GENEVA - The top three in each category has been announced for the World Car Of The Year.

The Road to 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 2016 World Car Awards winners’ press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), Bridgestone Corporation and Autoneum on Thursday, March 24, 2016. Winners of the 2016 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.

2016 marks the 10th anniversary of the partnership between World Car and the New York show, and the third consecutive year that the World Car Awards have retained their ranking as the number one automotive awards program in the world in terms of media reach.

The Global Trends Report, co-presented annually by Prime Research and Autoneum, will also be announced during the New York show press conference and media breakfast. The report is the culmination of research and insights across the past six months. During this period, the introduction of stricter test procedures for vehicles became a heavily discussed topic within the automotive industry. Autoneum CEO Martin Hirzel emphasized: 

“The planned changes in test cycles such as the switch from the New European Driving Cycle (NEFC) to the Worldwide Harmonized Light-Duty Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP) and the introduction of Real Driving Emissions (RDE) will favour Autoneum’s efficiency-boosting technologies and products like engine encapsulations and aerodynamic underfloor systems. 

More stringent test procedures will help us to reveal the full potential of our multifunctional products with regard to less fuel consumption and lower CO₂ emissions of cars.”

A jury of 73 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 five award categories are as follows:

2016 World Car of the Year:

• Audi A4 Sedan / Audi A4 Avant
• Mazda MX-5
• Mercedes-Benz GLC

2016 World Luxury Car:

• Audi Q7
• BMW 7 Series
• Volvo XC90

2016 World Performance Car:

• Audi R8 Coupe
• Honda Civic Type R
• Mercedes-AMG C 63 Coupé

2016 World Green Car:

• Chevrolet Volt
• Toyota Mirai (Hydrogen Fuel Cell)
• Toyota Prius (Hybrid)

2016 World Car Design of the Year:

• Jaguar XE
• Mazda CX-3
• Mazda MX-5

The Road to World Car began in Frankfurt on September 15, was followed by a four and a half day stop in Los Angeles for test-drives of the North American, Japanese and Swedish contenders in November, and continues with today’s Top Three in the World announcement. The journey ends at the New York International Auto Show on Thursday, March 24, 2016 when all winners are declared.

As the global nature of the industry continues to strengthen, and the pace of innovation continues to accelerate, World Car is proud to be a part of this amazing journey along with the New York International Auto Show, Prime Research, Bridgestone, Autoneum, KPMG and Newspress

Euro NCAP names it's best in class cars for 2015, with all bar one gaining the full five star award.

Euro NCAP reveals today the Best in Class cars of 2015 out of over 40 vehicles released during a very busy year. 

In 2015, the new full width frontal test has, as was hoped, had a significant influence on the fitment of rear seatbelt pre-tensioners and load-limiters across all sectors and autonomous braking technology continues to become more widespread. 

 

                                                       

The ratings showed a marked difference between newer cars that have been developed for the latest safety technologies and older vehicles, whose safety has not been updated and which now lag behind the leaders.

The best performing large off-roader, and the car with the best overall performance of 2015, was Volvo’s XC90. The Swedish company’s new flagship achieved an outstanding 97 percent for adult occupant protection and a maximum 100 percent for its safety assist technologies.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC is the best small off-roader of 2015. In the large family category, two cars performed equally well: the Jaguar XE and the Toyota Avensis gave identical overall results. 

The Jaguar takes top honours in this category as all of its safety equipment is standard. The Toyota has some driver assistance technologies as an option, however comes at a generally lower price.

The best performing small family car was the Infiniti Q30, with strong performance in all areas of assessment. The Q30’s active bonnet helped it to gain results for pedestrian protection which were amongst the best of 2015, and it performed well in all other areas too.

In 2015, two superminis gave the same overall safety performance. The Honda Jazz and the Suzuki Vitara were neck and neck overall, one car edging the other in one or other part of the assessment.  However, the Jazz is Euro NCAP’s Best in Class, based on Honda’s fitment strategy for advanced safety systems.

The VW Touran was the best performing small MPV; The Ford Galaxy/S-MAX just beat the Renault Espace for top place in the large MPV category. 

Finally, last year Euro NCAP has paid special attention to the roadsters, a category of relatively expensive cars but for which the importance of safety is often downplayed by vehicle manufacturers. None of the tested roadsters could achieve 5 stars, lacking new avoidance technology in particular. Nevertheless, with 4 stars, the Mazda MX-5 is the best in its category. 

The VW Touran was the best performing small MPV; The Ford Galaxy/S-MAX just beat the Renault Espacefor top place in the large MPV category. 

Finally, last year Euro NCAP has paid special attention to the roadsters, a category of relatively expensive cars but for which the importance of safety is often downplayed by vehicle manufacturers. None of the tested roadsters could achieve 5 stars, lacking new avoidance technology in particular. Nevertheless, with 4 stars, the Mazda MX-5 is the best in its category. 

At 95, Norman Dewis OBE will officially be driving a Jaguar again at this years MPG Marathon

Norman Dewis, OBE, chief test driver and development engineer for Jaguar Cars from 1952 to 1985, is set to become the oldest ever contestant when he drives in this year’s MPG Marathon – at the tender age of 95!

Dewis, who was born in 1920, will be entering this year’s event, rated as the UK’s most prestigious lean-driving challenge, in a rear wheel drive, 2.0 litre 163hp Jaguar XE alongside Jaguar Heritage communications officer, Tony O’Keeffe.

Over the years, Dewis has played a major role in the development of some of Jaguar’s most iconic models, including the E-Type, XJ6, XJ-S and many more. He was behind the wheel of a Jaguar XK120 in October 1953 when it reached 172.412mph at Jabbeke, Belgium, a record for production cars.

2014 entrants

Awarded the OBE for services to the motor industry in the New Year’s Honours List at the start of the year, Dewis is still attending events related to Jaguar and giving talks about his work for the company.

Astonishingly, his entry follows hard on the heels of the event’s two youngest ever entrants, Eloise Peabody-Rolf and Rory Carmichael, both 17. Both are members of The Under 17 Car Club, a national road safety charity which teaches young people to drive to a high standard before they are allowed out on a public highway, and have been driving since the age of 11.

In this year’s Marathon, which takes place on Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of September, over a two-day 300-mile route across the Oxfordshire/Wiltshire countryside, they will be competing in a Honda Civic 1.6 i-DTEC with fuel consumption, on the combined cycle, of 78.5mpg and CO₂ emissions of 94g/km.

And they will go head-to-head with their driving instructors, Paul Clifton, the BBC’s transport correspondent for southern England, and former police inspector, Shaun Cronin who was responsible for the roads policing team in Dorset. They will be driving a Honda CR-V with exactly the same engine as their pupils.

Event organiser and Fleet World publishing director, Jerry Ramsdale, commented: “We are delighted Norman Dewis has entered this year’s MPG Marathon as our oldest ever entrant. It will be great to see how such a driving legend, famed for his high speed driving exploits, copes with the demands of driving as frugally and as economically as possible in one today’s most modern cars.

“And his entry, just days after our two youngest-ever entrants, shows the really broad appeal that the event has. It promises to be a fascinating challenge this year.”

The new entrants will certainly face some stiff competition.  Reigning champions, Fergal McGrath and James Warren, have again entered the event where they are likely to go up against the previous year’s winners, Nick Chapman and Rosemary Horner, both employees of Leicestershire County Council.

This year, McGrath and Warren are again in a Honda Civic Tourer 1.6 i-DTEC, the model they won in last year, as they attempt to retain their hard-won title and, in doing so, become only the second pair of drivers to win the event two years in a row.

This year’s MPG Marathon, in its 15^th year, is being sponsored for the first time by Barclaycard Fuel+ in association with TMC, and sets off from the stunning Heythrop Park Hotel and the Heythrop Park Resort near Enstone in Oxfordshire.

Car makers entering include BMW, Caterham, Ford, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen, Honda, Mazda, Kia and Jaguar, who have confirmed they will be entering their very latest models for the event. 

Other drivers include Ben Wilson, this year’s ‘Patrol of the Year’ from sponsor, RAC,  who will be participating in the Mercedes Vito van that he uses every day in the course of his patrol duties.

He will be supported by colleagues from the RAC refuelling patrol team who will be on-hand around the course to ensure participants keep on the move and are operating within the rules of the challenge.

This year’s MPG Marathon, which is also being co-sponsored by ALD Automotive and TRACKER, allows competitors to find the most efficient route between set checkpoints for themselves, taking into consideration possible congestion hotspots, such as town centres.

Electric and hybrid vehicle classes will again be included, and they will be joining the more familiar diesel and petrol engined cars and vans that traditionally take part in the event.

There are eight main classes of passenger cars, restricted to a maximum carbon ceiling of 190g/km, including hybrid, range-extender and fully electric vehicles, plus five main classes of vans up to 3,500kg gross vehicle weight.

Jaguar moves into Solihull, with all the ceremony it feels it deserves, don't forget Rover was there too.

• Jaguar Land Rover officially opens its ‘factory within a factory’ as Solihull plant commences production of the new Jaguar XE.
• 55 UK based suppliers awarded £4bn in contracts to support the introduction of the all-new Jaguar model.
• Historic moment for the company as the first Jaguar model rolls off the line at the home of Land Rover.
• New Jaguar XE built in 165,000m² state-of-the-art facilities, including Europe’s largest aluminium body shop.
• Ongoing development means the Solihull plant now represents one of the largest manufacturing growth stories in the UK for a generation – almost trebling production and doubling its workforce in five years.
• Inauguration event celebrates the rich heritage of two of the world’s most iconic automotive marques.

Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull Manufacturing Plant today marked another significant milestone in its 70 year history as it welcomed the Jaguar brand to the site for the first time. The West Midlands based plant marked the beginning of production of the all-new Jaguar XE with the official opening of its state-of-the-art £500m ‘factory within a factory’.

The Jaguar XE, which represents the culmination of more than £2bn of product, infrastructure and technology investment, has been heralded as vitally important for the British automotive supply chain thanks to an additional £4bn worth of contracts committed to 55 UK based tier one suppliers. 

Together these suppliers, which cover the length and breadth of the country, have provided 55% of the components to this all-new model in the Jaguar line-up.

Jaguar Land Rover Purchasing Director, Ian Harnett, said of the impact of Jaguar’s latest model: 

“Jaguar Land Rover is one of the UK’s success stories, not simply because it has seen an upsurge in demand thanks to sustained investment, but because it has been able to support a burgeoning, high-tech, highly skilled supply base here in the UK. With each successive new or upgraded model, we are seeing the positive impact felt amongst the entire automotive sector which is great news for everyone committed to ensuring the UK remains truly competitive on a global stage.”

Amongst those suppliers who have felt the positive impact of Jaguar Land Rover’s continued investment in product creation is Rosti McKechnie, a Yorkshire based plastics specialist awarded a £75m contract for the Jaguar XE. The company has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by the growing UK automotive industry, installing a host of new robotic machinery following an investment of £18 million from its new Swedish owners. 

Their work force has doubled and is set to grow further in support of this contract award. In the Midlands, Rugby based Automotive Insulations, a company which manufactures thermal and acoustic insulation has invested in a new 65,000 sq. ft. premises to accommodate its expanding workforce in preparation to supply the Jaguar XE. 

Birmingham based Sertec Group has invested £15 million in new presses, robotics and site upgrades, primarily at their Tyseley plant. This in turn has led to the creation of 107 new jobs to work on this vehicle alone.

The arrival of the XE at the Solihull manufacturing plant is significant for both the Jaguar and Land Rover brands. Renowned for producing some of the world’s most iconic saloon cars in history, the advent of XE production at Solihull marks a key milestone for Jaguar, in this, its 80^th year. 

For Land Rover, welcoming the Jaguar brand to its home is the latest in a string of significant developments which have seen the site undergo a spectacular transformation in just five years. In this short time, Solihull production has almost trebled and the workforce has doubled.

The opening of its new body shop and trim and final facilities – which represent the largest single investment in the Solihull plant in its 70 year history, was commemorated today by employees who took part in a celebration of the company’s rich and world-renowned motoring brands. 

Solihull Operations Director, Alan Volkaerts, was joined by legendary British motor racing driver Sir Stirling Moss OBE, Jaguar’s highly-regarded test driver, Norman Dewis OBE, who developed no less than 25 significant Jaguar cars and Land Rover aficionado Quentin Willson.

Speaking at the official opening, Alan Volkaerts said: “This really is an incredibly special day for Jaguar Land Rover and the team here at Solihull, many of whom have witnessed the plant change beyond all recognition in recent time. 

The arrival of the new Jaguar XE marks a new chapter in the history of this plant and showcases the flexibility of our manufacturing operation thanks to a strategic investment in aluminium technologies and infrastructure.

“I speak on behalf of the whole team when I say what an incredible privilege it is to be producing not one, but two of the world’s best loved motoring brands.”

The start of XE production at the Solihull plant is the first step in making the site a dual-branded manufacturing operation. Earlier this year, the company confirmed its breakthrough Jaguar performance crossover, the F-PACE is to be built at the site. 

Capitalising on its £1.5bn investment in a technically-advanced aluminium vehicle architecture, Jaguar Land Rover continues to push for increased competitiveness, flexibility and efficiency to deliver more new and engaging products to customers around the world.

• Jaguar Land Rover’s Solihull Advanced Manufacturing Plant builds: Defender, Discovery, Range Rover, Range Rover Sport and Jaguar XE.
• Sales of products built at Solihull in 2014 were as follows:

Defender	17,781
Discovery	45,080
Range Rover Sport	82,440
Range Rover	53,738

• The plant operates 3 shift 24 hour production
• The plant has a 9,000 strong workforce

Supplier Profiles:

Rosti McKechnie Ltd. Yorkshire

Rosti McKechnie Ltd is a recently formed subsidiary of the large Swedish automotive group, Rosti. It was created in 2012 when Rosti acquired McKechnie Engineering Plastics, who were based in Pickering. This newly formed company has been awarded a £75m contract for the production of Jaguar XE components.

Rosti has taken advantage of the opportunity in the growth in the UK automotive industry and has installed a host of new robotic machinery following an investment of £18m from its Swedish owners. The investment in the Pickering facility has increased Rosti’s manufacturing capabilities and the facility now boasts some of the most advanced injection moulding machinery in the UK and a brand new paint plant. 

Since being taken over, the company's turnover has increased from £90million to £135 million, staff numbers have grown from 270 to 500, and with a further £12 million to be invested by 2016, 250 more jobs are set to be created, including 100 in direct support of the Jaguar contract.

Automotive Insulations Ltd, Rugby.

Automotive Insulations Ltd. is a specialist insulation manufacturer based in Rugby, the company has been awarded a £10m contract for the production of Jaguar XE components. The company manufactures thermal and acoustic insulation for vehicles, and had to invest in a new 65,000 sq. ft. premises in 2014 to accommodate its expanding workforce in preparation to supply the Jaguar XE.  The company now employs over 200 people at the new headquarters, up from just 69 in 2013.

The Sertec Group, Birmingham

The Sertec Group are experts in a range of steel and aluminium manipulation and assembly processes. The company has a long standing relationship with Jaguar Land Rover and has been commissioned to supply a total of 202 new parts for the Jaguar XE.

To support the introduction of the XE, Sertec has invested £15 million in new presses, robotics and site upgrades, primarily at their Tyseley plant. 

This has created 107 new jobs to work on this vehicle alone, with 400 new workers employed on this site thanks to the wider Jaguar Land Rover business. Turnover for this plant has increased from £17 million to £70 million in just 4 years.