Vauxhall opens Europe's biggest Emergency Services production facility at Luton, specialising in Police, Fire and Ambulance models,

• Largest Police car factory in Europe opens in Luton, Bedfordshire
• 2,500 vehicles per year converted for Police, Fire and Ambulance
• 50 new jobs in Luton after production moved in-house
• UK supplier firms benefit with 90 per cent material sourced locally

Vauxhall has officially opened its Police car factory, the largest of its kind in Europe, at its manufacturing plant in Luton, Bedfordshire.

The factory will convert 2,500 vehicles per year, including cars and vans, for use by Police forces, and Fire and Ambulance services nationwide.

Bringing 50 new jobs to Luton, the new facility has been created after moving production in-house from its previous location in Millbrook, Bedfordshire.

Supplier firms around the country also benefit with 90 per cent of blue-light content, the materials used to convert a standard car in to a Police car, sourced locally from UK suppliers. Local firms include Border Engineering in Luton who make brackets and AV Engineering in Royston who make fascia mouldings.

An array of Vauxhalls will be converted for use by the emergency services at the Luton facility with cars including Corsa, Astra, Insignia and Mokka, and CVs, such as Combo, Movano and the Luton-built Vivaro vans.

Vauxhall is the only manufacturer to offer a one-stop shop for blue-light vehicles. Everything is done in-house from testing to converting and even remarketing of decommissioned vehicles.

Policing has changed dramatically in recent years with new types of crimes and the increased terror threat. With technology like 4G Wi-Fi and rugged Toughbook tablets, Vauxhall can offer the emergency services everything they need to stay connected on the move.

“Through our flexible production facility, Vauxhall is able to offer a one-stop shop purchasing experience to UK emergency services,” said Dick Ellam, Vauxhall’s Manager, Special Vehicles.

“We can deliver a wide choice of car and van models, specifically designed and rigorously-tested to meet the stringent demands of our emergency services. We can also supply turn-key vehicle solutions that enable rapid turnaround of replacement vehicles, plus we can now offer a unique in-house de-commissioning and re-marketing service.”

Vauxhall is the number one supplier to Police fleets with a 70 per cent market share of competitive segments.

The Land Rover Defender takes over the streets of London in this film to commemorate this iconic vehicle.

• Land Rover Defender taxi cab spotted on streets of London ahead of special Defender 2,000,000 charity auction at Bonhams on 16 December
• Specially modified Defender is part of nostalgic celebration film shot in the capital to commemorate 67 years of this iconic vehicle as it enters final phase of production
• Film precedes prestigious charity auction where collectors and Defender fans will be given the opportunity to own the Defender 2,000,000, a unique piece of Land Rover history
• Defender 2,000,000 on public display for Series Land Rover and Defender heritage exhibition at Bonhams London on 15 and 16 December

Londoners were delighted when they spotted a one-of-a-kind Land Rover Defender ‘taxi’ driving through the streets of the capital. The Defender, one of the world’s best loved 4x4s, was starring in a commemorative film to celebrate the global automotive icon and to promote the forthcoming charity auction of the Defender 2,000,000 being held at Bonhams New Bond Street headquarters on 16 December.

The film, released today, also stars a number of other more unusual, specially modified vehicles including a Series II Land Rover ice cream van, a specially tailored Paul Smith Defender and the first ever Series Land Rover show car, displayed at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948, all taking in London’s famous landmarks as they tell the story of the Defender’s rich history.

The Defender 2,000,000 will be on display at a specially curated exhibition from 15-16 December for prospective bidders to preview the vehicle at Bonhams ahead of its auction.

All proceeds from the auction of ‘Defender 2,000,000’ will be donated in their entirety to Land Rover’s humanitarian and conservation partners – the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation.

The 'Defender 2,000,000' vehicle features a plethora of distinctive finishing touches. A map of Red Wharf Bay - where the design for the original Land Rover was first drawn in the sand - is engraved into the aluminium fender, which contrasts with the exterior Indus Silver satin paint. A unique 'no 2,000,000' badge sits on the rear of the vehicle, which is mirrored on the interior console. The design is finished with Santorini Black wheels and wheel arches, roof, door hinges, grille and mirror caps.

Inside, the leather seats also feature the 'Red Wharf Bay' graphic and 'no 2,000,000' logos have been stitched on the headrests. A bespoke aluminium plaque, signed by everyone who helped to assemble the vehicle is fitted to the driver's seat plinth. On the front and rear, S90 HUE registration plates - a reference to the first ever pre-production Land Rover, registration 'HUE 166' - complete this one-of-a-kind Land Rover Defender.

Production of the original Land Rover Series I began at the famous Lode Lane facility in 1947 ahead of its launch at the Amsterdam Motor Show on 30 April 1948. Since then two million examples of the Series I, II III and Defender have been produced at Solihull.

Skoda UK is delighted to announce it's agreed a multi car contract with the East Coast Ambulance Service.

ŠKODA UK is delighted to announce the beginning of a new contract with South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb). The deal will result in ŠKODA Octavias being deployed as front-line rapid response vehicles across Kent, Surrey, Sussex and North-East Hampshire. 

With 35 Octavias already delivered and 20 more on the way later this month, the ongoing fleet modernisation programme within SECAmb is fully under way.

The ŠKODA Octavia 2.0 TDI 4x4 Estate SE will be incorporated into the SECAmb rapid response fleet, which covers an area of 3,600 square miles and responds to more than 800,000 life-threatening incidents every year. The cars will be driven by Clinical Operations Managers and Paramedics.

The ŠKODA Octavia was unanimously chosen from a lengthy list of competitors – all five-door estate cars, with either 4x4 or all-wheel drive. The right vehicle had to be responsive, capable of holding standard clinical kit and sophisticated diagnostic equipment, as well as be able to operate reliably during inclement weather. 

The Octavia 4x4 stood out due to its cavernous interior space and extensive technology, as well as representing great value for money.  

With the operational fleet answering 800,000 calls and completing in excess of 17 million miles across the South East every year, SECAmb's staff are required to work at a speed that is often critical to saving lives.

Those driving the ŠKODA Octavia will now benefit from a car that returns a combined 61.3mpg, has up to 1,740 litres of boot space and which emits just 120g/km of CO₂.

SECAmb Head of Fleet Operations, Justin Wand, said: “It was really important to recognise the versatility we required from a vehicle fulfilling the front-line rapid response role.

"Our patients need the reassurance that we are able to get to them in their hour of need and our staff deserve to operate in a comfortable space, with all the kit they need to be clinically effective. We saw theŠKODA Octavia as the perfect match, as it is built to a high specification, is environmentally efficient and is great value for money."

Patrick McGillycuddy, Head of Fleet at ŠKODA UK, commented: “We are extremely pleased that SECAmb has chosen to supply its paramedics with ŠKODA Octavias. Spacious, functional and capable of high performance the Octavia 2.0 TDI 4x4 Estate SE is the ideal vehicle to take on the rigours of front-line ambulance service."

SECAmb Driving Standards Manager, Simon Macartney, added: "Space, good tech, value and above all 4x4 capability were the essentials for our rapid response vehicles. The ŠKODA Octavia Estate 4x4 fulfilled all of these requirements and more, but it was our relationship with ŠKODA and the excellent package they offered us helped to seal the deal."  

The ŠKODA Octavia Estate was recently honoured with the label ‘Best Estate Car’ at the annual Fleet Newsawards and is available with P11D values from just £16,230 and BIK of just 16 per cent. 

Families enjoy toy car driving with Toyota's New Camatte Vision.

Debut for new augmented reality app and new Hajime concept at the Tokyo Toy Show

Have you ever wondered how you would look racing to rescue a cat from a tree in a purple fire engine? Or cruising around town in a hot pink hot-dog van? 

Toyota is making it possible to step into the world of toy cars and trucks with Camatte Vision, an all-new interactive experience for families which is being unveiled at the International Tokyo Toy Show this week (18 – 21 June).

Camatte Vision is part of Toyota’s Camatte series of concepts designed to change the way children play and learn with toy vehicles. Its aim is to provide a way for youngsters and their parents to share in the excitement of cars and trucks.

Using an innovative augmented reality tablet app, you can see how you and your family would look in a vast range of different vehicles and colours.

Blazing fast hot rods, life-saving ambulances, chunky construction trucks, and many more are available through the app, all in bright rainbow hues.

As well as the virtual world of Camatte Vision, Toyota has added a genuine nuts-and-bolts member to the Camatte concept family. Called Hajime, it will be on display for families to explore at the toy show.

How Camatte Vision works

The first step is for families to get inside Hajime and take a photo of themselves. Using a tablet, Camatte Vision then lets them customise the car’s appearance, mixing and matching 13 body types and 12 colours. Holding the tablet above a road course lay-out shows the vehicle as if in motion, with the family inside.

Camatte Hajime

Although the name Hajime means “beginning” in Japanese, it is actually the sixth member of Toyota’s Camatte family, following the Sora, Daichi, Takumi, 57s and 57s Sports that debuted at previous Tokyo Toy Shows. Hajime was named to signify that the fun has just begun with the Camatte concept and there is much more to come.

Building on Camatte’s spirit of customisation-friendly design and fun, Hajime features Camatte’s signature swappable exterior panels, and adjustable pedals and driver’s seat that let children get behind the wheel while their parents are  close behind in the two rear seats.

The Camatte Hajime is a real working car, but won’t be drivable during the Tokyo Toy Show. Youngsters will still be able to get inside, buckle up, turn the steering wheel and push the pedals.

Camatte Hajime specifications

Length	3,020 mm
Width	1,320 mm
Height	1,240 mm
Wheelbase	1,800 mm
Seating capacity	3
Powertrain	Electric motor

ALL VW group brands are now accepted into supplying cars to the Crown Commercial Services.

Volkswagen Group UK Ltd – which encompasses the Volkswagen Passenger Cars and Commercial Vehicles, Audi, SEAT and ŠKODA brands – has been appointed as a supplier to the public sector, police and emergency services, securing a three-year contract under the new Crown Commercial Services (CCS) vehicle supply framework agreement.

The new three-year Crown Commercial Services (CCS) RM1070 Vehicle Supply Framework Agreement, which took effect in December, supersedes two agreements which treated the public sector and the police and emergency services separately, ensuring a wider audience for the Group’s extensive range of cars and vans. 

All Group brands, rather than individual models, have been appointed under the new framework, which again expands the potential reach of the contract to vehicles which until now may have been out of scope.

Behind the Volkswagen Group bid was Technical Sales Manager, Steve Cowell.  Commenting on the Group’s success he said: ‘The new CCS agreement provides us with much broader scope for supply and allows us to showcase vehicles within our range for a variety of different roles – from public sector pool cars through police ‘beat cars’ and ambulances to motorway traffic vehicles.’  He added: ‘We’re delighted to have been appointed under the framework and are committed to ensuring our vehicles and our people provide these important new customers with the service and back-up they need and deserve.’

Of 12 manufacturers who submitted tenders for commercial vehicle approval, five were awarded contracts, including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles; for passenger cars, 12 of 18 tendering manufacturers were approved, four of which were Volkswagen Group brands.  The first orders under the new framework were taken just before Christmas.

Hyundai gets OK to continue supplying cars for Emergency Services.

• Hyundai retains its position on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Vehicle Purchase Framework
• CCS Framework now also includes ‘blue light’ lot , meaning more Hyundai vehicles are set for emergency service and high profile police use
• New arrangement follows successful four-year period in which Hyundai supply has grown rapidly to more than 1200 vehicles a year to the public sector

Hyundai Motor UK has been awarded a place on the Crown Commercial Services (CSS) Vehicle Purchase Framework enabling continued supply to the 'blue light' sector – the emergency services – and to a whole range of public bodies. The remit follows a successful four-year tenure for Hyundai as a supplier to the previous CCS and the National Association of Police Fleet Managers (NAPFM) Framework.

Under new arrangements, Hyundai has continued access to the blue light market, as well as the broader public sector: everything from central government to local authorities, health, education, defence, and not-for-profit organisations.

Martin Wilson, Fleet Director, Hyundai Motor UK said: "The emergency services are discerning and demanding customers, and rightly so, when lives may depend on vehicle reliability and flexibility. With these high-profile customers using our vehicles, it acts as a powerful recommendation to potential buyers.

"Hyundai started sales to police forces in 2010, with a modest total of 41; within a year that soared to more than 350, and now tops 600 a year. We have supplied some 2,250 cars to blue light customers during the past four years and this new agreement should see that figure rise again.”

The police forces supplied by Hyundai are spread widely across England and Wales, with the biggest customer boasting more than 600 vehicles, including 500 i30s. Hyundai’s major customers are responsible for policing a total land mass of over 8,000 square miles and a population of nearly 20 million people.

Commenting on recent success, Denis Watling, Public Sector Assistant Manager, Hyundai Motor UK, said: "We're confident that our well-known five-year/unlimited mileage warranty, dedicated fleet and aftersales teams and award winning lineup of products will continue to prove as popular with police forces and other public bodies in 2015 and beyond."

Bidders were also judged on more specific capabilities such as the ability to supply priority parts and bespoke training to emergency service workshops. Hyundai has invested heavily in a specific aftersales programme for its Emergency Service operator customers over the past 12-18 months, including the provision of training at Hyundai’s purpose-built Training Academy just off the M40.