Corporate Business

Jaguar today announced its return to global motorsport. In the autumn of 2016, Jaguar will enter the third season of the exciting FIA Formula E Championship as a manufacturer with its own team.  FIA Formula E is the world’s first global single-seater championship for electric powered cars. FIA Formula E offers a unique opportunity for Jaguar Land Rover to further the development of future EV powertrain including motor and battery technology.

Jaguar and Land Rover showcased their latest collection of branded goods alongside licensed partners in central London today, to mark the launch of the brands’ 2016 collections. A special ice-sculpture of a Christmas-inspired Jaguar design was exclusively revealed at the London Edition hotel to celebrate the merchandise and luxury goods launch.  Codenamed ‘F-SLEIGH’, the Jaguar Christmas sleigh takes inspiration from the Jaguar F-TYPE convertible, but with skates in place of wheels, a generous open luggage compartment for gifts and jet power to generate Jaguar’s renowned supercharged performance through the night sky.  A Growler-embossed red nose completes the F-SLEIGH’s Christmas theme.

The covers are set to come off the all-new Ginetta G57 as the new prototype racecar will receive its full public debut at Europe’s premier pre-season motorsport show, Autosport International, this January. Visitors coming to Ginetta’s stand at Autosport International between 14-17 January, 2016*, will be amongst the first people outside of the manufacturer’s HQ to see the G57 in the metal. A full press conference will take place on Thursday 14 January at 10:30am on Ginetta’s stand (6430 in Hall 6), with photo opportunities, a presentation and the chance to meet Ginetta Chairman, Lawrence Tomlinson. The public launch also marks the start of Ginetta’s intention to increase exports of its model range – already at 50% of production – with the G57 spearheading its growth to all major markets around the globe.

A classic Aston Martin has broken the auction record to become the most expensive British car ever sold at auction, fetching £9.45 million.  The DB4/GT Zagato, which when new in 1962 cost £5,470, was sold at RM Sotheby’s Driven By Disruption event in New York Saturday, the 12th. The price marks a new record for a British car at auction (even if it fell slightly shy of the £10 million some had expected), which was previously held by a McLaren F1 that went for £8.8 million earlier this year.

MG Motor UK is pleased to announce a new three-year contract extension with Triple Eight Racing in the Dunlop MSA British Touring Car Championship (BTCC). This new contract will see MG Triple Eight Racing battling it out in this ultra competitive series for more pole positions and manufacturer championship wins until 2018. Matthew Cheyne, Head of Sales and Marketing for MG, said: “We are really excited to be renewing this partnership. The BTCC has given us the opportunity to give our brand some fantastic exposure, so we’re thrilled to be continuing this for another three years.

Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed that it will be the first British carmaker to open a manufacturing facility in Slovakia. The announcement follows an agreement between the company and the Government of the Slovak Republic to build a new plant in the city of Nitra, western Slovakia. The new world-class £1 billion premium manufacturing facility will eventually employ around 2,800 people. Today’s announcement follows Jaguar Land Rover’s recent confirmation to double its investment in its engine plant in the UK to almost £1 billion – the largest injection into a new British manufacturing plant in decades creating several hundred new jobs. Dr Ralf Speth, Chief Executive Officer, Jaguar Land Rover commented, “Jaguar Land Rover is delighted today to welcome Slovakia into our family. The new factory will complement our existing facilities in the UK, China, India and Brazil and marks […]

Vauxhall Motors and Edith Bowman have launched ‘Backseat Bedtime’, a series of narrated popular children’s stories by author Tracey Corderoy to help parents on long car journeys over the festive period.  With over 12 million cars on the road during peak times, more Brits embark on long drives over Christmas and the New Year than at any other time of the year (RAC 2014). Unsurprisingly, three-quarters (75%)* of parents say they find these long car journeys stressful, with the majority (80%) saying they find it hard to keep their little ones amused. To deal with this stress, half of parents (48%) time long journeys to coincide with bedtime and over half (56%) put their children in their pyjamas before setting off, hoping they will sleep straight through.

Londoners were delighted when they spotted a one-of-a-kind Land Rover Defender ‘taxi’ driving through the streets of the capital. The Defender, one of the world’s best loved 4x4s, was starring in a commemorative film to celebrate the global automotive icon and to promote the forthcoming charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000 being held at Bonhams New Bond Street headquarters on 16 December. The film, released today, also stars a number of other more unusual, specially modified vehicles including a Series II Land Rover ice cream van, a specially tailored Paul Smith Defender and the first ever Series Land Rover show car, displayed at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948, all taking in London’s famous landmarks as they tell the story of the Defender’s rich history.

Luxury British car maker Briggs Automotive Company (BAC) has been picked as “One to Watch” in the 2015 Sunday Times Fast Track 100 list, which heralds the best and fastest growing British businesses. BAC, which makes the highly acclaimed, luxury single-seater Mono, earned its place on the list due to its recent expansion and was lauded for “selling brand Britain overseas”. With a total staff of just 22, BAC is the smallest company on the list of 10 rising stars, yet still enjoyed sales of more than £2.4m in the last year.

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s leading manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles, today reported its best ever November sales of 46,547 vehicles, up 27% on November 2014. The company sold 437,512 vehicles in the first eleven months of 2015, 4% up on the same period in the prior year. Retail sales for the month of November were up 70% in the UK, 68% up in Europe, 52% up in North America and 8% up year-on-year in other overseas markets. Retail volumes in China were down 22% for the month, reflecting a slowdown in the economy.

McLaren Automotive has revealed the latest chapter in the history of the iconic ‘Longtail’ name with confirmation of the 675LT Spider. Strictly limited to only 500 examples worldwide, it is only the second model to wear the LT badge. This latest model comes less than a year since the first model in nearly 20 years resurrected the name, and is in response to significant customer demand. The 675LT Coupé focused on light weight, enhanced aerodynamics, increased power and track-focused dynamics, and this limited-run model quickly sold out before the first deliveries commenced. Sharing these key characteristics, McLaren Automotive now presents the most focused, fastest and exhilarating open-top model to ever wear a McLaren badge. The 675LT Spider, priced at £285,450, is the fifth new model debuted by McLaren Automotive in 2015 in what has become a defining year for the […]

With the chequered flag set to fall on the 2015 motorsport season, Bentley is celebrating a remarkable run of results by bringing together two generations of racer – the Continental GT3 and legendary 4.5 Litre ‘Blower’. The current GT3 and its illustrious forebear from 1929 met at Silverstone in front of the British Racing Drivers’ Club (BRDC), the motorsport organisation founded in 1928 by Bentley Boy and Le Mans winner, Dudley Benjafield. They may be separated by more than eight decades but the two racing cars share Bentley’s indefatigable passion for innovation, competition and, above all, speed. Bentley Continental GT3 in 2015 – A Season to Remember In just its second year of competition in GT racing, the Bentley motorsports programme has gone from strength to strength in 2015. With teams competing on four continents, the Continental GT3 scored multiple […]

The Jaguar XE and all-new Jaguar XF saloons have been awarded the maximum five star rating in Euro NCAP’s 2015 safety tests. XE and XF scored highly in every category – Adult Occupant, Child Occupant, Pedestrian and Safety Assist – and are among the most highly-rated models in their respective segments. As well as outstanding crash protection, the XE and XF also benefit from a range of active safety systems including Autonomous Emergency Braking (fitted as standard in Europe), which uses a forward-facing stereo camera to detect vehicles which could pose a threat of collision: the system can give the driver visual and audible warnings and automatically apply the brakes if a collision is deemed imminent. 

Barons is set to become the first UK classic car auction house to feature a lady auctioneer when Helen Gascoigne brings the hammer down on a selection of lots, assisting Barons’ long-standing auctioneer Fabian Hine at the Yuletide Classic Sale at Sandown Park on December 15th. The daughter of Barons director Peter Gascoigne, 33 year-old Helen is a senior lawyer by profession but is adding another string to her bow by combining her love of classic cars and knowledge of the family business to embark on learning the classic car auction trade.  In a year of ‘firsts’ for Barons, which has included the company twice setting its highest-ever price for a car sold at auction, it is only fitting that the season ends with another first, not just for Barons, but for all specialist UK classic car houses; the introduction […]

British sportscar maker, Caterham Cars, has launched a new approved finance scheme which offers customers the chance to fund a Seven in self-assembly form for the first time ever. Previously only available for new fully built and pre-owned Sevens, the new Caterham Finance scheme provides an accessible ownership proposition for Caterham fans wishing to build a Seven themselves. Extending the service to customers who purchase a Seven in component form means they will benefit from the same convenient finance facility as buyers of new factory built and pre-owned vehicles from Caterham’s approved used car service, Caterham Selected. Caterham Finance enables customers to fund the cost of a Seven over 48 months. For example, a self-assembly Seven 160 is available with a deposit of £3,099 and monthly payments of £279 at 19.5% APR Representative, equating to £65 per week, with a […]

A two-day Series Land Rover and Defender heritage exhibition will be on display at Bonhams London from 15-16 December ahead of the prestigious charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000. The exhibition will celebrate 67 years of UK production and chart the Defender’s journey to becoming a global automotive icon. Prospective bidders and the general public are invited to preview the Defender 2,000,000 throughout the specially curated exhibition, which celebrates almost seven decades of Land Rover production at the Solihull manufacturing facility in the UK. With a ‘hall of fame’ depicting the Land Rover playing a supporting role to Hollywood heroes such as Steve McQueen and Daniel Craig in his role as James Bond 007 and Sir Winston Churchill and British nobility including Her Majesty The Queen, the exhibition will illustrate the journey of an icon that has travelled the world, […]

The Jaguar XE has added to its already impressive trophy cabinet with major wins at two prestigious award ceremonies in November. The XE was crowned ‘Best Executive’ in the Scottish Car of the Year awards. Alisdair Suttie, President of the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers, said: “With its fine lines penned by Scotsman Ian Callum, the Jaguar XE is as good looking as executive saloons come. It has abilities to match its looks, with first rate ride, refinement, driving dynamics and efficiency.”

Land Rover Ambassador and polar explorer, Ben Saunders, swapped his snowshoes for winter tyres to put the Range Rover Sport SVR through its paces at a unique yet familiar test track near the Arctic Circle. A new film released by Land Rover charts the world famous adventurer’s journey from ice driving novice to experienced veteran in Arjeplog, Sweden, on a full-scale replica of the Silverstone Grand Prix Circuit carved in the snow on Lake Udjaur.