Ricky Wilson and Example go head-to-head to test out the new Spotify app now available in all JLR vehicles.

• Jaguar Land Rover announces in-car Spotify app for streaming music
• Available on all Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles equipped with InControl Apps™(1)
• iOS app available to download via the Apple Store from September 27
• Music stars Ricky Wilson and Example go head-to-head to test out Spotify in the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible and Jaguar XE
• Both free and premium users can listen to Spotify in their vehicle through InControl Apps(1)

Today, Jaguar Land Rover has announced a unique collaboration with Spotify, to offer an app with readily available ‘music for every moment’ radio and personalized playlists based on users’ tastes and in-car listening habits.

Spotify, which launches this month in the Jaguar Land Rover InControl Apps library, delivers the best in-car Spotify experience. It mirrors the Spotify interface users will recognize from their smartphone with easy ways to navigate content(1).

 

Tapping into Spotify’s ‘deep learning’ which recognizes listening habits, users can access personalized ‘Just for You’ playlists containing recommended tracks in the car, saving time scrolling through music on the move(1). Drivers in low-signal areas don’t need to worry, as Spotify’s ‘Offline Mode’ will display downloaded content despite poor internet connection.

Spotify for Jaguar Land Rover is the result of a year’s worth of collaborative development between the two companies. The design teams set out to create a familiar and immersive experience designed for use in-car. A user friendly interface allows drivers to scroll through menus, which display rich album artwork tiles, all of which is designed to minimize distraction while driving(1).

Peter Virk, Director of Connected Technologies and Apps at Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Spotify has more than 100 million subscribers, a proportion of whom drive Jaguar or Land Rover vehicles, so we recognized that Spotify was at the top of our customers’ apps wish list. From the beginning we wanted to create a Spotify experience that users would really love. The Spotify design team worked closely with us to create the best in-vehicle experience, and have spent many hours with us at our Gaydon HQ running user studies with our employees. The app is now available in our InControl Apps library, and we will continue to work with Spotify to add new features such as predictive search over the coming months.”

Katja Gross, Product Manager at Spotify, said: “Partnering with Jaguar Land Rover brings Spotify a family of amazing premium vehicles with a user interface designed to look and feel like the Spotify our users already know and love. As we continue to innovate and shape the future of how music is consumed in the car, it's great to have a partner in Jaguar Land Rover to come along for the ride.”

Musicians Ricky Wilson from Kaiser Chiefs and Elliot Gleave, aka Example, were among the first to try the app in the car before its official release, going head to head in a battle of music tastes. Each created a Spotify playlist featuring their top driving songs and took to the road in the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible and the Jaguar XE to pitch their playlists against one another. Click here to see how Ricky and Elliot’s battle unfolded.

The artists’ playlists feature recent and classic tracks and include their latest singles, Kaiser Chiefs’ ‘Hole in My Soul’ and Example’s ‘Later’. Both driving playlists are available now via the official Kaiser Chiefs and Example Spotify profiles.

Example said: “It’s great to be the first to try the new Spotify app in a Jaguar. It worked really well and I had fun setting up my winning playlist and chatting with Ricky, even if I did have to listen to his jokes.”

Ricky said: “I listen to music every day so it’s important I’m now able to use the app while I’m on the move. I respect Elliot’s music tastes, we’d even both included Jamie T, but my playlist was the best by miles.”

InControl Apps subscribers can download Spotify from the Apple App Store if it’s not already on their device. From September 27, once downloaded, the app will automatically show up on the vehicle touch screen when the smartphone is connected(1). Users do not need a premium subscription to access Spotify via InControl Apps.

(1) Do not use Jaguar/Land Rover InControl® features under conditions that will affect your safety or the safety of others. Driving while distracted can result in loss of vehicle control.

Lotus joins in the fun to celebrate Malaysian Culture in the UK with an event in London, with the Evora 400.

• The largest event celebrating Malaysian culture in the UK
• Lotus attended for the second year, showcasing the new Evora 400
• 53,000 people gathered in Trafalgar Square, London

For the 6^th year, London hosted the most vibrant and important event for Malaysian culture in the UK. On Friday the 18^th September from noon to 10pm, Trafalgar Square became an open air market to celebrate Malaysian culture and its vibrant mix of music, food and entertainment.

As part of the DRB-HICOM Group, one of Malaysia’s leading conglomerates, Lotus renewed its participation in the event for the second year running, after a previous successful attendance in 2014.

Jean-Marc Gales, Chief Executive Officer of Group Lotus plc, commented: “We were pleased to attend Malaysian Night once again in 2015.  Events such as this are extremely important to Lotus, not only to reinforce our link with Malaysia but also to showcase our products within the heart of London as part of a rich celebration of global culture.”

Funded by the Malaysian External Trade Department (MATRADE), the event saw 53,000 people converge on Trafalgar Square in the centre of London. The Malaysian Minister for Trade and Industry, Honourable Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed, and The High Commissioner of Malaysia to the UK, His Excellency Dato’ Ahmad Rasidi Hazizi, were also present to welcome the thousands of visitors and took time to visit the Lotus display featuring the new Lotus Evora 400.

The new model from Lotus further enhanced the event as part of an impressive display on the North Terrace, in front of the National Gallery, overlooking Trafalgar Square. Visitors were invited to sit in the hand built car, experience the distinctive ambience and admire the handmade details within the cabin. Supported by the London-based Lotus dealer, Hexagon, interested parties also had the opportunity to enquire about booking a test drive and gain further information about how they might own a Lotus sports car, an iconic product of Norfolk, England.

The last batch of tickets are available for this years BBC Children In Need Car Fest events.

• Remaining tickets on sale from 8am tomorrow morning
• Choice between weekend, camping, single day and VIP entry
• Boomtown Rats on Friday’s live music bill at both venues
• To date CarFest – inspired and hosted by DJ Chris Evans – has raised £3.5m for BBC Children in Need

The final tickets for CarFest – summer’s fast and furious fun-fuelled family festivals – have just gone on sale. Chris Evans, BBC Radio 2 DJ and the inspiration behind the two motoring and music-themed extravaganzas, has released the last batch at 8am yesterday (Thursday 30 April) morning during his award-winning Breakfast Show.

Evans again will be the perfect party host for both events – CarFest North (Oulton Park, Cheshire, 31 July-2 August) and CarFest South (Laverstoke Park Farm, Hampshire, 28-30 August) – with the promise of more magical music and motors… with lashings of mouth-watering festival food and eye-catching family fun thrown in for good measure.

Indeed, now entering its fourth season, the two spectacular shows are packed with even more features aimed at inspiring and amazing those of all ages. New additions include: goalfest, stunt school, the beach complete with deck chairs, a vintage village, mega land plus a lot more surprises still to be announced. 

The car content has been revved up, too. Track stars this year will include everything from Batmobiles and beach buggies to historic F1 racers and the very latest supercars. 

But to join the party, festival-goers will need to move quickly by logging onto the official www.CarFest.org website tomorrow morning. When the first tranche of tickets went on sale in November they sold out almost instantly. Demand for this final batch is likely to be even stronger.

Fans are also encouraged to consider individual day tickets – priced from £60 for adults – should they miss out on the limited number of remaining £142 weekend camping tickets.

As ever, CarFest will be raising money for BBC Children in Need with a minimum of 25 per cent of all ticket revenues going directly to the charity: now in its fourth year, CarFest has already donated more than £3.5 million to Children in Need.

Full details of both 2015 CarFests – including the bands performing which this year include The Boomtown Rats, Seasick Steve, Texas and Paloma Faith – can be found on the official website at www.carfest.org

CarFest is the brainchild of radio DJ and TV personality Chris Evans. Featuring a medley of fast cars, great food, live music and a rich mix of family entertainment, the inaugural weekend event was staged at Laverstoke Park Farm in Hampshire in August 2012 with a second show at Cholmondeley Castle in Cheshire in September 2012. Together, they raised almost £1 million for BBC Children in Need.

In 2013, CarFest North switched to Oulton Park in Cheshire while CarFest South returned to Laverstoke Park Farm, raising £1.1m for the charity – a figure that increased to £1.5m in 2014. A minimum of 25 per cent of the price of each ticket benefits BBC Children in Need with all further profits from the running of CarFest also donated to the charity.

BBC Children in Need

BBC Children in Need is a charity registered in England and Wales (802052) and Scotland (SC039557) whose aim is to make a positive change to the lives of disadvantaged children and young people across the UK. 

BBC Children in Need’s vision is that every child in the UK has a safe, happy and secure childhood and the chance to reach their potential. 

BBC Children in Need are currently supporting over 2,600 projects that are working with children facing a range of disadvantages for example, poverty and deprivation; children who have been the victims of abuse or neglect or disabled young people.