Corporate Business

Jaguar Land Rover has signed a Letter of Intent with the Government of the Slovak Republic for the potential development of a new manufacturing plant in the city of Nitra in western Slovakia. With its established premium automotive industry, Slovakia is an attractive possible development opportunity. The move marks the next step in the Company’s strategy to become a more competitive global business by expanding its manufacturing operations into new international locations in the future. The UK is the cornerstone of Jaguar Land Rover’s business. It remains at the centre of Jaguar Land Rover’s design, engineering and manufacturing capabilities. Over the past five years, Jaguar Land Rover has employed more than 20,000 people taking its workforce to more than 36,000 and invested more than £11 billion in new product creation and capital expenditure.

The new 16 MY Bentley Continental GT makes its North American debut at this year’s Monterey Auto Week, alongside inspiring models from Bentley’s past and future. In a nod to Bentley’s illustrious heritage and celebrating its 85th anniversary, the iconic 1930 Blower Bentley makes its dynamic appearance in the Quail Rally. The week will culminate with a look to Bentley’s future; the EXP 10 Speed 6 concept will be situated on the Concept Lawn at The Lodge on Sunday, a vision of iconic Bentley design cues fused with progressive craftsmanship techniques to showcase modern British luxury. Michael Winkler, President and CEO, Bentley Motors, Inc. comments: “The future of Bentley is now, and Pebble Beach is the perfect backdrop to showcase the new Continental GT alongside gems from our past and concepts for our exciting future. The new Continental GT is […]

As part of an ongoing relationship with South and City College Birmingham, MG Motor UK has teamed up with the college’s social media students to find out what sparks their interest when it comes to online content. In June, seven social media apprentices from the Birmingham based college visited MG’s head office to discuss online interaction and how the car manufacturer can expand its social media followers.

According to an article in Automotive News, Lotus will bring the Elise to America no sooner that 2020. Nick Gibbs, UK correspondent for the publication says … Lotus will reintroduce the two-seat Elise sports car in the U.S. after the company brings out the next generation of the car in 2020, the company’s CEO said. The U.K.-based company first imported the Elise in 2004 but had to withdraw the car in 2011 after exemptions from certain safety regulations expired. It continues to sell a handful models for use on racetracks. Lotus recently made safety changes to the bigger Evora to enable the company to start selling that car again in January as a 2017 model, but CEO Jean-Marc Gales told Automotive News that similar changes would be too onerous for the Elise. “We’d need smart airbags, plus side airbags and […]

Another MINI ON THE MACK is in the history books! Although the world record attempt at the largest parade of MINIs fell short, the biennial MINI owners rally organized by MINI of Grand Rapids and MINI USA did manage to set the new record for the largest gathering of MINIs in the U.S. The event attracted 1,319 MINIs of all shapes, colors and sizes for the rally across the 26,372 feet long, 500 feet high span of Michigan’s Mackinac Bridge – missing the world record by only 132 MINIs. This was the second attempt at the world record for the largest parade of MINIs. In 2013, the brand had 848.5 vehicles attend the event. The current Guinness Record was set in 2009 in the UK by the London & Surrey Mini Owners Club, which brought together 1,450 MINI cars to […]

OK, so they can be rude, crude, and insulting. And yes, well, the leader of the pack is a bit of jerk sometimes. But we love them. Jeremy Clarkson, James May (my personal hero), and Richard Hammond are not only irreverent and funny, but they are extremely knowledgeable about cars. And entertaining. Did I mention entertaining? Ever since the BBC fired Jeremy Clarkson for being a complete and uncivilized jerk, no argument there, the future of Top Gear has been in question. Would the show come back? How could it come back without its stars since both Hammond and May refused to work without Clarkson. And if it did come back, would it be a bust like the American version? Well, Amazon has answered the question. It was announced today that Clarkson, Hammon and May will be coming exclusively to […]

From the searing heat and dust of Dubai to the ice and snow of Northern Sweden, the new F-PACE has been tested to the limit in some of the most inhospitable environments on earth. Jaguar’s performance crossover offers an unrivalled blend of performance, design and practicality. To ensure that every system functions perfectly even under the most extreme conditions, the new F-PACE has been subjected to one of the most demanding test programmes the company has ever devised. “We developed the F-PACE to offer the ride, handling and refinement demanded from a Jaguar, together with exceptional levels of ability and composure on all surfaces and in all weathers. “Just as we paid obsessive attention to detail over the engineering of every single component, we’ve exhaustively tested the F-PACE in the most challenging conditions to ensure that it will exceed the […]

Jaguar designed a special livery for its Team Sky F-PACE prototype to celebrate Team Sky’s third Tour de France victory in four years in Paris today. The prototype version of the Jaguar F-PACE, which was used as Team Sky’s support vehicle on Stage 1 in Utrecht, returned to the race in a celebratory light camouflage as Chris Froome and his teammates crossed the finish line to celebrate the British rider’s second Tour de France win. Photographs from Team Sky’s 1-2 finish in La-Pierre-Saint-Martin, where Froome won his first stage followed by teammate, Richie Porte, as well as other highlights including Geraint Thomas tackling the mountains, Luke Rowe leading the team out on the cobbles to the early team time trial stages, are all a part of the commemorative and inspirational camouflage depicting key moments from this year’s race. Team Sky […]

Earlier this year MG Motor UK announced it would be opening its flagship showroom in the prestigious area of Piccadilly, London. Today, members of the public and invited guests are gathering to celebrate the official opening of this exciting new store. This new showroom, part of MG’s major expansion of dealerships, is a significant move for the marque. Having a flagship showroom in London places MG in the heart of the growing economy and shows that the brand is back and here to stay. Today, to mark the official opening of the flagship, people were given the opportunity to visit the showroom and join MG staff in celebrating this exciting move. Matthew Cheyne, MG’s Head of Sales and Marketing, said: “This is a really exciting day for us, as it marks the official opening of our flagship showroom.

When John Egan arrived at Jaguar Cars in April 1980, newly appointed as Chief Executive, the company’s very survival was in grave doubt. In fact, the situation looked utterly hopeless. Not only was the once-proud Jaguar company a part of the catastrophic BL Cars but he was greeted at the gates by the workforce – on strike! The odds against saving Jaguar were immense. Quality was appalling, the workforce bitter, the management disillusioned and it was hemorrhaging money. The Labour Government had introduced the ‘closed shop’, giving the unions and their militant shop stewards immense power. This book tells the story of how John Egan gradually overcame the odds and, piece by piece, rebuilt this once great company, winning over the workforce, the suppliers, the overseas dealers and, most important of all, the customers. Working initially with BL Chairman Michael […]

A closely-guarded partnership between Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and a team of budding racers finally broke cover on Sunday. The venerable environs of the Goodwood Motor Circuit did little to intimidate this team of maverick designers, engineers and drivers who produced a highly encouraging performance despite the wet track conditions. The car, a specially engineered electric racer, reached speeds of 8mph as it made short work of a track that has proved the scourge of some of the most revered names in motor racing history. From practice through to the final race, the twin-battery 24 volt power-unit and aero package worked in perfect harmony. The team, an enthusiastic group of 10 and 11 year-olds from The March Church of England Primary School, just 100 metres from the Home of Rolls-Royce on the westerly corner of the Goodwood Estate, were ecstatic with […]

It’s one year away but start planning now! MINI USA today officially announced the dates for the popular cross-country owners’ rally, MINI TAKES THE STATES (MTTS). MTTS 2016 will kick off on Saturday, July 9, 2016, and finish on Saturday, July 23, 2016. The route will be announced at a later date. In 2014, MINI owners and MINI USA team members motored into Boston’s Back Bay after completing a 5,142-mile journey from San Francisco that covered 15 cities and 18 states in 14 days. A portion of that year’s event registration fees were donated to Best Friends Animal Society, the charity partner for the rally. A charity partner for the 2016 event will be announced at a later date. “MINI TAKES THE STATES 2014 was such an amazing experience that we couldn’t wait to announce the dates for 2016,” said […]

John McEnroe swapped his role as a Wimbledon commentator for chauffeur car driver today, as the all-time tennis great surprised two unsuspecting Wimbledon fans with an unforgettable journey to The All England Club. McEnroe surprised tennis fans Tom Payne and Nick Webb, who were selected to take part in the Secret Chauffeur stunt and offered a VIP trip to Wimbledon as part of Jaguar’s #FeelWimbledon campaign. On route to Wimbledon, the real chauffeur jumped out the car to be replaced by John McEnroe as he took hold of the wheel and personally drove the two unsuspecting fans down to The Championships, Wimbledon.

MINI is broadening its appeal with the arrival of the new MINI Countryman Cooper D ALL4 Business model, developed specifically for the fleet market. The launch of the new business edition Countryman means corporate customers will now have the option of a model which includes the brand’s all-wheel drive system, MINI ALL4, for the very first time. The ALL4 all-wheel drive system provides excellent traction and quickly reacts to all changes in road conditions, while still providing MINI’s famed driving experience. MINI Navigation System is fitted as standard along with the Multifunction steering wheel which includes cruise control. Parking sensors, automatic headlights and wipers are also included to make driving long distances easier and more enjoyable. The additional standard equipment has been specifically chosen for fleet customers and represents a saving over the cost of standalone options while driving up […]

Specialist insurance broker Footman James has announced the winner of a recent competition. John Thomas, from Llanelli in South Wales won free entry into the recent London to Brighton Run; the prize also included overnight accommodation, parking, dinner as well as a host of commemorative goodies. The event, which took place on Sunday 31 May, was the first year that Footman James had sponsored it; the company has also confirmed it will be sponsoring the 2016 event. The London to Brighton Veteran Car Run has been taking place every November since 1927, commemorating the Emancipation Run of 14 November 1896 which celebrated the passing into law of the Locomotives on the Highway Act – which raised the speed limit for ‘light locomotives’ from 4mph to a heady 14mph and abolished the requirement for these vehicles to be preceded by ‘a […]

Ullswater Road Garage in Penrith becomes the 65th MG sales dealership in the UK and owner Mark Windle is determined to make it the best. And looking at his track record, there would be few who would doubt him! Mark Windle opened the family business when he was still in his teens. He started as a body repairer but soon spotted a gap in the market for a specialist 24-hour breakdown recovery operation as the M6 in Cumbria began to get busier and busier. Now 35 years on, Mark is the company’s Managing Director. He said: “With the recovery business going flat out we started to branch out and bought land to expand our operations. We now have a business site covering four acres just off the M6 in Penrith and we have another site 27 miles down the motorway […]

In a small celebration with a selection of senior management, manufacturing and engineering staff, the first new Lotus Evora 400 has driven off the assembly line at Hethel on Wednesday, 1 July, 2015. Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, says, “Today is a very significant stage in our long term plan, which we set-out more than a year ago. With the first Evora 400 coming off the line, we have achieved a key milestone for Lotus.” Jean-Marc Gales continues, “None of this would be possible, of course, without the confidence and commitment of our workforce who, with great skill and talent, hand build every Lotus car at Hethel.” The new Lotus Evora 400 laps the Lotus test track at Hethel six seconds faster than the previous Evora S in a time of 1 minute 32 seconds. Combining […]

The Jaguar XE was crowned Best Compact Executive at the annual Auto Express Awards at a ceremony in London last night, while the all-new Jaguar XF picked up the prestigious Design Award. Auto Express Editor-In-Chief Steve Fowler said: “There are few sectors as competitive as the compact executive class so it’s testament to Jaguar that its new XE wins the Auto Express Best Compact Executive Award for 2015. It’s beaten multi-award winning rivals to take the title, impressing us with its sense of occasion, its efficiency, its technology and the fact that it’s just great fun to drive. It’s a compact exec without compromises.” The Jaguar XE only arrived in retailers in June but has already amassed an impressive collection of gongs including Car of the Year and Best Business Car at the Telegraph Awards, Best New Car at the […]