Corporate Business

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled the Jaguar XE Long-wheelbase (XEL), the second Jaguar vehicle to be manufactured in China, at the Guangzhou Auto Show. As part of its RMB 10.9 billion joint venture with Chery Automobile Ltd, the Jaguar XEL will be manufactured at the state-of-the-art Changshu factory. Developed solely for the Chinese market the Jaguar is the fourth vehicle to be built at the company’s joint venture, in less than three years.

McLaren Automotive is pleased to announce its newest facility, the North American Regional Distribution Centre. This is the first McLaren spare parts distribution center outside of the brand’s British headquarters and is a strong indicator of McLaren’s commitment to North America, home to its largest market. This investment represents the latest move from McLaren Automotive to provide the best possible customer experience. Located in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, the 7,500-square foot facility will provide a greater level of service for the United States and Canada. Prior to the introduction of the North American Regional Distribution Centre, spares were delivered to the North American market from the UK. Now for a wide selection of parts, next day delivery to McLaren retailers is available, allowing them to deliver exceptional customer experience. The stock will include an extensive range of McLaren genuine parts and a […]

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) is celebrating another successful Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) Awards evening, once again winning a well-deserved and prestigious trophy. Fresh from its double International Trade Award and Logistics Excellence award wins in 2016, BAC landed the highly acclaimed People and Skills Excellence award in 2017 to prove itself as one of the most exciting and innovative businesses in the UK.

Moss Motors, Ltd. has announced the acquisition of well-known Jaguar parts specialists, XKs Unlimited of San Luis Obispo, CA. XKs Unlimited specializes in parts for a wide range of Jaguars including the iconic and desirable Jaguar XKs and E-Types. Serving the Jaguar enthusiasts since 1973, XKs Unlimited has always prided itself on its selection of parts, great customer service and dedication to the Jaguar community. This legacy of commitment to supplying Jaguar owners with the parts they need to restore and maintain their classic cats will now continue with the support and guidance of Moss Motor’s nearly 70 years of experience in the British car parts and restoration business.

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced the appointment of Felix Bräutigam as Chief Marketing Officer and member of the Board of Management. Mr Bräutigam joins the business immediately but takes full responsibility on 1 January 2018, and reports directly to Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer. Mr Bräutigam replaces Gerd Mäuser, who is retiring from the business at the end of the year but will continue as Chairman of Jaguar Racing to lead next season’s Formula E campaign.

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc reported a global 38% increase in second-quarter pre-tax profits to £385 million in the three months to September 30, 2017. Revenues were up 11.5% to £6.3 billion with an increase in margin (EBIT) of 1% to 5.2%. Higher sales and profits reflect the continuing ramp-up of new models such as the Range Rover Velar, Land Rover Discovery, Jaguar XF Sportbrake, Jaguar F-PACE and, in China, the Jaguar XFL. Retail sales grew 5.1% to 149,690, with increases in China (27.4%) and the US (5.1%) offsetting lower sales in the UK and Europe.

Olympic legend Sir Chris Hoy is no stranger when it comes to record-breaking achievements on two wheels, but now the Scot can lay claim to his first record on four wheels. Joining Caterham to celebrate 60 years of the Seven, Sir Chris took on the ‘60 Second Donut Challenge’ at Donington Park. Sitting inside Caterham’s most powerful model, the Seven 620R, Sir Chris completed a record 19 consecutive donuts in the time allocation. Sir Chris said: Everyone knows I spend a lot of time in cars these days but I’ve never had much practice donuting. But when someone tells me there’s a record up for grabs that certainly focuses my mind. During the attempt I just kept going, putting everything I’d learnt into practice. You lose sense of time when you’re in a spin, so I was shocked when I was told I’d completed 19 […]

Globally as a whole, Jaguar Land Rover sold 46,418 vehicles in October, up 0.2% year on year. Solid sales of all models, including the new Range Rover Velar and the Jaguar F-PACE, continue to bring new customers to the brand each month. China continues to perform well with sales up 12%, while overseas markets were up 16% compared to the same period in 2016. But difficult market conditions have led to retail sales being down 18% in the UK, and 3% down in Europe and the US.

Jaguar Land Rover has unveiled a 35-foot high Jaguar F-TYPE emblazoned with a bespoke poppy design to mark Remembrance Sunday in partnership with forces’ motorsport charity Mission Motorsport and the Royal British Legion. The F-TYPE, clearly visible to motorists on the M6 motorway, fittingly faces the Sentinel sculpture which depicts the Spitfires Castle Bromwich was famous for building during World War Two between 1938 and 1945.

Gordon Murray Automotive has officially announced plans to build an all-new car, under the new IGM brand. The car commemorates 50 years of Gordon Murray car design and was announced at the start of the special ‘One Formula’ exhibition that gathered 40 models penned by the legendary designer. The new car will be Gordon Murray Automotive’s first model, encompassing remarkable attention to detail to ensure it is an engineering work of art. Featuring the very latest materials and technology, the car will focus on lightweight and driving pleasure – inspired by the engineering principles of the McLaren F1. It will be built for contemporary driving conditions and will incorporate some of the most advanced aerodynamics yet seen on a road car. The vehicle’s architecture will be based on a new version of Gordon Murray Design’s revolutionary iStream system, which was […]

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC has reported October 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 2,891 units, a 10 percent decrease from 3,219 units in October 2016; Land Rover sales decreased 1 percent to 5,477 units from 5,532 in October 2016; Jaguar Land Rover October U.S. sales for both brands hit 8,368 units, a 4 percent decrease from 8,751 units in October 2016. Year to date, Jaguar Land Rover is up 11% percent in the United States, building on 2016’s record year sales pace. October proved to be a challenging month for U.S. sales resulting in Jaguar Land Rover coming down slightly from our record pace in 2016. We continue to be very encouraged by growing sales for the year and in particular growth of our newest SUV models, the Jaguar F-PACE and Range Rover Velar which are bringing new customers […]

MG Motor UK has today announced the introduction of a full 7-year warranty on its brand-new Compact-SUV, the MG ZS. Completely transferable to any new owner before the 7 year/80,000-mile limit is reached; the highly competitive package also guarantees any genuine replacement MG parts for the remainder of the agreement. The 7 year/80,000-mile protection is an extension of the manufacturer warranty and gives customers complete peace of mind. Like the MG3 and MG GS, the MG ZS also comes with the option of a six-year anti-perforation warranty covering against corrosion.

Reuters is reporting that British car production fell 4.1 percent in September from the same month a year earlier, the fifth decline in six months that adds to signs of faltering consumer and business confidence. Exports, accounting for 80 percent of total output, fell 1.1 percent, while domestic demand slumped 14.2 percent, according to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), pushing total production down to 153,224 cars.

The results are in for the What Car? reliability survey, with MG coming ahead of brands such as Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen. In the most reliable cars by brand category, MG Motor UK was in the top ten – an impressive result that illustrates the brand’s commitment to quality manufacturing. MG had already been ranked high in the What Car? satisfaction survey. The survey involved 14,200 participants, who were each asked to report on faults that had occurred in the past twelve months on cars aged between 0-3 years. Categories included battery, bodywork, brakes, engine, engine electrics, exhaust, exterior lights, fuel system, gearbox/clutch, interior trim, non-engine electrics, steering, suspension and other. Speaking about the result, Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing at MG Motor UK, said: To be recognised for the second time this year in the What Car? […]

McLaren Automotive today announces a further strengthening of its North American communications team, during a period of unprecedented growth for the brand in the region, with the addition of Roger Ormisher to the new position of Vice President, Communications and PR. He will report directly to McLaren Global Communications and PR Director, Wayne Bruce, who is based in the company’s Surrey, UK headquarters, and regionally into the McLaren North America President, Tony Joseph, located in New York. Roger Ormisher will be responsible for developing and implementing a press communications strategy to enhance and grow the visibility of the McLaren brand on the back of the recent launches of the 720S and 570S Spider, both new to the US market in 2017.

Bentley Motors today announces the appointment of Adrian Hallmark as its new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, starting on 1st February 2018. Hallmark’s appointment marks one of four senior leadership changes at Bentley Motors with new Board Members for Engineering; Sales and Marketing; and People, Digitalisation and IT. Hallmark, 55, joins Bentley from Jaguar Land Rover, where he held the role of Global Strategy Director. He brings more than 18 years of automotive board level experience from the US, Europe and Asia with Porsche, Volkswagen, SAAB and Bentley Motors. During his time at Bentley, he held the role of Board Member for Sales, Marketing and PR and played an integral role in the introduction of the sector-defining Continental GT in 2003.

Aston Martin and global property developer G&G Business Developments have broken ground on Aston Martin Residences at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way in Miami, confirming that construction of the 66-story luxury condominium tower is set for completion in 2021. The milestone marks the development of Aston Martin’s first real estate project and the iconic brand’s expansion into luxury residential design. Aston Martin Residences at 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way has become the first condominium tower to break ground in Downtown Miami this year, underscoring the development team’s strength and market confidence. The striking building of curvilinear glass and steel is set to rise on one of the last parcels of developable land on the Downtown Miami waterfront and has been designed by Revuelta Architecture and Bodas Miani Anger, renowned for creating visually impressive and exceptionally well-engineered landmark properties. General contractor Coastal Construction […]

Caterham has surpassed last year’s record-breaking sales achievement. The news comes as Caterham today (October 16) celebrates the 60th anniversary of the very first Seven being unveiled at the Earls Court Motor Show. With more than two months to go until the end of 2017, Caterham has already overtaken its record haul of over 600 orders set in 2016. It’s the second year in a row that the iconic British sports car brand has reported its best sales year, a record that had previously not been beaten since 1996.