Marques

Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has today announced its second highest ever annual sales result in the marque’s 113-year history, up 6% on its 2015 results. A total of 4,011 cars were delivered to customers in more than 50 countries, affirming the brand’s strength and resilience in a year of challenging market conditions for luxury goods worldwide.

Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s leading manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles achieved its best ever full-year global sales in 2016, selling more than one car every minute with retails of 583,313 vehicles, up 20% on the prior year. This is the company’s seventh successive year of growth in sales, with retails in 2016 almost triple the 2009 figure. Sales in December were up 12% compared to the same month last year, with retails of 55,375. Retail volumes were up 36% for the month in China – its strongest monthly performance on record. Jaguar Land Rover’s global performance for the full year 2016 shows a balanced regional portfolio with record retail sales in the UK, North America and Europe.

Jaguar Land Rover has announced a closer partnership with CloudCar, including the adoption of its next-generation cloud services platform and a US$15m minority investment in the company. CloudCar, based in Palo Alto, California, is a world-leading developer of connected driver experiences. With machine-learning capabilities tied to various sensors in the car, its cloud services platform allows car manufacturers to use its capability – including improved voice-activated applications and personalisation – while still maintaining their brand identity and retaining ownership of data.

McLaren Automotive, the British manufacturer of luxury sports and supercars, has recorded another record year of sales growth with a near-doubling of its sales volume year-over-year, selling a total of 3,286 cars in 2016 compared to 1,654 in 2015. The 99.3 per cent improvement in sales performance also follows the company’s announcement of a third consecutive year of profitability in 2015 and the production milestone of the company’s 10,000th car, all capping another highly successful and record-breaking year.

MG Motor UK has been named as one of the fastest-growing automotive brands in the UK*. Figures released earlier this week by the SMMT** reveal that the company registered 4,192 vehicles in 2016 – 1,040 more than last year. Sales have grown by 33% year-on-year, with MG’s family-friendly SUV – the MG GS – a key driver of this success. In November, the new model reached its 500 unit sales milestone, just 176 days after being unveiled at The London Motor Show in May.

Bentley has announced its fastest and most powerful production model to date: the new Bentley Continental Supersports. A top speed of 209 mph (336 km/h) and a 0-60 mph time of 3.4 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.5 seconds) make the new Continental Supersports the world’s fastest and most powerful luxury four-seat car. Similarly, its soft-top sibling, the Continental Supersports Convertible, is the fastest four-seat convertible in the world, despatching the sprint to 60 mph in 3.7 seconds (0-100 km/h in 3.9 secs) on its way to a 205 mph (330 km/h) top speed. Bentley’s mighty W12 engine, redeveloped for the Supersports with new high-performance turbos and engine hardware, and a torque vectoring system create a Continental Supersports  as agile as it is powerful. Meanwhile, unique styling cues inside and out give the new model a sharpened athletic appearance highlighting its performance […]

Earlier this year, Jaguar Land Rover launched twin lawsuits against Bombardier Recreational Products, (BRP) over the Canadian manufacturer’s use of the name “Defender” for one of its Can-Am brand off-road utility all-terrain vehicles. The lawsuits were brought in England’s High Court of Justice, and in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan here on this side of the pond.

Something a bit different this week for our video. This time round we are featuring “HBTV: Depth of Speed – British Mania”. The series “Depth of Speed” … ‘was born from a desire of story, travel and a love of anything automotive related. Next year my wife and I will be taking to the streets to uncover and document the greatest stories from the automotive world. From coast-to-coast and from top to bottom, finding the best stories will take the highest priority. Every time I meet someone new or attend an event I’m amazed at the depth, passion and love that the automotive world brings. Depth of Speed is just that – an in-depth look at these stories. There is something about motors and machines, that to an outsider looking in, would make us seem plain crazy.‘ This episode, British […]

A new era will begin for McLaren Automotive this March with the launch of the second generation of its Super Series at the 87th Geneva International Motor Show. The first of the 15 new cars cited in the company’s Track22 Business Plan, the second-generation Super Series is also the first replacement of a product family by the British manufacturer of luxury sports and supercars. “Super Series is the core of the McLaren business and personifies the blend of extreme performance, crafted luxury and unparalleled driver involvement that is the McLaren heartland,” explained McLaren Automotive CEO, Mike Flewitt. “This is the first time we have replaced a product family and the new Super Series will be absolutely true to McLaren’s pioneering spirit in being a revolutionary leap forwards, both for our brand and the supercar segment.” The new Super Series is […]

Les Ratcliffe, Jaguar Land Rover’s Head of Community Relations, has been appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for outstanding service to the community in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

For our last Video of the Week of 2016 I thought we would take a look at one of the still affordable and often overlooked classics out there. A car that could very easily be in the Sunbeam Tiger category of collectibles. Our Video of the Week this time around is a Buyer’s Guide to the Triumph TR8. This video was produced in 2015 by Hagerty, the classic car insurance folk. In many ways, the comparison to the Sunbeam Tiger is a good one. Both cars are the V8 derivative of their more common 4-cylinder counterpart. Both were produced in limited numbers, and both were ignored as collectible for a long time. In the case of the Triumph, it still is for the most part. Although that may be beginning to change, a quick search online will find nice examples till […]

This article first appeared on my new Land Rover Log, but I thought I would run it here just for your consideration. I didn’t just dream up this current Land Rover desire out of nowhere. Nope, back in the mid-80s when I was in college, I bought my first car – an MGB. I loved that car and drove it everywhere … until I drove it into the back of a stopped car as I was coming around a curve on Lockwood Boulevard here in Charleston. I won’t say the folks in the stopped car were doing anything wrong or wanting to get hit, but I will say that at least one of them got out of the car already wearing a neck brace.

Our video this week is a kind of birthday card love letter from Land Rover. I have to admit that I am a sap for these kinds of videos, and yes, I have been known to cry during Hallmark commercials. Seems this video, though nothing to do with Christmas, is perfect for this holiday week and remembering our families and the good times. The Land Rover Experience centre in Solihull recently welcomed a very special guest. Geoff, a lifelong Land Rover fan, celebrated his 80th birthday with a special surprise organized by Land Rover and his daughter. Getting behind the wheel of our latest vehicles, Geoff got some tips on off-roading from Phil Jones, our Land Rover Experience instructor. The surprises didn’t stop there as Mike Bishop, Product Manager of Land Rover Reborn, brought along a very special vehicle. Watch […]

Engineers from SAIC Motor Technical Centre, the company behind MG Motor, co-hosted a global gathering of top automotive aerodynamicists in Leamington Spa, UK, in November. Recognizing the key role vehicle design plays in fuel economy, the EADE (European Aerodynamic Data Exchange) annual meeting welcomed 44 delegates from over 20 global vehicle manufacturers and two wind tunnel facilities. Held at the Engineering Employers’ Federation (EEF) conference center in Warwickshire, the annual event gives engineers involved in reducing the drag coefficient of cars the opportunity to share new developments and data relating to wind tunnel testing. These tests are used to understand how well a car travels through the air, producing a set of figures to describe a vehicle’s relative aerodynamic performance.

A truly incredible collection of Formula 1 heritage is set to go on display for the first time at Autosport International in January. Classic Team Lotus have confirmed all seven remaining Lotus type 49 racing cars will be present at Europe’s foremost motorsport show between 12-15* January. The late Colin Chapman and Maurice Philippe designed the Lotus 49 with a Ford Cosworth DFV (Double Four Valve) engine at its heart. The show at the NEC in January 2017 marks 50 years since this pioneering F1 car first raced – and won – with the legendary Jim Clark behind the wheel at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort.

Jon Pressnell, a well-known writer and researcher of the British motor industry has written a comprehensive book on the Morris automobile and the company that produced them. Morris – The Cars and the Company was published in 2013. This 286-page large format hardbound book is a definitive study on the Morris cars from the very beginning all the way to the last of the British Leyland days and the final Morris marque product, the Harris Mann designed wedge-shaped 1800 and the restyle of the Morris Marina into the Ital. The Morris Marina was sold in the USA and Canada from about 1973 to 1976 as the Austin Marina. This book is highly detailed with considerable research done on the early, mid and late years of Morris car production. There are voluminous photographs, both in color and black and white, to illustrate […]

Rolls-Royce is delighted to announce a series of remarkable collaborations with some of British music’s most revered names that serve to celebrate the marque’s long-standing relationship with the world of Rock & Roll. The first collaborations to be announced in this remarkable series are with The Who’s legendary frontman, Roger Daltrey. In total, nine Wraith ‘Inspired by British Music’ motor cars will be commissioned and crafted with perfectly executed design touches, commissioned by icons of the British music scene – creating the ultimate collectors’ items for the marque’s patrons. Rolls-Royce will donate a proportion of the value of each motor car to charities including the Teenage Cancer Trust.

Jaguar Land Rover is today opening its doors to female students to give them a deep insight into engineering and manufacturing careers. The students aged 15-18 have all applied for Jaguar Land Rover’s Advanced and Degree Apprenticeship programmes and secured their places on the course after passing initial HR screening and psychometric tests. During the four-day ‘Young Women in the Know’ programme, the students will tour design and manufacturing facilities, network with female employees, spend a day on work placement with a female mentor and brush up their workability skills including CV writing and interview practice. The scheme is running at five Jaguar Land Rover Education Business Partnership Centres in the Midlands and Merseyside.