Corporate Business

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC is proud to announce the 32 U.S. retailer winners of the 2016/17 Pride of Jaguar and Land Rover Pinnacle Retailer Excellence awards.   The Pride of Jaguar and Land Rover Pinnacle awards are given annually to retailers who have demonstrated a commitment to excellence and the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Last year, sixteen retailers were selected from each brand based upon their top performance in core business categories including customer advocacy, sales, and business excellence.

Britain’s car industry may never be able to boost the level of local content to over half in its cars to meet the standards set in some bilateral trade agreements, the chief executive of the country’s biggest carmaker Jaguar Land Rover told Reuters. Only around 40 percent of the parts that go into the average British-built car are made domestically and some trade deals require between 50 and 55 percent local content, a factor which could be crucial for post-Brexit trade.

Building in Britain is not essential to BMW’s Mini brand as most customers do not know where the compact cars are built and its new electric model could be made elsewhere, the brand’s boss told Reuters on Tuesday. Peter Schwarzenbauer said the German carmaker would decide by the end of 2017 whether to build the new electric model at an existing site in Britain or the Netherlands, or whether to pick a new location.

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s leading manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles today reported its best ever February retail sales of 40,978 vehicles, up 9% on February 2016, thanks to strong sales performances in China and North America. The company sold 88,671 vehicles in the first two months of 2016, 6% up on the same period in the prior year. Retail sales for the month of February were up year-on-year across many key regions: 40% in China, 16% in North America and 14% in the UK. Europe and other Overseas markets were down 2% and 7% respectively year-on-year.

Natarajan Chandrasekaran has been appointed Director and Chairman of the Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc board. Mr Chandrasekaran is Chairman of Tata Sons and also holds the following positions: Director on the board of the Reserve Bank of India, board member of Tata Steel Limited and board member of TCS Foundation. Note: Press release courtesy of Jaguar Land Rover.

Burlen Ltd, the world’s only manufacturer of genuine SU (Skinners Union), AMAL and Zenith carburetors, fuel pumps and spares, is celebrating a record-breaking 2016 and continuing to demonstrate remarkable growth. The Salisbury-based company enjoyed a hugely impressive annual turnover of £5.2 million in 2016 – smashing its previous best records and its own start-of-year target in the process. Burlen has an incredibly rich history with products dating back over one hundred years and a stellar reputation to uphold, which is of the utmost importance to the Burnett brothers.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported February 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 3,484 units, a 130 percent increase from 1,512 units in February 2016; Land Rover sales reached 5,747 units, down 10 percent from record February sales of 6,417 units in 2016; Jaguar Land Rover February U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,231 units, a 16 percent increase from 7,929 units in February 2016; making it the best ever Jaguar Land Rover February sales month. “We are very pleased to have our best ever February retail month in the U.S. with both car and SUV sales growing across the two brands,” said Joe Eberhardt, President and CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC. “The Jaguar brand continues to grow at a torrid pace on strength of the two newest products, the XE and F-PACE. Land Rover is […]

The British Motor Trade Association (BMTA) will be visiting the heart of North American motorsports – Charlotte, NC, March 2-4, 2017. The conference will be hosted by Dick and Beth Lunney of Classic MG Magazine, Lake Speed Jr. of Driven Racing Oil, and many other local shops will be assisting. While some have predicted the demise of the classic British car industry in America, there are clear indicators that the industry is not only doing fine, but has many opportunities to thrive and even expand. The industry has grown from small importers in the post-war period to large distribution networks in the 1960s and 1970s. With the demise of many British brands in the late 1970s and early 1980s, the industry shrank and began a shift from factory-supported parts and repair businesses to independent businesses. This first step in the […]

InMotion Ventures, the venture capital business powered by Jaguar Land Rover, has completed a seed investment in enterprise-focused ride-sharing platform SPLT. SPLT is a carpool service that enables employees at large organizations to connect and share the drive to and from work, using their own vehicles. The platform’s ride-matching algorithm allows lifts to be dynamically arranged in seconds within a trusted community of commuters, saving time and money for both employees and employers as well as combatting traffic and parking issues.

The Zhejiang Geely Holding Group is reportedly bidding for a 51% stake in Malaysia’s Proton Holdings, the owner of the Proton and Lotus brands. The current owner is DRB-Hicom, one of the country’s largest automotive conglomerates, which has long been looking for a “strategic partner” for Proton Holdings. Zhejiang Geely currently owns the Geely Auto, Volvo, and the Lynk & Co. brands.

Aston Martin The Americas has revealed full details of its new certified pre-owned car program now available in North America: Timeless Certified Pre-Owned (CPO). Timeless CPO builds on the strong foundation of the luxury British brand’s pre-owned sports car buying and owning service and provides customers with the very highest levels of quality, assurance, and confidence with a comprehensive buying and owning experience.

Jaguar Land Rover Automotive plc, the UK’s largest car manufacturer, this past Tuesday reported a 13% increase in revenue to £6.5bn with strong customer demand in the three months to December 31, 2016. Total retail sales of 149,288 vehicles, up 8.5% year-on-year, were a record for the third quarter with higher volumes in China, (up 38.4% including sales from the China joint venture), North America (up 19.8%) and Europe (up 7.0%) led by strong sales of Discovery Sport, Jaguar F-PACE and the Jaguar XF (including the new long wheelbase Jaguar XFL in China).

Jaguar drivers can now use their car’s touchscreen to pay for fuel with a new cashless payment app. The Shell app is one of several new enhancements to Jaguar’s F-PACE, XE and XF models. Other updates include the introduction of the latest efficient Ingenium petrol and diesel engines and the addition of convenience features such as gesture technology where the sweep of a foot can open the boot.

SAIC Motor Technical Centre (SMTC UK), the sister company to MG Motor, has adopted Design for Six Sigma (DFSS), at its Longbridge facility in Birmingham, confirming its commitment to a continuous quality improvement philosophy. The automotive industry has seen huge benefits through Six Sigma over many years and it continues to play a key role in the continuous improvement strategy for many OEMs and those working in the supply chain.

Bentley Motors has been recognized as a Top Employer for the sixth consecutive year, reflecting the company’s attention to excellence in personal development and employee conditions. The award – presented by the Top Employers Institute – highlighted Bentley’s emphasis on continuous improvement, employee conditions and dedication to the company’s 4,000-strong workforce.

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has officially launched BAC USA Inc., as the British maker of the One-of-a-Kind Mono supercar expands its operations in North America. Having previously worked with distribution partners, BAC will now roll out a direct Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) strategy to bring factory assembly, sales, and maintenance services to United States shores.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC today reported January 2017 U.S. sales: Jaguar sales were 2,939 units, an 117 percent increase from 1,352 units in January 2016; Land Rover sales reached 6,163 units, up 9 percent from record sales of 5,655 units in January 2016; Jaguar Land Rover January U.S. sales for both brands hit 9,102 units, a 30 percent increase from 7,007 units in January 2016; making it the best ever Jaguar Land Rover January sales month. After coming off a record-setting year in 2016, we are starting 2017 with a successful January sales month for Jaguar Land Rover and are proud to report a 30 percent sales increase. This strong performance is a testament to our expanded product offering, highly desirable brands and dedicated retailer network. We are in prime position for sales growth in the coming year. […]

Some may not realize that the MG brand and logo are now in the hands of a Chinese firm, SAIC Motor Corporation Limited, a state-owned firm based in Shanghai. They are the largest Chinese automaker by sales with over 5 million units sold in 2014.