Corporate Business

It’s back to the future as the latest MG dealership opens in the brand’s historic birthplace. Lodge Hill Garage in Abingdon is just a stone’s throw away from the site of the original MG factory where cars were built from 1929 to 1980. Now the latest MG3 and MG GS models are proudly displayed in the showroom of the UK’s latest MG dealership. The Abingdon dealership joins one of the fastest growing brands in Britain and new MGs in the Oxford and Abingdon area have created a wave of interest. Lodge Hill’s Principal, Nigel Murrin, said: “We’ve had a huge response from people wishing us well and saying how glad they are to see the MG name back. It’s just a reminder how much passion there is for the brand.

Jaguar Land Rover has started construction of its new manufacturing facility in Slovakia. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Robert Fico and Andy Garth, UK Ambassador to Slovakia. Jaguar Land Rover continues to lead the automotive industry in the development of advanced lightweight technologies. The new 300,000m² factory will be at the forefront of aluminium manufacturing and engineering expertise in Slovakia. It will manufacture a range of all-new aluminium Jaguar Land Rover vehicles, supporting the company’s on-going commitment to deliver high-tech lightweight cars to its customers.

Earlier this year, Aston Martin announced significant new investments in its long-term future in the United Kingdom, choosing St Athan in Wales as the location for its second manufacturing facility. As a specialist luxury manufacturer, Aston Martin requires highly skilled technicians to hand build its cars, so the new employees for the St Athan plant, which will begin full production in 2020, will commence their careers with Aston Martin at Gaydon. Over 40 people have begun work across the business where they are being fully trained in the ‘Aston Martin way’ by building the new DB11.

This week, Jaguar Land Rover will expand its Ingenium powertrain family, unveiling new technologies for both current and future vehicles. The new additions will support the company’s long-term commitment to reduce vehicle emissions and improve fuel economy across its range through the introduction of more efficient engines along with alternative powertrains, lighter vehicles and improved vehicle energy conservation. At the heart of its low-emissions strategy, the new four-cylinder Ingenium petrol engine is now in production at Jaguar Land Rover’s £1 billion Engine Manufacturing Centre. Designed, engineered and manufactured in the UK, these are the most advanced engines the company has ever developed. They will deliver up to 25 percent more power than the engines they replace and offer fuel consumption reductions of up to 15 percent.

Jaguar’s designers have applied their talents to a futuristic installation at a major international exhibition in London. The team, led by Jaguar Director of Design Ian Callum, revealed their laser-powered display at the inaugural London Design Biennale, a three-week event at Somerset House. Artists and designers from more than 30 countries are taking part, all working on the theme ‘Utopia by Design’. 

Aston Martin today opened its first brand experience boutique in the heart of London’s Mayfair district. Located in one of the capital’s most sought-after streets ‘Aston Martin at No. 8 Dover Street’ is an intersection of the company’s products, experiences and brand collaborations. No. 8 Dover Street will also be a destination for design master classes, art exhibitions, dinner series and other exclusive events. No. 8 Dover Street is an expression of the British marque’s Art of Living by Aston Martin concept, a carefully chosen portfolio of the finest artisan products and truly bespoke experiences that embody the Aston Martin spirit.

For the last 10 years, British Motor Heritage (BMH) MD, John Yea, has ably campaigned an FIA-compliant MGB in a variety of classic motorsport formulae. What’s particularly noteworthy about the car is that it was created around one of BMH’s authentic replacement bodyshells and that its build team included an undergraduate student from Oxford Brookes University.

For over 40 years, Witney-based British Motor Heritage (BMH) has been at the heart of the restoration and conservation of many of Britain’s best loved classic cars, having built over 6,000 complete replacement bodyshells for the MGB, MG RV8, MG Midget, Austin-Healey Sprite, Triumph TR6, original Mini and Mini Clubman, as well as literally tens of thousands of individual panels. Unlike those of alternative suppliers, these items are manufactured to original standards on the original tooling; though happily without the disruptions that characterised BMC production in the 1970s – until recently……………. Managing Director John Yea takes up the story: “We were preparing to run a batch of new bodyshells for the Mini Clubman when the staff discovered a great tit had nested in the specialist tooling reserved for this model. Important as it is to maintain our production schedules, we […]

Kip Motor Company announces their 25th year of authentic restoration services for antique British, European, and exotic Domestic vehicles. With humble beginnings in the home garage, Kip’s fledging restoration company  (mostly Studebaker, Ford & Chevrolet) started providing service for his wife’s Nash Metropolitan that she used as her ‘company sales car’. Soon, other local owners requested service, restoration, and parts for their Metropolitan.

Bentley Motors today announces the appointment of John Paul Gregory as its new Head of Exterior Design, starting with immediate effect. Having spent more than 8 years with Bentley, Gregory has been promoted from his previous role as Advanced Exterior Design Leader. 

New state-of-the-art test facilities have been installed at MG Motor UK’s Longbridge site demonstrating investment in technology, and commitment to the future and the quality of its products. £1.2 million has been invested to install a fifth engine test facility and to further enhance the vehicle rolling road on-site at MG HQ in Longbridge. The state-of-the-art engine test facility has significant improvements on the existing test resource and brings with it a major step change for MG Motor’s test and development capability.

McLaren Automotive, the British manufacturer of luxury handcrafted sports and supercars, has celebrated the fifth anniversary of the first car rolling off the production line with another record-breaking year. Operating profits increased to £23.5M – the company’s third successive year of profitability – from revenues of £450.6M, with revenue projected to increase by 50% over the next two years and double by the end of 2022 – an unprecedented performance in the early years of a car company.  2015 also marked the fifth successive year of increasing global car sales to 1,654 cars, supported by the launch of no less than five new models.

A growing company with a growing product line-up calls for more designers to play their part in developing new models. MG Motor UK’s design centre, based at Longbridge, Birmingham, has expanded and is continuing to expand its design team who play a key role in the MG models on the road of today and the future. Director of Design, Anthony Williams-Kenny, is now back in the UK after being based in Shanghai for three years. Anthony will be focusing on MG Motor in the UK, as well as on a global level.

Jaguar Land Rover has demonstrated a range of innovative research technologies that would allow a future autonomous car to drive itself over any surface or terrain. Jaguar Land Rover’s multi-million pound Autonomous all-terrain driving research project aims to make the self-driving car viable in the widest range of real life, on- and off-road driving environments and weather conditions.

Two female engineers from MINI Plant Oxford have secured national recognition after they landed a top industry award from leading automotive magazine Autocar. Philippa Napier and Rachel Neary have been named in the ‘Rising Stars’ category of the ‘Great British Women in the Car Industry’ initiative, which is run by Autocar in partnership with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). The awards identify the top 100 British women working in the automotive sector as part of a push to celebrate the role of women in the industry and to address the challenges they face. The ‘Rising Stars’ category recognises a group of 10 young females who are ‘making their mark on the industry and blazing a trail for more to follow.’

The history of the British car industry is a fascinating one. From Britain’s the top-of-the-heap position through the 1960s down to a mere footnote by the 1990s, the rise and fall has been analyzed to death. But, most of that analyzation has been from the outside. Only recently have those actually involved in the industry begun to come forward and tell their tales. British Leyland Motor Corporation 1968 – 2005 The Story From Inside by Mike Carver, Nick Seale and  Anne Youngson is just such an insider story. This book tells the story of the constituent parts of British Leyland, later Rover Group, from the merger in 1968 to the end of production of the last MG Rover in 2005. The story has been told before, but this account is different. It is told by three people who were part of it, […]

MG Motor UK’s first ever SUV, the MG GS, has given a boost to record sales for the UK brand. Official half-year figures, released today from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders Limited (SMMT) show that MG Motor has had its best start to a year. Year-to-date figures show it has exceeded last year’s figures with 1,896 units; a 13.53% increase. June alone has pushed the brand up 43.59%, with 336 units. MG’s new SUV, the MG GS, is blazing the way with more than 70 registrations already; only a little less than two weeks since it officially went on sale. Regional test drives have been taking place across the country, which has paved the way to more sales and fantastic feedback on the new model. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “This year has […]

Auto Express magazine has awarded MINI two sought-after honours at the publication’s annual New Car Awards. MINI Hatch was awarded ‘Best Premium Small Car’ for the third consecutive year, retaining its position at the front of the competitive pack. Also enjoying its moment in the spotlight, the new MINI Convertible was awarded the publication’s ‘Best Convertible’ title.