JustBritish

Land Rover enjoyed a massive UK sales surge last month – with more than 3,000 vehicles sold.

The Solihull-based 4×4 manufacturer sold 3,044 vehicles in October compared to 1,864 in October last year, an increase of more than 63 per cent, figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showed.

The sales rise followed a bumper September for Land Rover, with the company selling 6,230 vehicles compared to 5,788 in the corresponding month in 2010. October’s sales jump followed the success of the Range Rover Evoque and a general increase in the purchase of SUVs amid predictions of another harsh winter.

Jaguar saw sales dip slightly last month, with the Big Cat selling 713 cars in October compared to 806 in October last year. SMMT figures also showed that Longbridge-based MG Motor UK sold 15 sports cars last month against 16 in October 2010.

Trying to break into a new marketplace is never easy – and it’s a damn site harder when it’s the ultra-competitive car market. That, though, is effectively what MG is trying to do as the company’s Chinese owners return to the table with the first new models to wear the MG badge in 16 years.

Their task is made even harder by the history involved here.

The messy demise of the previous company cost the brand a lot of the goodwill and then there was the, perhaps understandable, scepticism as the Far Eastern conglomerates stepped in to pick over the wreckage.

However, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation seem to be taking the right steps to woo the army of MG followers back. They have set up their UK headquarters in what is retained of the Longbridge plant, which had become the marque’s home before its collapse.
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The first Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) MG 350 family sedans will arrive in Israel in early 2012. These cars are expected to significantly change the Israeli automotive market in terms of the unprecedented dimensions/accessories/price ratio.

The new car, which is produced partly in Europe and partly in China, is 4.52 meters long, 1.79 meters wide, and has a wheelbase of 2.64 meters. The SAIC car will come equipped with a 1.5-liter, gas-powered, 110 horsepower engine, with a Japanese-made automatic gearbox. The car will have high standard accessories, including electronically controlled seats, leather upholstery, and a premium stereo system.

The final price has not yet been determined, but the initial target price will be about NIS 110,000, which is the average price for the category of smaller cars, such as Mazda 2.

SAIC importer, David Lubinski Ltd., estimates that the accessory/price ratio will greatly help him enter the leasing market, because of the relatively low cost to the user, which is a percentage of the car’s price.

Lubinski is a private leasing company. In contrast to the original SAIC cars that have been marketed in Israel until now (only 300 have been imported since the car did not have full approval), the new Chinese sedan will be imported with all the proper authorizations. Full European standardization has recently been received, including Whole Vehicle Type Approval (WVTA), which will enable SAIC to receive Israeli import approval. Israel will be one of the first countries to market the new SAIC car.

A new version of the Jensen Interceptor sports car is to be built in Coventry, the former home of British car manufacturing. CPP Global Holdings will be using Jaguar’s former Browns Lane site to engineer, develop and build the vehicle.

The Interceptor was originally built between 1966 and 1976. A team of Coventry-based designers have completed the design of the new Interceptor for the Jensen brand owners, Healey Sports Cars Switzerland Ltd. CPP hope to start the delivery of the new car in 2014.

The public unveiling of the Interceptor is planned for late 2012; however no prices or annual production numbers have been announced, though its rarity could push up car insurance rates for the vehicle.

Brendan O’Toole, founder and co-owner of CPP, told the BBC: “I started my career by restoring bodies and components for classic British sports cars, so for CPP to take the lead role in reviving this iconic brand is very exciting for the business; and for me personally. The Jensen design team has respected and honoured the great heritage and attributes of the original Interceptor, while injecting a contemporary edge and advanced technologies that will ensure it appeals to the passionate, discerning motoring enthusiast of today.”

The company already has five existing facilities in Coventry. It owns the Bowler off-road vehicle company and is in negotiations to acquire the sports car company Spyker.

This is a further boost to the UK motor industry after Monday’s confirmation that Jaguar Land Rover was about to potentially create thousands of new jobs by investing £355m to build low-emission engines at a business park near Wolverhampton.

Another retro sports car is being revived. The Jensen Interceptor was a British V8-engined coupe built between 1966 and 1976, and these official pictures show how a modern interpretation of the elegant GT will look when it gets its public unveiling in late 2012, before going on sale in 2014.

CPP, a Coventry-based coachbuilder and owner of Spyker sports cars, has won the contract to engineer, develop and build the new Jensen Interceptor from the brand’s Swiss owners, Healey Sports Cars.

Based on an all-new aluminium platform with aluminium bodywork, the newcomer will be extremely light for its size. It will use the same four-seat layout as the original and features many of its forerunner’s design cues – including the wraparound rear screen, vents behind the front wheel and quad headlights.

Annual production numbers and pricing are yet to be released, but will be capped to maintain exclusivity. There’s no word on the engine or gearbox either, but as the original used an American V8, a powerplant borrowed from the current Corvette seems likely.

Brendan O’Toole, founder and co-owner of CPP, said: “The Jensen Interceptor design team has respected and honoured the great heritage and attributes of the original Interceptor, while injecting a contemporary edge and advanced technologies that will ensure it appeals to the passionate, discerning motoring enthusiast of today.

“This work is at an advanced stage, and married to CPP’s expert coachbuilding, craftsmanship and engineering skills, the new Interceptor will be an exceptional example of British automotive excellence.”

Source: AutoExpress

I was one of those people very disappointed by the Jaguar XJS, the car that replaced the E-Type Jag when it came out in the mid-Seventies. To me, it wasn’t a sports car at all, but more of a boulevard cruiser. Since then, there have been sporting Jaguars, for sure, but no real sports car. The E-Type is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful cars of all time, so making something as gorgeous again is an incredibly difficult task. But 50 years on from the creation of the E-Type, Jaguar has come closer than ever to matching its beauty.

Its latest model, though, the C-X16, which is being shown in Frankfurt at the moment, has all the styling clues of a Jaguar sports car and especially the E-Type. I love the rear end; the twin exhausts look great, as do the rear lights. The whole car works and looks like a modern interpretation of the E-Type. I don’t have a lot of interest in the convertible though, to be honest. For me, coupés are always where it’s at.

Crucially, I think it shows that the age of Jaguar in desperation is over. It’s now an extremely successful company, it’s making a profit and it’s making a car that it is enjoying building. Let me qualify that; if the new XJ had not been the tremendous success that it is, the C-X16 wouldn’t even have made it to the drawing board. Jaguar built the car it needed to build and now the company is planning to build the fun car it wanted to build. It’s a measure of the confidence Jaguar has when it goes into such a highly competitive market.

The preceding is part of an article written by famed talk-show host and auto enthusiast Jay Leno published in The National. For the rest of the fantastic article, please check out their site.