Highlights

MG Motor is set to debut in India in the first half of 2019 with a brand new SUV. What we know so far about the unnamed SUV is that it will be a “full SUV”, meaning it won’t be a compact product like the Hyundai Creta or the Renault Duster. While MG has not yet revealed whether the SUV will be a 5-seater or a 7, we know that it will go up against the Jeep Compass, which is a 5-seater; will be bigger than the Creta; and start from Rs 15.35 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), about $23,000 USD. There were earlier rumors that the MG SUV will share its diesel engine with the Compass. Now, MG’s president and managing director, Rajeev Chaba, has confirmed to us that the first MG SUV will get the 2.0-litre diesel engine of the […]

Aston Martin President and CEO Dr Andy Palmer has been presented with a prestigious L.E.A.D.E.R. award at the Automotive News Europe Congress dinner. The L.E.A.D.E.R. award stands for Leaders in European Automotive Development, Excellence, and Research. The annual L.E.A.D.E.R. award recognizes those in the industry who exemplify product development, achievements, and dedication to the European automotive sector.

MG Motor UK has continued to achieve growing sales figures throughout the month of May. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) revealed results confirming that MG continues to outperform the new car market with a year-to-date volume increase of 103% compared with the first five months of 2017. MG more than doubled its registrations in May compared to the same period last year, keeping the brand on course to meet its ambitious sales target. May’s impressive growth was led by the all-new MG ZS compact SUV. The UK’s best value-for-money SUV, the MG ZS starts from just £12,495, includes a 7-year manufacturer warranty and is available on a 5-year, 0% finance deal.

Our Video of the Week for this first week of June features another, and first of the well known, designs that took place under the leadership of Alec Issigonis.  This is the story of the Morris Minor. Over one-and-a-half million Minors were produced between 1948 and 1972. Initially available only as a two-door saloon and convertible, the range was quickly expanded to include a four-door saloon in 1950, a wood-framed estate (the Traveller) in October 1953, and panel van and pick-up truck variants from May of 1953. It was the first British car to sell over one million units and is considered a classic example of automotive design, as well as typifying “Englishness”. Eric Lord, the director of Morris Motors, said that Lord Nuffield thought that the new Morris Minor looked like a poached egg and that the car was narrow […]

Land Rover has addressed the needs of a remote Scottish island in a move that could save lives. As part of its 70th anniversary year of activity, Land Rover sent a team of expert Experience drivers and volunteers to Mull in a fleet of Land Rovers to deliver unique three-word address plaques from what3words to 2,000 properties on the island, many of which are in isolated areas. What3words is a British technology company that has divided the globe into a grid of 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each with a unique, easy-to-remember three-word address searchable via an app that even works offline.

Jaguar Land Rover is developing autonomous cars capable of all-terrain, off-road driving in any weather condition. The world-first CORTEX project will take self-driving cars off-road, ensuring they are fully capable in any weather condition: dirt, rain, ice, snow or fog. As part of the project, a ‘5D’ technique combining acoustic, video, radar, light detection and distance sensing (LiDAR) data live in real-time is being engineered. Access to this combined data improves the awareness of the environment the car is in. Machine-learning enables the self-driving car to behave in an increasingly sophisticated way, allowing it to handle any weather condition on any terrain.

Fans of McLaren Automotive and LEGO® now have the opportunity to see the full-size LEGO McLaren 720S on display at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The 1:1 scale model was completed with help by museum visitors, who placed the final orange bricks on the LEGO® McLaren 720S on Saturday, June 2nd. The full-size model will be on display at the Petersen through August 19, as part of an interactive exhibit. The LEGO  McLaren 720S is made up of more than 280,000 LEGO  bricks, weighing in at 3,200lbs, compared to the road-going 720S’s dry weight of 2,828lbs. In order to produce such an accurate representation of the second-generation of McLaren Super Series, McLaren Automotive worked closely with the only UK certified LEGO® professional builders, providing in-depth vehicle CAD data so that the model could be fully realized.

World-renowned classic car specialist, JD Classics, has appointed former Lotus Group PLC Chief Executive Jean-Marc Gales as CEO. Jean-Marc Gales joins JD Classics from Lotus Group PLC where he was appointed CEO in 2014 and was responsible for transforming the business, driving rapid profitability growth for the iconic brand. Bringing with him more than 30 years’ experience in executive roles within the automotive industry, Gales has led Marketing for Volkswagen and Fiat Groups, worked as Global Sales Director for Mercedes-Benz and stood as President of PSA Peugeot Citroen.

Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC reported May 2018 US sales: Land Rover reached a new May sales high of 7,103 units, an increase of 42 percent from 4,993 in May 2017; Jaguar sales were 2,366 units, a 24 percent decrease from 3,113 units in May 2017. Jaguar Land Rover May US sales for both brands hit 9,469 units, a 17 percent increase from the previous 8,106 units in May 2017. Jaguar Land Rover continues to achieve strong monthly sales. Our SUVs from both Jaguar and Land Rover clearly are aligned with the current trends in the market place and offer our customers a variety of distinct choices. – Joe Eberhardt President and CEO, Jaguar Land Rover North America, LLC For the full year 2017, Jaguar Land Rover US sales reached 114,333 units, up nine percent compared to 105,104 units in […]

Geely Holding Group, China’s leading privately-owned automotive group, announced today that Mr. Feng Qingfeng, vice president and chief technical officer of Geely Auto Group, has been appointed to succeed Jean-Marc Gales as the chief executive officer of Group Lotus effective immediately. Mr. Jean-Marc Gales has chosen to leave for personal reasons and will become Chief Strategic Advisor to Lotus Chairman, Daniel Donghui Li. Geely Holding, which acquired a controlling stake in Group Lotus in 2017, thanked Mr. Gales for his contribution to the company over the past four years.

A significant milestone was reached today as the ‘key’ to the building that will house the new £50m McLaren Composites Technology Centre (MCTC) was handed over to McLaren Automotive ahead of final fitting out. The MCTC in the Sheffield region will be the Yorkshire-based facility where McLaren will innovate the process for making the ultra lightweight and strong carbon fiber tubs that are at the heart of all of its luxury family of sports cars and supercars. The finished tubs will then be sent to the McLaren Production Centre in Surrey where the company’s vehicles have been hand-assembled since 2011.

The Jaguar Owners Association of North Texas (JOANT) again held its Concours D’Elegance in the quaint setting of the Down Town Square in Carrollton Texas. This event had a purpose greater than giving Jaguar Owners the opportunity to put their cars on display. That purpose was to honor longtime club member and major contributor to the success of the club, David Nichols. David had been a member for longer than anyone can remember and held almost every position needed to keep the club running. Lately, he has been the Chief Judge for the concours, so holding this event in his honor was only fitting.

We got this report from reader Russell Browne regarding the Spring Autojumble at Beaulieu and the British Racing Motors (BRM) V16 that made an appearance there. A quick line and photo from the Spring Autojumble at Beaulieu this side of the pond. Last weekend the weather was good for the Beaulieu Spring Autojumble fo 19/ 20 May 2018. Thousands of people gathered to look for sought-after bits and pieces amongst the many trade stands. The photo was taken at lunchtime when many folk made for the benches in the shade of the oaks. The highlight drawing many people was the startup of the 1950 BRM V16 with a newly restored engine. The Chief Engineer of the National Motor Museum took to the cockpit of the historic British Formula One car for the auspicious occasion. The V16 came to life immediately and sounded fantastic! […]

The McLaren 720S has added to its trophy haul by winning the top Best of the Best category of the 2018 Red Dot Design Awards. It is the second time that a new McLaren has been awarded the international seal of outstanding design quality, following the recognition of the McLaren 570S Coupé in 2016. The second-generation Super Series provides a new interpretation of McLaren design language, with a dedication to aerodynamics principles and was singled out by the 40 international judges for its “innovative symbiosis of aesthetics and function”. Criteria for the competition, which is one of the world’s largest design contests, include innovation, functionality, formal quality, ergonomics, and durability. Of the 6,300 products from 59 countries vying for the ultimate Red Dot title in 2018, just one percent were chosen as worthy of the Best of the Best title.

Our video this week comes from our friends over at Take to the Road. In fact, the featured car, a Vauxhall Viceroy, belongs to the site’s own Niall Julian. He told me this about his car and the video: I own a 1982 Vauxhall Viceroy, a car that I doubt many in N America have ever heard of, despite the General Motors connection. It was a mid range luxury saloon, based on the Opel Commodore C from West Germany. The car was first registered to Vauxhall UK in Luton and a couple of weeks ago I took the Viceroy back to where its journey first started. I went to the Vauxhall Heritage Centre and also got some shots outside the factory in Luton. How could I resist a car going back to its home? In the article on Take to the Road, […]

Joe Osborne’s first win as a McLaren Automotive Factory Driver was the headline in what turned into one of the most successful weekends in McLaren’s British GT Championship history, the 570S GT4 scoring both class wins and podiums at Snetterton. In the first race on Sunday morning, Osborne led home a one-two finish for customer Tolman Motorsport and the McLaren 570S GT4. Osborne’s car, which he shares with David Pattison, started the race sixteenth but quickly climbed the order to tenth before the safety car was called into action just a handful of minutes before the pit window opened. With the field bunched up, and the opportunity to pit coming under safety car, almost the entire field came in including Pattison, who handed over to Osborne.

Land Rover has enhanced its record-breaking Discovery Sport range with a new special Landmark edition. The new Landmark Edition salutes Discovery Sport’s success as the fastest-selling Land Rover of all time – coinciding with the brand’s year-long 70th-anniversary celebrations. Powered by Land Rover’s TD4 180PS diesel Ingenium engine, Landmark offers customers the best of the Discovery Sport range with a unique color and trim combination.

Edd China is set to return to our screens with a brand-new collaborative and real-time restoration series on YouTube. The former ‘Wheeler Dealers’ star has joined forces with long-time friend Al Cox for ‘Built by Many’, in which the intrepid duo will work with the audience to rebuild a 1968 Jaguar E-type Series 1 fixed-head coupé. Along the way, they will be delivering a wealth of ‘how to’ videos, plus a back-story on the car and the history of the legendary marque.