Auto Express releases it's top 50 Brits in the Global car market list for 2016, the Brits are here, and going nowhere.

• Auto Express reveals its top 50 Brits in the global car business
• Mike Manley from Jeep takes number one spot
• Citroen Global CEO Linda Jackson climbs six places to number two

Auto Express has today revealed its definitive list of the top 50 Brits working in the global car industry, with Jeep CEO Mike Manley taking the number one slot in 2016.

Manley, originally from Bedfordshire but now residing in the US, has transformed one of America’s greatest brands, quadrupled sales in just six years and set his company on the road to a target of selling 1.9 million cars by 2018. 

In 2015 Jeep sold a total of 1.23 million cars worldwide. Manley is extremely passionate about brands and he thinks it’s the strength of the Jeep brand that will help him achieve the near two million sales target.

In second place in this year’s Brit List is Linda Jackson, Global CEO of Citroen. Her vision for the iconic brand is coming to fruition with strong sales of existing models and a raft of new Citroens on the way.

The Auto Express judging panel comprised industry commentator and Motoring Editor of the Daily Mail, Ray Massey, and Chris Donkin, Industrial Sector Partner at The Inzito Partnership, along with Auto Express’ Steve Fowler, Graham Hope and John McIlroy.

Chairman of the judging panel, and Editor-in-Chief of Auto Express, Steve Fowler, said: “The British talent in the global car industry is something to be proud of, which is why we started to publish this list five years ago. Since then it has grown to be one of the most eagerly anticipated events in the industry calendar. This year’s list is teeming with talent, and I can’t wait to see what they achieve in the coming years.”

The Brit List 2016: top 50

1. Mike Manley
Head of brand, Jeep and RAM

2. Linda Jackson
CEO, Citroen

3. Duncan Aldred
US Vice-President, Buick-GMC 

4. Ian Callum
Director of Design, Jaguar

5. Trevor Mann
Chief Performance Officer, Nissan 

6. Nick Rogers
Director, Group Engineering, Jaguar Land Rover 

7. Paul Willcox
Senior Vice-President, Nissan & Chairman, Nissan Europe

8. Adrian Hallmark
Group Strategy Director, Jaguar Land Rover

9. Mark Adams
Vice-President, Vauxhall/Opel Design

10. Kevin Rose
Sales & Marketing ,Director, Bentley 

11. Mike O’Driscoll
Group CEO, Williams F1 Team

12. Joe Bakaj
Vice-President Product Development, Ford of Europe

13. Gerry McGovern
Design Director, Land Rover

14. Ron Dennis
Chairman, McLaren Group & Automotive

15. Allan Rushforth
Vice-President for Global Sales, Nissan

16. Andy Cowell
Managing Director, Mercedes AMG High-Performance Powertrains

17. Steven Armstrong
Vice-President, Ford & President, Ford South America

18. Andy Goss
Global Sales Operations Director, Jaguar Land Rover

19. Chris Porritt
Apple

20.  Simon Sproule
Chief Marketing Officer, Aston Martin

21. Julian Blissett
Executive Vice-President, SAIC-General Motors Corp

22. Moray Callum
Vice-President, Design, Ford

23. Marek Reichman
Design Director, Aston Martin

24. Mike Flewitt
Chief Executive, McLaren Automotive

25. Fiona Pargeter
Head of Global PR Communications, Jaguar Land Rover

26. Jon Goodman
Senior Vice-President, Corporate Communications, Volvo Cars

27. Graham Hoare
Director of Global Vehicle Evaluation & Verification, Ford

28. Mark Ovenden
President & CEO, FordSoller

29. Michael Cole
Chief Operating Officer, Kia Motor Europe

30.  John Edwards
Managing Director, Special Operations, Jaguar Land Rover

31. Richard Palmer
Chief Financial Officer, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles

32. Peter Horbury
Head of Design, Geely

33. Christian Horner
Team Principal, Red Bull Racing

34. Nigel Stein
Chief Executive, GKN 

35. Tim Abbott
Managing Director, BMW South Africa

36. Adrian Newey
Chief Technical Officer, Red Bull Racing

37. Mark Lloyd
Design Programme Director, Citroen

38. Paul Willis
CEO, VW Group UK

39. Chris Gubbey
CEO, The London Taxi Group

40. Robin Page
Vice-President, Interior Design, Volvo Cars

41. Mike Hawes
Chief Executive, Society of Motor Manufacturers & Traders

42. Danella BagnallVehicle Programme Director, Jaguar Land Rover

43. Peter Thom
Vice-President, Quality, North America, General Motors

44. Martin Leach
President of NEXTEV

45. Claire Williams
Deputy Team Principal, Williams F1 Team

46. Lawrence Davies
CEO, Automotive Investment Organisation

47. Tony Laydon
Corporate Vice-President, Supply Chain, Nissan

48. Bernie Ecclestone
Chief Executive, F1 Group

49. Tony Williams-Kenny
Global Design Director, SAIC

50. Mark Sutcliffe
Vice President, Supply Chain Management, Renault-Nissan

The Auto Express hall of fame

2015 - Alan Batey

Last year’s Brit List winner Batey has the title of executive vice president and president, GM North America, and also serves on the board of GM China’s joint venture, Shanghai General Motors Co. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s the global boss of Chevrolet as well. 

2014 - Steve Odell

When Odell topped the Brit List he was busy restoring Ford of Europe to health. That success earned him a role at Detroit HQ, where he now heads global sales, marketing and service, reviving Ford and Lincoln worldwide – some way from his first role as a Ford graduate trainee. 

2013 - Ian Robertson

BMW’s global boss of sales and marketing was our second Brit List winner and Hall of Fame inductee. He’s still responsible for the brand’s growing sales success as it gears up to mark its centenary, with events planned this month in London and at the Goodwood Festival of Speed. 

2012 - Andy Palmer

Our first ever Brit List winner was working at Nissan at the time. Now he’s reshaping iconic British brand Aston Martin and is in the process of launching the all-new DB11. As at Nissan, Palmer’s love of electric power is coming into play at Aston, too.

All-New Navara production in Spain heralds a new era for Pick-Up truck quality.

• Nissan Barcelona Plant set to launch all-new Nissan NP300 Navara
• €80m investment coming to fruition on renewed production line
• New pick-up is first Nissan LCV to come with new 5-year warranty  

Raising the bar for quality and performance, the all-new Nissan Navara is ready for launch at the company’s Barcelona plant.

Harnessing the 4X4 expertise of Nissan’s Spanish operations, the new NP300 Navara has been fine-tuned for European customers and will be built on a renewed production line in Barcelona.

On a visit to the plant today, Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe, led the traditional Japanese Daruma ceremony to mark the realisation of €80m investment for the NP300 Navara, the quality of which has heralded the launch of a new five-year Nissan Light Commercial Vehicle warranty.

Willcox said: “With 80 years of pick-up heritage, this new NP300 Navara arrives with the off-road ability, durability and loading capacity you would expect from the name.

“What makes the fully-updated Navara truly unique is the driving experience, style and comfort that it inherits from of the Nissan crossover range, like Qashqai, Juke and X-Trail.

“With the expertise of our team in Spain, a totally renewed production line in Barcelona, and our new five-year Nissan Light Commercial Vehicle warranty, Navara is further evidence that Nissan quality has never been better.”

The new NP300 Navara was engineered for Europe in Nissan’s Technical Centre (NTCE) in Barcelona, where the team developed the new 2.3 litre dCi engine and adapted noise and vibration, steering, suspension and brakes for European customers.

The contribution of Nissan’s Spanish team to the new pick-up also includes the manufacture of parts including steering knuckles, brake discs and drums at the company’s Cantabria plant.

Production of the new NP300 Navara for Nissan in Barcelona will be followed by new one-tonne pickup trucks for both Renault and Mercedez-Benz, all of which will also share some common architecture.

Barcelona plant has capacity to produce about 120,000 vehicles annually for the three brands, which would see 1,000 new jobs created once full production is reached.

Frank Torres, Managing Director and Vice President of Nissan Spanish Industrial Operations, added:  “The new product range in Barcelona point to a sustainable future for the plant and takes us towards our goal of producing 200,000 vehicles per year.

“In 17 months we have launched three vehicles successfully in Spain. As the quality output from this plant continues to improve, we are about to start the production of the fourth, the new NP300 Navara.

“Not only will this set a new benchmark for the pick-up market, it signals the beginning of our journey to becoming a premium plant.” 

Nissan's LEAF gets upgraded tech, better quality interiors and, oh yes, a vastly increased range per charge.

• 25% increase in LEAF driving range - 155 miles* (250km) on a single charge
• Another first as Nissan introduces 30kWh battery technology to the sector
• Significant battery updates improve performance
• Longer range headlines 2016MY update that further extends Nissan’s lead over rivals
• New NissanConnect EV infotainment system with greater functionality; off-board telematics for remote operations
• Exterior design update with revised details and new colour option

Nissan is once again transforming the performance, practicality and perception of EVs with the introduction of the LEAF 30 kWh - an updated Nissan LEAF that gives drivers 155 miles of motoring range, beating all of its competitors in the segment.

This remarkable achievement – one that opens up a new world of opportunity for drivers – is made possible thanks to the introduction of a new 30kWh battery. The new battery is the highlight of an update package that will see the 2016MY LEAF 30 kWh reinforce its position as the most capable and practical electric vehicle in the world, and with the best value. 

The longer range significantly broadens the LEAF’s appeal – making it a true alternative to an internal combustion engine vehicle for thousands of motorists and reinforcing its position as the world’s best electric car. 

Commented Paul Willcox, Chairman, Nissan Europe: “The LEAF, the best-selling EV in the world, just got even better. And up-to 155 miles opens the world of EV to thousands of drivers across Europe who before just weren’t completely confident that an EV would work for them. This extra range will make LEAF ownership an easy first choice, for many, many more drivers.”

New battery, new technology, same simple usability

The LEAF’s new 30kWh battery delivers a longer range with no compromise on internal packaging. Available on Acenta and Tekna trim grades, it has exactly the same exterior dimensions as existing 24kWh unit and only a modest 21 kg increase in weight. The result? A car that goes significantly further while offering the same practicality and usability as previous versions.

Key to the new battery’s higher performance is an update to its internal design and chemistry. 

The introduction of Carbon, Nitrogen and Magnesium to the electrodes improves performance, while the change to the cell layout also contributes to the gain. Indeed, Nissan is so confident about the performance and reliability of the new 30kWh battery that the capacity will be covered by an eight year, 100,000 mile warranty. 

Recharging the LEAF’s new 30kWh battery is as easy and stress-free as it is with the current 24kWh unit. Just as with the current LEAF, customers will be able to recharge from their homes, from public chargers, or from the network of rapid chargers (3 phase, 400V) expanding across European – the best EV network available. 

In the UK there are approximately 500 LEAF-compatible rapid chargers, covering more than 95% of the UK’s motorway network.

New IT technology gives owners even greater control

One of the LEAF’s most celebrated and useful features is its ability to interact with and be controlled remotely by its owner via NissanConnect EV. 

From being able to check charge status to pre-heating the cabin on cold winter days, owners across the world have used this advanced smartphone-enabled telematics facility to make life even easier. NissanConnect EV not only brings greater comfort but also improves driving range, thanks to the ability to pre-heat or pre-cool the cabin without using battery energy.

The LEAF 30 kWh introduces a significant update to this unique technology with a new NissanConnect EV system that replaces the previous Carwings setup. It retains all the acclaimed elements of the original system, but adds new features, a much-simplified activation process and a new design.

One of the many advances of the new NissanConnect EV system is the new charging map that is capable of showing which charging points are available and which are being used. Designed to offer seamless integration with the new-generation NissanConnect EV infotainment system, it also features a completely revised navigation system, maintenance alerts and a car-finder facility. 

LEAF 30 kWh – the world’s favourite EV made even better

All Acenta and Tekna 2016MY LEAF models are equipped with the latest evolution of the brand’s acclaimed NissanConnect EV infotainment system. 

Featuring a new interface and digital radio receiver, it also offers a capacitive 7-inch touchscreen that allows owners to zoom in and out of maps and flick between menus just by moving their fingers on the screen.

The LEAF 30 kWh also introduces a number of subtle exterior design changes – including a new roof-mounted aerial along with the availability of a new colour – Bronze.

Full pricing

Sales of the model year 2016 Nissan LEAF 30kW will begin in the UK in December 2015. Priced from £24,490 for the Acenta trim, the LEAF 30kW is available for just £1,600 more than the equivalent LEAF with a 24kW battery.

Grade	Options	Battery	OTR with PiCG**
Acenta		MY16 - 30kWh	£24,490
Acenta	Solar cell	MY16 - 30kWh	£24,790
Acenta	6kW charger	MY16 - 30kWh	£25,640
Acenta	6kW charger + Solar Cell	MY16 - 30kWh	£25,940
Tekna		MY16 - 30kWh	£26,490
Tekna	Solar cell	MY16 - 30kWh	£26,790
Tekna	6kW charger	MY16 - 30kWh	£27,640
Tekna	6kW charger +Solar cell	MY16 - 30kWh	£27,940
Visia		MY16 - 24kWh	£20,790
Visia	6kW charger	MY16 - 24kWh	£21,940
Acenta		MY16 - 24kWh	£22,890
Acenta	Solar cell	MY16 - 24kWh	£23,190
Acenta	6kW charger	MY16 - 24kWh	£24,040
Acenta	6kW charger + Solar Cell	MY16 - 24kWh	£24,340
Tekna		MY16 - 24kWh	£24,890
Tekna	Solar cell	MY16 - 24kWh	£25,190
Tekna	6kW charger	MY16 - 24kWh	£26,040
Tekna	6kW charger +Solar cell	MY16 - 24kWh	£26,340

*NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) target 155 miles – to be confirmed by homologation

**On the road price (OTR) includes VAT, includes First reg fee of £55. Plug-in Car Grant (PiCG) incentive for LEAF is 35% up to a maximum of £5,000