Archive for October, 2010
Our Cars : Rover 600 one month on…
Keith Adams It’s been an interesting few weeks for the Rover 600 which I’ve had the good fortune to be smoking around in. Purchased for the price of a nice weekend away in Scarborough, the commodious saloon has done everything that’s been asked of it and quite a lot more besides. It’s whisked me around the [...]
October 30, 2010
· 
Keith Adams · 
8 Comments
Saying goodbye to a hero
Keith Adams The cream of the UK’s design community, along with family and friends, gathered in the beautiful Gloucestershire village of Chipping Campden to say goodbye to Roy Axe. It was a suitably sombre occasion but, following the church service, where both Richard Woolley and David Saddington led the tributes (with brilliant speeches), the gathering [...]
October 30, 2010
· Keith Adams · 4 Comments
Lotus : The never-ending Proton saga continues…
Chris Sawyer, Executive Editor of US-based website Cars In Context and a seasoned Lotus observer, takes a close look at PROTON Holdings Berhad’s latest plans for the future of Group Lotus plc. What is happening inside Group Lotus plc? The company showed five new concepts at the recent Paris Motor Show, all headed for production [...]
October 30, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · 6 Comments
Gallery : Morris Ital
In 1980, the Marina was restyled for the new decade by Harris Mann. The production engineering was carried out by Giorgetto Giugiaro‘s Ital Design styling studio, and BL sought to capitalize on the Italian connection by naming the new car the Morris Ital. The Ital suffered the ultimate indignity (for a Morris) of being built [...]
October 29, 2010
· Keith Adams · 2 Comments
MG Motor UK : MG6 pioneers new ‘intelligent design’ system
The MG6, which will be built at MG Birmingham and goes on sale next year, will benefit from a pioneering ‘intelligent design’ system which makes automotive electrical systems more efficient, reliable and can save hundreds of tons of expensive copper during the build process of cars. All future MG models will also benefit from the same advanced process. [...]
October 29, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
China Watch : SAIC Motor’s Q3 profit up 47% as JVs’ sales increase
Automotive News Europe, 27th October, 2010 BEIJING (Bloomberg) – SAIC Motor Corp., China’s largest domestic automaker, boosted third-quarter profit 47 per cent as it sold more cars with partners Volkswagen AG and General Motors Co. in the world’s biggest auto market. Net income for the quarter climbed to 3.7 billion yuan ($554 million) from 2.53 [...]
October 27, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
China Watch : Jaguar in talks with possible Chinese partner
Automotive News Europe/Bloomberg, 25th October, 2010 SHANGHAI (Bloomberg) – Tata Motors Limited’s Jaguar Land Rover unit is in talks with a possible partner in China, CEO Carl-Peter Forster said yesterday. “It’s in the negotiations,” said Forster on the sidelines of a forum in Shanghai on Sunday. No timetable has been set for reaching a deal, [...]
October 25, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · One Comment
BMC 1100/1300 : International variations, Holland
October 23, 2010
· Keith Adams · No Comments
BMC 1100/1300 buying guide
BMC and BL badge engineering ran amok on the much-loved 1100/1300 range of the Sixties and Seventies. RICHARD GUNN unravels the various marques and tells you what to look out for when buying. Availability Years produced: 1962-1974 Body style: 2- and 4-door saloon, 3-door estate Engine options: 1098cc A-Series inline-four 1275cc A-Series inline-four Transmission options: [...]
October 23, 2010
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Mini – Classic : Stars and their cars
We take a look at some of the famous people who have driven Minis during its long production run… Celebrity endorsement has long been a part of car marketing. The Mini was an unlikely beneficiary of this, as Ian Nicholls points out with his gallery. If you have any similar images you’d like to submit, [...]
October 23, 2010
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Mini – Classic : MPi conversion
Brian Gunn charts the process of fitting an MPi engine to his 1983 Mini. After a few years of driving a Mini powered by a tuned 998cc engine, Brian felt it was time for a change, and followed the well trodden route of installing a 1275cc engine in his Mini. Or did heá? Exactly how [...]
October 23, 2010
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Press Report : Jaguar Land Rover throws lifeline to industry supply chain
Graeme Brown, Birmingham Post, 22nd October, 2010 Thousands of jobs are set to be created after Jaguar Land Rover’s U-turn on plans to close a Midland plant and now the pressure is on suppliers to benefit from the decision. Experts say JLR delivered the best news for the region’s automotive industry in a decade by [...]
October 23, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
MG Car Club : MG80! event attracts an estimated 25,000 participants
The worldwide festivities to commemorate the MG Car Club’s 80th Birthday have now officially concluded and over 100 MG clubs from 24 different countries took part in the MG80! celebration in which an estimated 25,000 people participated – the MG Car Club reckons that the event was probably the largest ever global MG gathering to date. MGs from all [...]
October 21, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
Land Rover : Colin Green appointed as new UK MD
Land Rover has appointed Colin Green to the role of Managing Director of Land Rover UK, effective from the 1st December, 2010. He will replace John Edwards who has recently been appointed Global Brand Director, Land Rover as part of a restructure which will strengthen the voice of the customer at Board level. Colin Green [...]
October 21, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
Press Report : MINI to bring back the Moke
Hilton Holloway, Associate Editor, Autocar, 18th October, 2010 BMW is working on a production version of the MINI Beachcomber Concept , first revealed last December. Company sources say two versions of the Beachcomber are on the drawing board at the MINI Design Studio in Munich. One is close to the concept and known internally as [...]
October 19, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
China Watch : SAIC Motor Q1 to Q3 profits rise 140% to $1.4 billion
Automotive News China, 18th October, 2010 SHANGHAI - SAIC Motor estimates that its profits in the first nine months of 2010 rose about 140 per cent to 9.6 billion yuan ($1.4 billion), reflecting strong sales at its passenger car ventures and commercial truck partnerships. SAIC Motor, the Shanghai-listed subsidiary of Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp. (SAIC Group), says [...]
October 18, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
MG Motor UK : ZERO Concept to star at MPH/Top Gear Live shows
MG Motor UK has today announced that MG ZERO Concept car which will star at the ‘MPH featuring Top Gear Live’ shows in November has safely arrived at MG Birmingham. The ZERO was first shown at the Beijing Automotive Show and caused a sensation, receiving rave reviews from the world’s automotive media and visitors alike. [...]
October 18, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · 7 Comments
Jaguar Land Rover : Board-level changes will enhance sales and marketing
Jaguar Land Rover has today announced four senior executive appointments into new board-level roles in a restructured and significantly enhanced global marketing and sales division. The new organisational structure is being implemented to accelerate Jaguar Land Rover’s continued progress towards developing a strong and consistently profitable global premium automotive business. The four appointments are:- Phil [...]
October 18, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · One Comment
China Watch : SAIC Motor still not ruling out participation in GM’s IPO
Automotive News Europe/Reuters, 15th October, 2010 SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s top automaker SAIC Motor Corp. does not rule out the possibility of investing in General Motors Co’s initial public offering, SAIC Motor Chairman Hu Maoyuan said. When asked by reporters at a conference in Shanghai about SAIC Motor’s interest in the GM IPO, Hu said [...]
October 15, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
Press Comment : Jaguar Land Rover’s remarkable plant u-turn
David Bailey, Birmingham Post, 15th October, 2010 Jaguar Land Rover’s decision to keep open both factories in the region, at Solihull and Castle Bromwich, marks a surprising and most welcome u-turn. Even a couple of weeks ago Carl-Peter Forster, CEO of Tata Motors, insisted at the Paris Motor Show that JLR wanted to merge plants; [...]
October 15, 2010
· Clive Goldthorp · No Comments
