in just over ten hours – ideal for the overnight charging used by the majority of buyers.

With the iconic British brand having sold in excess of 7,000 new cars this year, it’s no surprise that MG’s aftersales team is also reaping the rewards of exceptional market growth. In a statement to dealers at the annual aftersales conference earlier this month (November), MG Motor UK confirmed that not only was it on track to double accessories sales year-on-year, but it had matched annual parts sales from 2017, by the third week of July.

With the unveiling of Aston Martin Lagonda’s first SUV scheduled for the last quarter of 2019, work is progressing apace to complete the new St Athan production facility. The site, which started life as a series of Ministry of Defense ‘Super Hangars’, is being completely transformed into a state-of-the-art luxury manufacturing plant. One that will be the British marque’s second production facility and ultimately become the company’s ‘Home of Electrification’ when the marque’s planned BEV models enter production.

Jaguar Land Rover Thursday opened its state-of-the-art €1.4bn (£1bn) manufacturing facility in Nitra, Slovakia, the first time a UK automotive company has opened a plant in that country. With the heart and soul of its business in the UK, Jaguar Land Rover’s investment in Nitra marks the latest step in the company’s global expansion strategy following the opening of its Chinese joint venture in 2014 and Brazilian plant in 2016, supported by contract manufacturing in India from 2011 and Austria from 2017. The creation of new international factories allows Jaguar Land Rover to offer its customers even more exciting new models, protect against currency fluctuations and support a globally competitive business. Global businesses require global operational footprints. While Jaguar Land Rover’s heart and soul remain firmly anchored in the UK, expanding internationally only enriches and strengthens our UK business. Today’s […]

Aston Martin Lagonda President and Group CEO, Dr Andy Palmer, was honored with the Vantage Award at the annual Historic Motoring Awards at the Sheraton Grand London Park Lane Hotel. Although named personally as the winner, Palmer accepted the award on behalf of everyone at Aston Martin. The Historic Motoring Awards, now in its eighth year, recognises the elite in the international classic automotive world. The winners are selected by the experts at Octane magazine and an international panel of judges from the motoring world. Brand new for 2018, the Vantage Award celebrates “an individual or company who has made an outstanding contribution to the world of Aston Martin”. The judges were looking for someone who not only champions the brand, but lives and breathes it and has made waves in making it what it is today. After joining Aston […]

A new Track Pack specification for the McLaren 720S is now available, taking the British supercar to the next level for owners who want to exploit its formidable dynamic abilities on a circuit. With the wide breadth of 720S capability extended even further, the McLaren 720S Track Pack establishes a new pinnacle of track focus within McLaren’s core Super Series line-up. The introduction follows the availability of a Track Pack for McLaren’s Sports Series, which one in ten 570S buyers specify. Available now for the 720S, the Track Pack’s individual features comprise functional and visual upgrades and deliver a weight-saving of nearly 53lbs (24kg). Based on 720S Performance specification – which, with hood air intakes, rear fender air intakes and door mirror casings in carbon fiber and engine bay ambient lighting, already turns heads in any pit lane or paddock […]