A week full of announcements for Jaguar Land Rover and the launch of two new models gave us plenty to talk about in week 29.
Red Bull Racing Formula One and Aston Martin unveil the AM-RB 001
Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing have revealed their ground-breaking, visually stunning hypercar; the AM-RB 001.
The product of a unique Innovation Partnership between the British luxury brand and eminent F1TM team, this ambitious, uncompromising and wholly extraordinary collaboration combines the vision and skills of two world-leading brands to create a road car the like of which has never been seen before.
The three men charged with realising this shared vision are Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing’s Chief Technical Officer and the world’s most successful F1TM designer, Marek Reichman, Aston Martin EVP and Chief Creative Officer and David King, VP and Chief Special Operations Officer. Together they spearhead a formidable alliance.
Dr Andy Palmer, Aston Martin President and CEO, commented: “The AM-RB 001 is a truly remarkable project and something of which I’m extremely proud. To have Aston Martin working alongside Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing and the invaluable assistance of project partner AF Racing AG is an extraordinary creative collaboration. One that unites the very best of road and race car thinking. As the project gathers pace its clear the end result will be a truly history-making hypercar that sets incredible new benchmarks for packaging, efficiency and performance and an achievement that elevates Aston Martin to the very highest level.”
Continuing the on-going Innovation Partnership, the task of engineering the AM-RB 001 will be shared between Q by Aston Martin Advanced and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, with production taking place at Aston Martin’s Gaydon facility. Total volume will be between 99 and 150 road cars inclusive of all remaining prototypes and 25 track-only versions, with first deliveries commencing in 2018.
Jaguar Land Rover unveil Classic and Special Vehicle Operations developments
Jaguar Land Rover Classic unveil new Coventry Headquarters acquisition
Jaguar Land Rover Classic, the new brand offering classic car sales, restorations, parts supply and driving experiences to Jaguar and Land Rover owners and enthusiasts, will have a new home later this year following the £7.5m acquisition and development of a new headquarters in Coventry, England.
The new Classic headquarters is planned to open early in 2017, and will be based near to the Jaguar Land Rover SVO Technical Centre in Coventry – an all-new, £20m hub of specialist vehicle personalisation, assembly and finishing.
Jaguar Land Rover SVO opens new Technical Centre
Jaguar Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) today officially opens its new Technical Centre in the heart of the British Midlands. The innovative new £20m facility near Coventry will be the headquarters of SVO and will house manufacturing, paint, technical and customer commissioning and presentation zones inside the 20,000m2 facility.
The new Technical Centre is significant representation of the growth of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations – the specialist division of Jaguar Land Rover created in June 2014 to build a business responsible for halo car products (SVO), Vehicle Personalisation, classic car programmes by Jaguar Land Rover Classic and an exciting range of Branded Goods.
John Edwards, Managing Director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “The new Special Vehicle Operations Technical Centre is a major step forward in meeting the desires of our most discerning customers. There are more than 200 skilled employees here that are committed to outstanding quality and craftsmanship in everything they do.
“The SVO Technical Centre is very modern facility, inspired by a Formula 1 engineering centre. It covers 20,000 square metres including a manufacturing area, one of the world’s most eco-friendly and advanced paint shops, custom-built commissioning suite, technical suite, presentation suite and offices.
“This new Technical Centre enables us to build on the successful launches of the Range Rover Sport SVR, Range Rover SVAutobiography and Jaguar F-TYPE SVR , and provide an excellent foundation for the growth of the SVO business with the introduction of exciting new Vehicle Personalisation programmes.”
Range Rover celebrate Evoque milestone
The world’s most recognisable and luxurious compact SUV, the Range Rover Evoque, reached a historic milestone this week as it celebrated its fifth year of production at Jaguar Land Rover’s advanced manufacturing facility near Liverpool, UK.
With over half a million sold globally in more than 180 countries since 2011, the Range Rover Evoque – driven everywhere from Madrid to Manila – is Land Rover’s greatest sales success story. It is also Land Rover’s most efficient model, thanks to its British-built Ingenium engines which offer class-leading CO2 emissions of just 109g/km and impressive fuel consumption of 68mpg.
The Range Rover Evoque has become a non-stop British success with 24-hour production at the Halewood plant. Since the first Evoque rolled off the production line on 4 July 2011, sales have increased five-fold from just over 22,000 in 2011 to more than 108,000 in 2015 – with a new Evoque now rolling off the production line every 170 seconds. At the same time, the workforce has also trebled to more than 4,000, with 1,500 recruited specifically to support the launch of this record-breaking vehicle in 2011.
Over the past five years, employees have clocked up more than three million night-shift hours, consuming 668,000 cups of coffee, half a million eggs and 125,000 slices of toast to keep energy levels up during an eight hour shift. A total of 1.7 billion Evoque parts have been fitted in the Trim and Final assembly area, travelling over 2.5 million miles of conveyor system.
Jaguar Land Rover has invested £600 million at the Halewood plant since 2010 to support the Range Rover Evoque (2011), Land Rover Discovery Sport (2014) and the Evoque Convertible (2016). The Evoque is also the fastest selling Land Rover of all time, accounting for one in four Land Rovers sold around the world in 2015. Local production also started in China in 2015, and more recently, announced in Brazil.
The Range Rover Evoque is available from £30,600 on the road for the 2.0 litre eD4 six speed manual.
Hyundai announce pricing and specification for the IONIQ
Hyundai Motor UK has officially announced the pricing and specification of IONIQ, the world’s first car to offer three electrified powertrains. IONIQ will go on sale in the UK on 13 October.
Prices will start from £19,995 for the IONIQ Hybrid SE 1.6 GDi, which includes standard features such as 15” alloy wheels, DAB with Bluetooth, Cruise Control and Rear Parking Sensors with Rear View Camera. Standard safety features include Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB), Lane Keep Assist System (LKAS) and individual Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS). The Hybrid range also includes the hybrid premium 1.6 GDi from £21,795 and the hybrid premium SE 1.6 GDi from £23,595.
IONIQ Electric prices start from £28,995 for the Premium specification, mirroring Hybrid Premium, with specific equipment including Automatic Windscreen Wipers with Rain Sensor, 16” alloy wheels, LED headlamps and rear combination lamps and Advanced Smart Cruise Control. Integrated satellite navigation is standard across the IONIQ Electric range. The Electric range also includes the IONIQ Electric Premium SE, available from £30,795 whilst this vehicle IONIQ Electric is expected to receive eligibility for the Plug-in Car Grant.
IONIQ Hybrid will be available across the Hyundai dealership network from the 13 October, with IONIQ Electric initially available from a selected network of 27 dealerships, with full network rollout from 2017.
IONIQ Plug-In Hybrid 1.6 GDi prices and specifications will be announced prior to the on sale date in 2017.
