Ford and it's Mustang GT, leads the 250PS Sports Car segment, by some margin in the January-July time frame.

The Ford Mustang is UK’s most popular high-performance sports coupe, ahead of competitors from Porsche, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes. Figures for sports cars with 250PS or more put the Mustang at the front of the pack from January to July 2016.

Since Ford started taking orders in January 2015, the Ford Mustang has topped 4,000 sales to date, with total 2016 registrations at 2,317, so far. This puts the Mustang comfortably at the top of the table against rivals, the closest being the Jaguar F-Type with 1,446.

Top 10 250PS+ Performance Vehicles (YTD July 2016) –

1. Ford Mustang (2,317)
2. Jaguar F-Type (1,446)
3. BMW 6 Series (1,367)
4. Porsche 911 (1,315)
5. Porsche Cayman (787)
6. Audi TT (778)
7. Porsche Boxster (526)
8. Mercedes SL (489)
9. Porsche 718 (482)
10. BMW i8 (382)

The current split in sales across models shows that 70 per cent of customers specified the 5.0-litre V8 engine, with the remaining 30 per cent favouring the 2.3-litre EcoBoost. Total customer orders for the Ford Mustang in Europe now stand at more than 19,500 since the car was launched in the third quarter of 2015.

Since June this year, all Mustang models have been fitted sophisticated SYNC 3 infotainment system as standard, offering a redesigned eight-inch touchscreen and faster performance, and the ability for drivers to control their connected smartphones, audio, navigation, and climate functions with more conversational voice commands.

In addition, the new Ford Mustang is available to order with three new colour options – Grabber Blue, Lightning Blue and White Platinum.

The Mustang’s popular European introduction is another page in the exciting Ford Performance story, which continues with the success of ST, Fiesta ST200, Focus RS and GT. More than 6,500 enthusiasts applied to buy the all-new Ford GT in just one month – with over 500 from the UK alone.

The Ford Mustang is available from the 75 FordStore locations across the UK, and via the fully customisable online configurator - http://www.ford.co.uk/

Bespoke tuning & design company, VIP Design London, has created the most powerful Jaguar F-Type in the world

Bespoke vehicle tuning and automotive design company, VIP Design London, has created what it believes is the most powerful Jaguar F-Type in the world, the VIP Design Project Predator.

Delivering a blisteringly quick 650bhp of pure driving passion and a top speed of more than 200mph, the dyno tested and proven upgrade package is delivered through a number of mechanical and software upgrades working in unison.

Firstly, the engine. High-flow air filters achieve increased combustion and throttle. An uprated supercharger pulley, part of VIP Design’s secret recipe, brings the software upgrade to life. Increasing supercharger boost pressures perfectly matched to the enhanced fuelling of the software delivers hugely dramatic reductions in 0-60 times and power delivery across the whole rev range. The VIP Design Team spent a full three weeks developing this remap on the dyno.

In an attempt to control this beast, VIP Design have lowered the suspension by 30mm, improving the poise and stance. Harder, stronger suspension parts, joints and rubbers have been fitted to improve responsiveness on the road, transforming the handling of the standard F-Type.

For extra purr-appeal VIP Design has uprated the exhaust system to a full manifold back high performance exhaust system, available with two different switchable sound levels. The VIP Design team felt that the standard F-Type exhaust never quite sounded like a V8 Supercar as managing director Paul Busby explains.

“The exhaust was not deep enough, more of a shriek than a V8 rumble. The VIP Design F-Type Predator changes all that, the full manifold back high performance exhaust system is switchable, allowing different purr levels – loud and really loud! You can’t help but grin every time you press the button.”

It’s not just performance upgrades that make the Predator so special. VIP Design combines performance enhancement with unique styling upgrades in one package.

Carbon Fibre bonnet vents, beautifully styled and left in raw polished form, front and rear carbon fibre splitters, adding down force and style, and stunning unique polished carbon fibre rear diffuser, all help the car stand out from the crowd. Hand cast aluminium wheels available in 24 different design options and 28 different colours add to the look. And for optional extra-bling, window tinting in a variety of almost 50 shades of grey.

The package is fitted and installed at the VIP Design studio in Warwickshire, with mail-order and international shipping also available, priced from £12,600.

Paul added: “Since the Jaguar F-Type was launched, the sleek lines and V8 engine were always going to lend themselves to power upgrades, and appeal to passionate drivers who are never going to settle for stock options. Our new package has created the most exciting F-Type available in the world and is certain to thrill serious petrol-heads anywhere.”

GENEVA - World Car Of The Year nominees whittled down to the top three in each segment.

The Road to the World Car journey continues with today’s announcement of the Top Three in the World finalists in five award categories at the Geneva International Motor Show.

This announcement continues the countdown for the 2015 World Car Awards (the WCAs) winners’ press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum on Thursday, April 2, 2015.   Winners of the 2015 World Car of the Year, World Luxury Car, World Performance Car, World Green Car and World Car Design of the Year will all be declared at this time.

A jury of 75 distinguished international automotive journalists selected the following “Top Three in the World” finalists by secret ballot based on their experience with each candidate as part of their professional work. The international accounting firm KPMG tabulated the jurors’ ballots.      

The Top Three in the World finalists in the 5 award categories are as follows:

2015 World Car of the Year:

Ford Mustang

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Volkswagen Passat 

2015 World Luxury Car:

BMW i8

Mercedes-Benz S Coupe

Range Rover Autobiography Black LWB

2015 World Performance Car:

BMW M4 Coupe/M3 Sedan

Jaguar F-TYPE R Coupe

Mercedes-Benz AMG GT

2015 World Green Car:

BMW i8

Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid

Volkswagen Golf GTE

2015 World Car Design of the Year:

Citroën C4 Cactus

Mercedes-Benz C-Class

Volvo XC90

The Road to the World Car began in Paris on October 2, followed by a stop in Los Angeles for a test-drive of the North American contenders in November, and continues with the finalists’ announcement today at the Geneva International Auto Show.   The journey ends at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, April 2^nd, 2015 when all winners are declared.

The Global Trends Report, co-presented by Prime Research and Autoneum, will be revealed just before the winners’ press conference on the same day in New York. Autoneum CEO Martin Hirzel said, “Smart efficiency is the most important trend in the automobile industry. With Autoneum’s lightweight and multifunctional products for acoustic and heat management in vehicles, our smart innovations are making an important contribution to the future of the automobile.”

Jaguar Wins twice at Annual Scottish Car Of The Year Awards.

• Jaguar F-TYPE wins best Coupé award and is dubbed “an outstanding category winner”
• New Jaguar XE is named the first winner of new SCOTY category: “Best Design and Innovation”

Jaguar was named a winner in two prestigious categories of the Scottish Car of the Year Awards 2014, held in St. Andrews at the weekend.

The Jaguar F-TYPE sports car beat stiff competition in the Coupé category, with the award presented to Jaguar Land Rover Head of Global PR Communications, Fiona Pargeter,  by Association of Scottish Motoring Writers President, Alisdair Suttie.

Alisdair Suttie said:

“This is a car that puts Jaguar right at the very top of the sector where it belongs.  With jaw-dropping looks, great driving dynamics, and a hard top to keep off Scotland’s winter weather, the F-TYPE Coupé is a clear judges’ favourite, an immediate modern classic and a truly outstanding category winner.”

In a newly introduced category for the motor industry’s best design and innovation, the Jaguar XE, launched this year and on-sale from Spring 2015, was named the winner.  The award was presented to Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum.

Association of Scottish Motoring Writers Secretary Stephen Park said:

“It takes something special to raise the game in the fast paced automotive world, and that’s exactly what the Jaguar XE does. A clear winner of the Best Design and Innovation Award, it is a car that delivers endless style on the outside and a multitude of intelligent technical advances under the skin – the XE ticks all the boxes.”

Jaguar Design Director Ian Callum said:

“I am extremely proud of what the Design team has achieved with the XE.  It looks fast and its design is extremely seductive, which is a formidable combination together with the innovative engineering that features throughout the XE.”

BMW i3 crowned UK Car of the Year - REALLY ? who does this voting !!!!!

• New range-extender model impresses judges with its design, performance and innovation
• BMW and Skoda win two categories each at inaugural awards
• Victories for Citroën, Porsche, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Jaguar and Land Rover
• More than 100 new cars assessed by 27 expert judges
• 11 category winners produce one overall champion

The BMW i3 has lifted the top prize at the first-ever UK Car of the Year Awards. It triumphed in the Best Supermini category before the new BMW went on to scoop the title of UK Car of the Year 2014.

The awards, which include 11 categories and one overall prize, are voted for by 27 of the most respected motoring journalists in the UK. Each is an expert in their field to ensure UK consumers get the best advice possible, whichever type of car they are considering buying.

In the overall vote, which featured the likes of the Porsche Cayman, Range Rover Sport, BMW 5 Series, Citroen C4 Grand Picasso and Audi A3, almost half of the 27-strong judging panel chose the i3.

“Alternative vehicles have made a big impression on UK car buyers in recent years, and the i3 takes things to the next level,” said John Challen, Managing Director of UK Car of the Year Awards, and Editor of ukcoty.co.uk. “It might be a new direction for BMW, but the i3 successfully retains the driving characteristics from BMW’s more established models.”

Uwe Dreher, BMW UK Marketing Director, commented on the win: “For the BMW i3 to be voted as the first-ever UK Car of the Year is real testament to the years of research and development that have gone into making BMW’s first electric production car. The BMW i3 has pushed the boundaries in every way from sustainable production, to its unique construction and revolutionary ownership proposition. The judging panel clearly recognised this and we are delighted to be given such an independent accolade.”

Elsewhere, praise came from BBC Top Gear’s Tom Ford, who commented: “i3 moves the game on for urban and inter-urban transport. It is clever, exciting, useful and desirable.”

Tim Pollard, from MSN, said that i3 “Shows that small cars can be at the cutting edge of technology – and that EVs can be desirable,” while Press Association’s Matt Joy believes that the new BMW “makes the fundamental leap for the electric car, namely that it is desirable for reasons other than its eco credentials.”

Runner-up to the BMW i3 for the UK Car of the Year 2014 prize was the Ford Fiesta ST, which won the Best Performance Car category. Joint third place went to the Skoda Octavia Estate and Jaguar F-type, which topped the Best Estate and Best Open Top Car categories respectively.

Full list of UK Car of the Year Awards 2014 winners:

Best Supermini – BMW i3
Best Small Hatch – Audi A3
Best Family Car – Skoda Octavia
Best Executive Car – BMW 5 Series
Best Luxury Car – Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best Estate Car – Skoda Octavia Estate
Best MPV – Citroën C4 Grand Picasso
Best 4x4 – Range Rover Sport
Best Coupé – Porsche Cayman
Best Open Top Car – Jaguar F-type
Best Performance Car – Ford Fiesta ST

Jaguar previews its entry into the 2013 Mille Miglia

• Jaguar previews its entry into the 2013 Mille Miglia with short film featuring David Gandy, Yasmin Le Bon, Norman Dewis and Alex Buncombe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEkckuR8E-k&feature=youtu.be
• Jaguar Heritage Racing enters three C-Type and three XK120 classic cars into famous event
• Jaguar 'Bloodline' of sports cars to be celebrated with new F-TYPE joining the 1,000 mile tour 

(MAHWAH, N.J.)  - May 10, 2013- Jaguar has curated a unique team of drivers for its Jaguar Heritage Racing entry into this year's Mille Miglia classic car tour. Taking the seats of outstanding examples of Jaguar C-Type and XK120 heritage race cars will be six-time Olympic cycling Champion Sir Chris Hoy, global supermodel David Gandy, Le Mans 24 Hours race winner Andy Wallace, Chairman & CEO of 20th Century Fox Jim Gianopulos - who will drive with a film industry colleague, German actress Hannah Herzsprung, Italian Salvatore Ferragamo Jr., fashion icon Yasmin Le Bon and Michael Quinn, the grandson of Jaguar founder Sir William Lyons.

This exciting list of classic car enthusiasts will be led by Jaguar Heritage Racing's own multiple race winner Alex Buncombe and motoring journalist Chris Harris, who will link up for the event in a Jaguar C-Type once owned by former Formula 1 Champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

The Mille Miglia is the pinnacle of classic motorsport, and the competitive event in 1952 saw Jaguar debut the disc brake on its C-Type sports car, piloted then by Jaguar Chief Development Engineer Norman Dewis and Formula 1 legend Sir Stirling Moss. Norman Dewis was with some of the 2013 Jaguar Heritage Racing team at Goodwood Motor Circuit this week, in a driver training session which was captured on film and now available to view and share at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEkckuR8E-k&feature=youtu.be

The line-up of three C-Type race cars and three XK120s will be followed on the majority of the driving route by five new Jaguar F-TYPE sports cars.

Jaguar Regional Director for Europe Bernard Kuhnt - who will drive with Hannah Herzsprung in the event  said: "Jaguar's 1952 entry into the Mille Miglia was hugely significant in the evolution of Jaguar products. Seductive design, intelligent performance and technological innovation were features of all Jaguar sports cars in the 1950s and 60s and they are prevalent in the incredible new F-TYPE. I am delighted that the Jaguar sports car 'bloodline' will be together in this great race and that such an exciting list of individuals will come together to celebrate the occasion and drive our cars."

Jaguar awards £2.8 Billion worth of contracts with £1.5 Billion in the UK

• UK suppliers win in excess of £1.5 billion contracts 
• First customer cars leave Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility
• 75% of Jaguar F-TYPE to be exported

The first Jaguar F-TYPE customer cars leave Jaguar Land Rover’s Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility today. The all new sportscar has resulted in contracts worth £2.8 billion being placed with companies internationally, with in excess of £1.5 billion placed with companies in the UK.

Contracts have been awarded to more than 270 companies globally following the completion of a global competitive tendering exercise on component sourcing for the vehicle. Of these, 116 are based in the UK and 50 per cent are from the Midlands.

Jaguar Land Rover has created almost 9,000 new jobs in the UK over the last two years, including 2,000 new engineers and 350 to directly support the new F-TYPE. The contracts awarded to support the F-TYPE are expected to create thousands more new skilled jobs across the UK’s automotive supply chain.

Ian Harnett, Jaguar Land Rover’s Purchasing Director said, “As one of the leading investors in automotive research and development in the UK, Jaguar Land Rover generates several billion pounds of economic activity here every year. As today’s announcement demonstrates we are working with world-class suppliers to strengthen the UK automotive supply base and support our ambitious plans for growth in the future.”

Destined for customers around the world, the new Jaguar F-TYPE vehicles were loaded onto a train at the company’s onsite rail facility at Castle Bromwich earlier today. With sales in over 170 countries, Jaguar Land Rover generates export revenues approaching £11 billion each year, making it one of the UK’s largest exporters by value. It anticipates that it will export over 75% of Jaguar F-TYPE vehicles produced. The USA is expected to be the largest market with almost half of all sales, closely followed by the UK and Germany.

Adrian Hallmark, Jaguar’s Global Brand Director said, “Since we unveiled the car last year, the level of customer interest in the F-TYPE has been unprecedented. It is a very proud moment for us to see some of the very first customer cars leave our Castle Bromwich facility today.”

The Jaguar F-TYPE has been designed, engineered and manufactured in the West Midlands, UK.

Last month, almost 450 potential customers were given an exclusive insight into the F-TYPE and a behind the scenes tour of the Castle Bromwich factory. Jaguar Land Rover has invested significantly in its Castle Bromwich manufacturing facility to create the fastest and most advanced Jaguar sports car production line for the F-TYPE.

F-TYPE production has been incorporated into the manufacturing operation at Castle Bromwich to maximise capacity, technology and skills at the plant. Jaguar Land Rover has utilised and enhanced the manufacturing techniques and technologies employed for the Jaguar XK production, while introducing new equipment and processes specifically required for the F-TYPE. The all-aluminium construction of the F-TYPE is carried out in Castle Bromwich’s 14,000 square metre body shop which employs manufacturing techniques adapted from the aerospace industry.

Jaguar wins yet another award

• Jaguar F-TYPE declared 2013 World Car Design of the Year
• Award collected by Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar
• Award announced and presented at the New York International Auto Show
• A total of 43 cars considered for the 2013 World Car Design of the Year award

The Jaguar F-TYPE has today been declared the 2013 World Car Design of the Year.

Ian Callum, Director of Design, Jaguar, said: "No design project has given me greater pleasure than the creation of the F-TYPE. It's a project I've looked forward to from the moment I joined Jaguar, and it's one that's given my team and I great satisfaction. The F-TYPE is a sports car that is true to Jaguar's design values – beauty of line and purity of form – and I'm honoured that the World Car of the Year jury has recognised our work with this award."

Some 43 cars were considered for the award, this selection being reduced to a shortlist by an advisory panel of design experts* before final consideration by the 66 World Car of the Year jury members.

On the F-TYPE, the advisory panel said: “The long wheelbase, short overhangs and flared fenders give this car a good stance. The contour in plan view tapered toward the door emphasises the muscular rear fender that houses the driven wheels.

“The F-TYPE exterior maintains Jaguar’s own elegance in its horizontal proportion and rounded surfaces, yet it looks very dynamic. But I would like to say the interior design is even more attractive. It is clearly driver-oriented, and a grip bar for the passenger is nicely integrated into the big centre console. The seat design is superb, too.”

The award was collected by Adrian Hallmark, Global Brand Director, Jaguar, at the New York International Auto Show. Commenting from the show, he said: “The F-TYPE is the first full-blooded Jaguar sports car to be launched for more than 50 years.  Its architecture and technology are world class, wrapped in an evocative and progressive design that could only be a Jaguar – ‘Callum unfiltered’, as we call it in-house. It is as dynamic yet refined as any Jaguar sports car should be, and is a unique proposition from a performance and price perspective. This combination of factors has clearly inspired this year's jurors, and we are delighted and honoured to collect this award.”

LANA DEL REY RELEASES MUSIC VIDEO FOR NEW TRACK ‘BURNING DESIRE’

SONG ALSO SET TO APPEAR AS SOUNDTRACK FOR NEW SHORT FILM BY JAGUAR AND RIDLEY SCOTT ASSOCIATES

Brit and Ivor Novello award winner Lana Del Rey today released the video for ‘Burning Desire’. It was written and composed by the singer songwriter and will feature as the title track to a special film called ‘Desire’ starring Golden Globe winner Damian Lewis, which has been created by Jaguar and the award winning producers Ridley Scott Associates.

The ‘Burning Desire’ music video was filmed on location in South East London at the infamous Rivoli Ballroom, a Grade II listed former cinema that was transformed in the 1950s and is the only remaining intact ballroom from its period in London.

The distinctive venue’s eclectic mix of neo-classical, deco style perfectly complements Lana’s original style. In the video she is seen wearing a vintage Ghost floor length silk dress as she performs the track.

Lana Del Rey said: “Film has always been so precious to me and I’m so proud to be a part of what Jaguar have envisioned for their new car with Damian Lewis. Making art means making tough decisions. I do believe you create your own life path and that you will be rewarded for following your passions – and sticking to it. It’s just good to know now, with people like Jaguar and working with them, that I’m not the only one out there with such strident, creative beliefs.”

Lana Del Rey’s collaboration with the luxury car brand was first announced last September, with the singer performing the song for the first and only time to an exclusive and intimate audience at Paris’s Musée Rodin at the global reveal of the F-TYPE. The F-TYPE is the first two-seater sports car from Jaguar since the iconic E-type was launched 50 years ago.

Ian Armstrong, Global Marketing Communications Director, Jaguar said: “Lana Del Rey is a world-class singer songwriter. In this video, she has used her unique ability to conjure, reflect and then reinterpret an aesthetic from a different era both for herself and for the F-TYPE.”

The film that features the track tells the story of Clark (Damian Lewis), who delivers cars for a living, running into trouble after a chance encounter with a mysterious, young woman (Shannyn Sossamon) in the middle of a lawless desert. Directed by Adam Smith, this is a story of betrayal, retribution, passion and greed. The film will be released in spring 2013.