Tour de France 2013 winner Chris Froome is the first person to cycle from the United Kingdom to France under the sea.
As the world’s leading professional cyclists depart the UK after three days of enthralling Tour de France action, Jaguar has released a short film titled “Team Sky – Cycling Under The Sea,” which documents the Team Sky leader riding from the Eurotunnel Terminal in Folkestone on England’s south-east coast, to Calais in France.Continue Reading..
The Jaguar XF has been recognised as the most popular large executive car by the readers of Honest John.
Taken from data based on the most-read reviews on honestjohn.co.uk it was the XF – Jaguar’s best-selling model – that generated greatest interest among the 1.5 million users over the past 12-months.
‘This is one of the most closely contested of the honestjohn.co.uk awards in 2012 with only a handful of page impressions separating the various reviews,’ said Dan Harrison, Editor, honestjohn.co.uk.
‘The Audi A6 and BMW 5 Series may be newer but the figures show that our users love the Jaguar XF. Its blend of style, class and quality has big appeal among our audience and we have regular emails from XF owners.
He added, ‘The launch of the more economical 2.2 D engine this year has made the XF even more accessible for more buyers and proved to be a real shot in the arm when it came to website traffic with a big increase in interest on the site.’
Capable of achieving 52.3 mpg and travelling over 800-miles on a single tank of diesel, the XF 2.2-litre model launched in September 2011 is the most fuel efficient Jaguar created.
Jeremy Hicks, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK, commented: ‘Awards based on the public’s opinions and interest are a true reflection of success and I am pleased to be able to add the Honest John Award to the list of the XF’s accolades.
‘The past twelve months have seen a design revitalisation for the XF as well the introduction of the four-cylinder diesel engine. These product developments continue to ensure the XF is a viable option for customers who require an economical car without compromising the quality, luxury and driving dynamics.’
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is to spend an additional £1 billion with UK suppliers over the next four years amid continued global demand for the Range Rover Evoque.
JLR has increased the value of UK supply contracts by £1 billion, in addition to the £2 billion supply contracts it awarded to more than 40 UK suppliers in March 2011. These suppliers provide components, facilities and services to support the Range Rover Evoque production line at Halewood on Merseyside.
JLR today also confirmed that a new logistics facility in Ellesmere Port, Cheshire, will open this summer to support the global sales success of both the Range Rover Evoque and Land Rover Freelander 2.
JLR’s logistics provider, DHL, will manage this purpose-built automotive logistics site to enhance its existing operations at JLR’s Halewood plant, creating around 300 new jobs.
Dr Ralf Speth, CEO Jaguar Land Rover, said: “Today’s announcements demonstrate JLR’s strong products and clear ambition for continued growth. The demand we have seen across the globe for the Range Rover Evoque means we are able to significantly increase what we spend with our suppliers, which is great news for the UK economy, and the thousands of jobs JLR supports in its supply chain. Our commitment to the North West will also be enhanced with the new logistics facility and this will support the future success of both our Freelander 2 and Range Rover Evoque models.”
Paul Dyer, Managing Director of DHL Supply Chain’s automotive services in the UK and Ireland, commented: “We are delighted to continue our support for JLR’s ever-growing expansion plans. As the UK’s North West region is fast becoming a major supply chain hub for the automotive industry, this new facility will greatly enhance the next stage of the company’s development and future success.”
Details of how to apply for the new roles will be released by DHL in the near future.
Land Rover has received certification from the VCA (Vehicle Certification Agency) for a comprehensive ‘cradle-to-grave’ study which analyses the environmental impact of its new Range Rover Evoque.
This is the first time that Land Rover has received VCA approval following a detailed life cycle study. The life cycle assessment (LCA) of the Range Rover Evoque was fully audited and approved by the VCA, making Land Rover one of only a few vehicle manufacturers to have completed an officially recognised study of the environmental impact of a vehicle – from manufacturing, through a lifetime of customer use, to ultimate disposal and recycling.
The report highlights many of the processes that make the Range Rover Evoque the brand’s lightest and most efficient vehicle to date. These include the use of recycled materials, lightweight components and stop start technology. The cradle-to-grave study also highlights sustainability measures that have been built into the manufacturing process such as such as the installation in the Paint Shop of the latest generation of fully flexible paint application equipment for Evoque’s contrast roof option, thus reducing paint consumption and solvent emissions. In addition, the ventilation systems in body construction have been rationalised, giving a 25% reduction in electricity consumption.
The certificate was awarded by Paul Markwick, VCA CEO, at a ceremony at Jaguar Land Rover‘s (JLR’s) Gaydon engineering facility.
Mr Markwick said, “I’m very pleased to have presented this certificate to the team at Land Rover. Operating in a sustainable way and producing products that reflect this ethos is clearly a very important part of business. Initiatives such as Life Cycle Assessment provide a framework that allows industry to assess the environmental impacts of a product from concept through to the end of vehicle life.”
“VCA has been supporting the automotive industry with its certification needs globally for approaching 40 years and there is no doubt that this extensive knowledge of the sector means that our audit teams understand the complexities of the vehicle design and construction process and the legislation supporting this.”
The study will enable Land Rover to identify more opportunities to improve the sustainability of their vehicles in the future, and highlights Jaguar Land Rover’s progress in reducing the carbon footprint of its products.
“VCA certification for the Range Rover Evoque is a great achievement for Land Rover,” says Phil Hodgkinson, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Product Development.”
“We are fully focused on maintaining our commitment to sustainable engineering and will learn lessons for application in future models. Life cycle assessment is a core part of our engineering practice and we have launched a new interactive website dedicated to life cycle assessment, so customers can better understand all of the sustainability attributes that Land Rover offers.”
Jaguar Land Rover is committed to a sustainable business future and is working toward ambitious long term business targets for products and processes with an overall target of 25 per cent reductions in operational CO2, and waste to landfill by 2012, a 10 per cent reduction in water consumption by 2012, and 25 per cent reduction in tailpipe emissions by 2015, compared to 2007 levels.
Jaguar Land Rover has appointed Jeremy Hicks as Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK.
Jeremy’s appointment brings the UK organisation in line with other global markets and brings each region under the leadership of a single, dual brand, Managing Director. Jeremy will report directly to Phil Popham, Director, Group Sales Operations, Jaguar Land Rover.
Jeremy brings with him a wealth of automotive marketing and sales experience, having held a number of senior positions in the industry. He began his career with Vauxhall in the UK, performing a range of roles including Sales Operations Director and Sales and Marketing Director for Aftersales. He then spent a short period in Automotive Consultancy before joining VW Group UK, where he carried out a number of senior roles. In 2005 he took up the position from which he joins Jaguar Land Rover – Managing Director, Audi UK.
Commenting on his appointment, Jeremy said: “This is a fantastic opportunity to lead two iconic brands in their home market. Both Jaguar and Land Rover have their strongest ever product line up and I am very much looking forward to working with the JLR team to achieve continued success in the UK market.”
Effective from the 1st November, Geoff Cousins (presently Managing Director, Jaguar UK) is appointed as Director, Jaguar Global Sponsorships & Partnerships. In this new role Geoff will lead Jaguar’s Global efforts in sponsorship, partnerships and alliances in support of the brand strategy, including building on the exciting Jaguar ‘Academy of Sport’ concept, developed through his tenure in the UK.
Colin Green (presently Managing Director, Land Rover UK) is appointed to the position of Director, Global Dealer Operations. In this new role Colin will have responsibility for long range retail strategy, growth of dealer development and internationalisation of distribution, dealer capability and global sales programmes.
Colin and Geoff’s current first line reports in the UK sales organisations will report directly to Jeremy Hicks.