The Range Rover range contributes £10bn to the UK Economy and is UK PLC's biggest single export.

• Range Rover family grows with the addition of the new Velar
• Velar is to be built exclusively in Britain
• Range Rover contributes £10bn annually to the UK economy
• Range Rover is Britain’s largest luxury export, accounting for 85% of all luxury cars built in the UK

Jaguar Land Rover’s renaissance continued today with the launch of the Velar, the fourth member of the 47-year old Range Rover family. In a further show of support for the British car industry, the company confirmed the Velar will be built exclusively at its flagship Solihull plant in the West Midlands.

Since going on sale in 1970 the Range Rover family, heralded Britain’s greatest luxury export, has grown to include the Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover Evoque. Together they have helped transform the fortunes of the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer, accounting for 85 per cent of all premium cars produced in Britain and contributing £10bn to the UK economy every year.

Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover CEO, said: “The expansion of our product range and building this British designed and engineered car in the UK is a sign of our confidence in British manufacturing. We are leading the global premium car industry with our commitment to our home market and our heart, soul and headquarters will always be in the UK.”

Built using Jaguar Land Rover’s leading lightweight aluminium architecture and powered by the latest ultra-clean UK-built Ingenium petrol and diesel engines, the new Velar is positioned between the Range Rover Evoque and the Range Rover Sport.

The Range Rover Velar is the third model to be launched at the Solihull manufacturing plant in just two years. It follows an injection of £1.5bn in new facilities and technologies at the plant which began with the Jaguar XE and F-PACE - proving that flexible high-tech manufacturing brings more models to the market, attracts more customers and creates more high-skilled jobs for the United Kingdom.

Production of all Jaguar Land Rover models at the four UK manufacturing plants directly supports more than 40,000 British jobs and a further 250,000 in the supply chain. In the past six years the company has more than doubled its workforce to support global demand for its products. Last year Jaguar Land Rover sold 583,313 cars – more than one every minute, 44 per cent of which were Range Rovers.

The Range Rover Velar will be sold in more than 100 markets globally and is available to order from summer 2017. The online configurator is open later today. The Velar will be on display at the Design Museum in London until 6 March for customers who are eager to see it in the flesh.

Isuzu buys one new truck as an incident command vehicle to replace three older ones, for the WMAS.

With the recent arrival of its latest state-of-the-art Isuzu 7.5 tonne command unit, West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) has been able to replace three of its current vehicles with the single Isuzu, which will act as a brand-new bespoke incident command vehicle incorporating the latest technology to deal with major and prolonged incidents.

The dedicated state-of-the-art Isuzu provides a communications hub and base for WMAS commanders at the ground scene, for the duration of an incident, acting as a ‘mobile mini headquarters’. It is planned to send the command vehicle to support air, rail and multi-vehicle incidents, or more prolonged incidents, such as flooding, within the West Midlands region.

As the new Isuzu command vehicle enters service in the West Midlands, Tony Page, general manager fleet services at WMAS said, “The unit will enable a tactical command post to be deployed at the incident ground, housing operators and commanders, whilst also accommodating multi-agency responses, where required. The Isuzu will also provide us with a regional command training suite.”

The WMAS command vehicle is based on an Isuzu Forward 7.5 tonne N75.190 rigid chassis, which has been supplied by local West Midlands Isuzu Truck dealer, Aquila Truck Centre.

As WMAS’s Tony Page commented, “We already operate an Isuzu vehicle within our major incident fleet and are familiar with the excellent payload facility. With this latest fleet addition, we realised that the complex body specification would prove to be quite a challenge. However, with the proven payload of the Isuzu, we were also confident that this was achievable. From a technical viewpoint, the weight and overall footprint of the Isuzu rigid chassis was ideal for this detailed specification and, of course, we had the proven previous experience of the durability and reliability of the Isuzu brand in service.”

From the initial design stage, WMAS required a vehicle with the very best equipment to keep its staff safe and enable them to provide the best care, the best treatment and the best service for patients should the worst happen in the West Midlands.

Providing the role previously carried out by three separate WMAS vehicles, the Isuzu 7.5 tonne rigid truck features a custom manufactured body with slide-out side pods, which house a conference/briefing room facility, together with seating for up to 9 people. This area is also equipped with a conference table, briefing screens, video and phone conferencing units and eight operational laptop positions. A separate operational area houses two workstations with fixed PCs and peripherals, as well as a 46” interactive touchscreen that is to be used for team briefings.

Externally, the command vehicle is equipped with a ‘Sherpa’ automatic pole climbing camera delivery system, manufactured by Excelerate. The optical infra-red camera enables real-time video sharing over high signal loss areas, such as mountainous or built-up locations. Mounted on a telescopic 5m mast, this extends coverage within the incident ground and allows surveillance and transmission of high-quality images in real time over distances in excess of one kilometre.

This vehicle is equipped with an integrated on-board video server that supports the streaming of video content back to WMAS HQ, and other authorised locations, as well as allowing simultaneous displaying, recording, reviewing and exporting of images by operational staff during incident, without any loss of recording capability.

Commenting on the new WMAS Isuzu command vehicle, Keith Child, marketing director at Isuzu Truck said, “The importance of state-of-the-art emergency services vehicles cannot be understated and it has been a great pleasure and privilege for us to be involved in the development of this latest vehicle for West Midlands Ambulance Service. Flexibility and versatility have always been associated with the Isuzu marque, and never has it been demonstrated so aptly as on this latest vehicle, which houses a plethora of equipment and communications technology, as it delivers an effective emergency solution for WMAS.”

Land Rover Heritage now gives us mere mortals the opportunity to drive classic 4x4's off Road - Yippee..

• Heritage and modern Land Rovers and off-road facility added to the Land Rover portfolio of driving experiences
• New UK facilities, exhibits and specially-prepared heritage vehicles
• A variety of customer packages available; drive by decade or by model
• Packages priced from £40 to £2000
• Bookings now available at www.heritagedriving.co.uk

The new Land Rover Heritage Driving Experience is now fully open at the company’s customer test facility in Fen End, West Midlands. 

For the first time, customers can experience Land Rover’s rich heritage through driving vehicles from the Series I that started the legend in 1948, to famous military vehicles such as the 101 Forward Control transporter and the iconic classic Range Rover on and off-road at a new customer facility in the heart of the UK.

A variety of packages will be available allowing visitors to focus on a particular decade or era, or to journey through Land Rover’s heritage, right up to the present day line-up.

Professional instructors will be on hand to provide direction, interesting facts and anecdotes to ensure visitors get the most pleasure and excitement from their time on the circuit or on the new off-road track. Customers will also have the opportunity to view stunning vehicle exhibits in detail and browse a fully stocked merchandise outlet.

  

Land Rover packages start at £40 for passenger rides with an expert Land Rover Experience instructor.  Example Land Rover Heritage Experience packages include:

The Series I, II and III Vs Modern Defender (£85)

Drive a Series I, II or III, followed by today’s vehicle they became – the Defender.  See how Land Rover’s adventurous DNA has passed from generation to generation, and how these classic machines took on the world’s toughest terrains.

Land Rover Historic Drives (£90)

The opportunity to drive the vehicles that started the legend, both on and off-road, choose from an original Series Land Rover, a classic Range Rover or a more unusual creation – the 101 Forward Control – a transporter designed for the British Army.

Range Rover Then & Now (£125)

Compare the classic Range Rover with its 2015 off-spring, both on and off-road.  Time behind the wheel includes a track induction for a higher speed experience, and time off-road putting both cars through their all-terrain paces. 

Land Rover – The Collection (£250)

The full Land Rover Experience incorporates all the key models in the brand’s history from the 1940s right up to the 2010s, including the Series Land Rovers, special military vehicles, collectible expedition-prepared vehicles and the modern line-up from Defender to Range Rover. 

Complementing the newly introduced Land Rover experiences, a range of Jaguar experiences are also available:

Jaguar Experience (from £95)

Passenger rides and driving alongside a seasoned professional, visitors can choose from individual models such as an XK150 or Mark II saloon, or selected pairings such as the Series 1 and Series 3 E-type, or even an E-type with its modern counterpart, the F-TYPE.

Le Mans Experience (£750)

Re-live the experiences of legends such as Mike Hawthorn and Duncan Hamilton with drives in the iconic C and D-types that dominated the world famous 24-hour endurance race in the 1950s.  This package also features drives in an XKSS and F-TYPE R Coupé, and includes lunch.

Grace and Pace Experience (£2,000)

A full day of driving Jaguar Heritage legends, from post-war racers to sports saloons, coupés, roadsters and much more, including the new XFR and F-TYPE R Coupé models.  The Grace and Pace day also features opportunities to drive creations from the company’s Special Operations division, and includes chauffeur-driven transfers to lunch.

Audi takes top three spots in fastest selling second hand cars in April 2015.

Three Audi variants proved to be the fastest selling cars on Auto Trader in April. Figures from the country’s leading digital automotive marketplace revealed a clean sweep for the German car maker, however regionally the data painted a very different picture.

In four regions, the 2012 Nissan Qashqai topped the list of speedy sellers, with both diesel and petrol variants performing well. However this strong regional performance was not quite good enough to elevate either car into the national top ten.

“The April data continues to demonstrate the importance of pricing to the live retail market to optimise speed of sale,” commented Karolina Edwards-Smajda, Auto Trader Trade Solutions Director. “On average cars in the top ten were 99% aligned to their optimal price position, based on our comprehensive retail price intelligence.

“But the regional figures also underline the need to adopt a local view to demand and sourcing strategy based on regional desirability. The 2012 Citroen DS3, for example, may have been the fastest selling car in Yorkshire, but it only appeared in 178^th place nationally.”

Auto Trader will publish monthly figures for the top ten fastest selling cars on a monthly basis from now on.

Top ten fastest selling cars (national) - April

	Model	Variant	Days to sell	Price position	Average retail price
1	Audi Q7	2013 Audi Q7 SUV Diesel Automatic	22	99.01%	£37,004
2	Audi A4 Avant	2013 Audi A4 Avant Estate Diesel Manual	23	98.98%	£20,823
3	Audi Q5	2012 Audi Q5 SUV Diesel Manual	23	97.72%	£22,976
4	Mercedes-Benz SLK	2013 Mercedes-Benz SLK Convertible Diesel Automatic	24	98.02%	£22,951
5	Nissan Note	2012 Nissan Note Hatchback Petrol Automatic	24	97.90%	£7,623
6	Toyota AYGO	2012 Toyota AYGO Hatchback Petrol Semi-Automatic	24	99.95%	£6,354
7	BMW 1 Series	2012 BMW 1 Series Hatchback Petrol Automatic	24	100.99%	£16,945
8	Ford Focus	2013 Ford Focus Estate Petrol Manual	24	97.77%	£14,477
9	Volkswagen Polo	2012 Volkswagen Polo Hatchback Petrol Automatic	24	99.49%	£9,699
10	Mercedes-Benz B Class	2012 Mercedes-Benz B Class Hatchback Diesel Manual	24	98.94%	£14,446

Fastest selling car in each region - April

Region	Variant	Days to sell	Price position	Average retail price
East of England	2012 Nissan Qashqai Hatchback Diesel Manual	25	98.99%	£12,552
East Midlands	2012 Vauxhall Astra Hatchback Diesel Manual	24	98.50%	£9,533
London	2012 Ford Focus Hatchback Petrol Manual	16	94.87%	£8,895
North East	2007 Vauxhall Corsa Hatchback Petrol Manual	17	95.90%	£3,437
North West	2012 Peugeot 208 Hatchback Petrol Manual	18	97.68%	£7,465
Northern Ireland	2014 Seat Leon Hatchback Diesel Manual	37	105.13%	£13,115
Scotland	2012 Nissan Qashqai Hatchback Diesel Manual	15	96.64%	£11,735
South	2012 BMW 1 Series Hatchback Diesel Manual	22	103.03%	£13,886
South East	2014 Mercedes-Benz A Class Hatchback Diesel Automatic	23	97.80%	£21,522
South West	2012 Nissan Qashqai Hatchback Diesel Manual	24	101.42%	£12,593
Wales	2014 Ford Fiesta Hatchback Petrol Manual	30	95.95%	£10,354
West Mids	2012 Nissan Qashqai Hatchback Petrol Manual	15	99.81%	£11,860
Yorkshire	2012 Citroen DS3 Hatchback Petrol Manual	18	96.89%	£8,900