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British Motor Show news round-up

Thursday, 24 Jul 2008 11:21
Lord Digby Jones has dismissed criticism of the British car industry, saying it is still an important force
Lord Digby Jones has rubbished claims that the UK is no longer a major player in the auto manufacturing industry.

Delivering the first BENgold lecture, entitled 'The Automotive Industry in the UK Economy", on the Jaguar/Land Rover stand, the minister for trade and industry said Britain should be proud of its motor industry.

"Last year, 1.5 million cars were made in Britain and we exported 77 per cent of them," said Lord Jones.

"Six out of the top ten motor manufacturers make cars in the UK, while 19 of the top 20 component manufacturers make parts in the UK. Our automotive manufacturing capability employs 160,000 people, and another 200,000 are employed in the component supply industry."

Lord Jones explained that Britain is renowned for its capability at the top end of the market. He said that, on a recent business trip to Saudi Arabia, the first five cars he saw were British-made.

"Jaguar has orders for the XF three years in advance and Aston Martin’s ’09 allocation for Moscow was sold almost immediately. The most productive car plant in Europe, and second in the world, is Nissan at Sunderland.

"We make fabulous, wonderful cars in this country," Lord Jones concluded.



Attracting a lot of attention on the Chevrolet stand are the efforts of 25-year old artist Ian Cook from Solihull in the West Midlands.

IHe has created paintings of both the Camaro and Beat concept cars that are on show, but instead of paintbrushes, he has used remote-control model cars. The technique, which he calls Popbang Colour, sees the models driven through acrylic paints, before further detail is added by using old car tyres.

Cook has painted famous figures from the world of motoring this way, including F1 star Lewis Hamilton.

"I've always been mad about anything with wheels and I figured that using cars to paint cars would capture peoples' imaginations," Cook explained.

Visitors can see a live demonstration of his efforts on the final day of the show on August 3rd.



Farbio Sports Cars, a relatively small British manufacturer, has taken the wraps off its GTS400, a supercharged coupe to top the three-model range now being built at the company’s plant near Bath.

Among the other cars on show from 'smaller' companies, the Mastretta MXT, produced in Mexico, offers an exotic creation with an aluminium bonded chassis under a coupe body in reinforced plastic.

Few vehicles on show can match the Aspid from Spanish manufacturer IFR Automotive, in terms of technology.

With the look of a traditional roadster, it weighs in at just 700 kilos, which greatly aids the car’s economy and emissions figures.

Company founder, Ignacio Fernandez, believes the technical innovations developed for the Aspid could be applied to mass-produced cars, with all the environmental advantages that would result.

"The Aspid is the first genuine attempt at producing an unusually compact luxury sportscar, not just with impeccable road holding and handling, but also with the highest possible quality for a car of its size," Fernandez explained.



Toyota are displayed the iQ and the Urban Cruiser for the first time in the UK.

The iQ is a small car that, despite being less than three metres long, it is both wider and with a longer cabin than the Toyota Yaris supermini. It can also carry up to three adults and a child in a unique ‘3+1’ seating layout.

The Urban Cruiser is a new take on the standard SUV, building on the success of the company's own RAV4.

The key with the Urban Cruiser is being eco-friendly – despite having a fully four-wheel-drive transmission and room for five, it promises emissions of 140 g/km and impressive fuel economy.



a2om, the education specialist for younger drivers, has announced the formation of a working relationship with Volvo.

The company is offering school leavers a unique BTEC qualification in Driving Science, the equivalent of a GCSE. It will be fully accredited by the Edexcel exam board too.

The a2om BTEC will be rolled out nationwide after the launch at the Show.

Prince Michael of Kent, who is patron of the Global Road Safety Commission,said: "I am delighted to see a2om’s national BTEC scheme bringing to the UK some of the most advanced learning from around the world."

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