Learner drivers are now legally able to take driving lessons on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales, as part of government plans to help ensure rookie drivers know how to use motorways safely.
It’s not a free-for-all: learners will still need to be accompanied by an Approved Driving Instructor (ADI), and be driving a car fitted with dual controls. Unqualified driving instructors won’t be allowed to take learners on the motorway, and learner motorcyclists are still barred too.
The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) adds that the change doesn’t mean motorway driving is being introduced to the driving test – the lessons are entirely voluntary. “It will be up to the driving instructor to decide when the learner driver is competent enough for them,” says the DVSA.
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Learner driver fined for hitting 132mph on the M25
The rule-change means an update is required for Highway Code rules on motorways, and the DVSA is also upping its efforts to ensure driving instructors and learner drivers are prepared – and other road users know they may soon be encountering learner drivers on motorways.
Many driving school cars feature branded roofboxes. The DVSA says instructors are entitled to remove these for motorway lessons, if they wish. They must, however, display L-plates both front and rear if they do so.
Leading young driver insurance provider Marmalade says the new rule is likely to prove popular. ‘Our annual census revealed that motorway driving was the top ‘real life’ scenario that learner drivers wanted to experience,” said its CEO Crispin Moger.
“Allowing them access in a supportive environment is an encouraging shift by the government.”
Why are learner drivers being allowed to use motorways?
Get broader experience
Get training on how to join and leave the motorway, overtake and use lanes correctly
Practice driving at higher speeds
Understand motorway specific signs
Understand what to do if the vehicle breaks down
Improve confidence to drive on motorways unsupervised after they pass their test
(DVSA August 2017)
Motorway driving: Q&A
How can I tell if an instructor is an approved driving instructor?
They’ll have a green DVSA badge, usually displayed in their car’s windscreen.
How do I find an approved driving instructor?
Gov.uk has a section dedicated to finding driving lessons, schools and instructors.
How is the Highway Code changing?
Rule 253 has been updated, to state learner drivers are allowed on the motorway with an ADI in a car with dual controls.
Where can I get more motorway lessons after I’ve passed my test?
The government’s Pass Plus scheme continues, which teams newly-qualified drivers up with approved driving instructors to help give further advice and guidance. This includes much more motorway driving.
Can I research motorway driving online?
The government has launched a new Driving Hub dedicated to high-speed driving. It contains advice for driving instructors, learner drivers and their parents; later this year, an app will also be launched.
Think Britain doesn’t build cars anymore? Think again – our automotive industry is worth around £70 billion a year and is currently booming.
The United Kingdom is home to a huge variety of car, motorcycle, truck and specialist vehicle makers. Here we showcase the industry, literally from A to Z.
The origins of the British automotive industry
Britain was one of the world’s automotive pioneers. Frederick Simms was friends with Gottlieb Daimler, himself a pioneer who patented a petrol engine. He licensed this and other Daimler components to create Britain’s first production car in 1896.
The rest is history: a quarter-century later, there were 183 motor companies operating in Britain.
Not all survived, and many are now in foreign hands – but many are in rude health. So who does what and where? Read on to see the rich mix of vehicles built in Britain.
Alexander Dennis: Falkirk and Guildford
A fast-growing bus builder, Alexander Dennis employs 2,000 people and runs the Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton bus and coach brands. Many authorities operate its buses, including London, and its line-up includes hybrid buses. The Enviro400 pictured is a green city market-leader.
Ariel: Somerset
The Ariel Atom is one of the world’s most distinctive performance cars. With no bodywork or roof, it’s all about pure driving thrills – and is a Top Gear TV favourite. The Ariel brand was revived in 1999 by Somerset-based Simon Saunders. Formerly, it was a Birmingham firm producing motorcycles, something Ariel is now returning to with the radically retro Ariel Ace.
Aston Martin: Gaydon
Aston Martin is one of the world’s most valuable and envied brands. The choice wheels of James Bond, it was founded in 1913 by Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford. After various changes of ownership, Aston is now owned by a group of investors including Daimler, which has a 5% stake. CEO Dr Andy Palmer is currently leading a ‘second century’ business strategy to turn Aston Martin into a company as successful as Ferrari.
BAC: Liverpool
The Briggs Automotive Company, or BAC, is the brainchild of Neill and Ian Briggs. Based in Liverpool (it tests at nearby John Lennon Airport), it makes the Mono single-seater, which brings a race car-like experience to the road. It was The Stig’s Car of the Year in 2011, is the second-fastest car around the old Top Gear track (a Pagani suspected of running on track tyres, contravening TG rules, kept it off top spot) and can be driven in Forza Motorsport 6.
Bentley: Crewe
W.O. Bentley founded the company bearing his name in 1919 and Volkswagen AG bought it in 1998 to set the brand upon its modern transformation into one of the world’s leading sports-luxury manufacturers. A serial winner of the Le Mans 24 Hours, Bentley’s latest foray is into the world of SUVs with the controversial but extremely accomplished Bentayga.
BMW: Hams Hall
BMW’s stewardship of Rover Group was controversial. More successful has been a subsidiary it initially built to supply the sprawling Longbridge Rover site with engines: Hams Hall. Today, the Warwickshire plant builds engines for BMWs and MINIs, including models such as the 3 Series, MINI Cooper and even the BMW i8. It makes three major components – cylinder blocks, cylinder heads and crankshafts – on site.
Caterham: Dartford
Caterham bought the rights to build the Lotus Seven from Colin Chapman back in 1973 and has been building its half-tonne, two-seat sports car ever since. Ultra-simple, ultra-intense, there’s nothing quite like a Seven, which is why Caterham keeps on building ’em. In the 1990s, it tried to make a modern car, called the 21, but there were few takers. It seems that only the real thing will do.
Cummins: Darlington
Cummins is a huge American industrial engineering company with a factory in Britain building high-output diesel engines. They’re used in agriculture, mining, construction and even rail industries, but they’re also used on the road in trucks, motorhomes and buses, plus fire and emergency vehicles. Cummins is even helping keep the classic Routemaster bus on the road with a green engine conversion.
David Brown Automobiles: Silverstone
David Brown loves classic Aston Martins, so has recreated one – the GT – and built a brand new car company to sell it. Derived from the Jaguar XK, it’s hand-built and sold to a rarefied clientele. Only in Britain could such a concept become a production reality.
Dennis Eagle: Warwick
Next time it’s bin day, take a look at the refuse truck. Chances are, it will be a Dennis Eagle. Based in Warwick (and owned by Spanish giant Ros Roca), the company has been building vehicles since 1907 and there are few experts better at precision-engineering refuse trucks. The latest Elite 6, pictured above, is all-new and fully compliant with tough Euro 6 emissions standards, ensuring it really is green bin day.
Ford: Bridgend and Dagenham
Ford doesn’t build cars and vans in Britain anymore, despite Manchester’s Trafford Park being its first non-US site back in the early 1900s. Instead, Ford builds engines here – lots and lots of engines. The Fiesta ST uses a 1.6-litre turbo built in Bridgend, Wales, while the famous Dagenham site makes hundreds of thousands of diesel engines a year. Ford has committed £475 million to further expand Dagenham and build a new 2.0-litre diesel engine there.
Ginetta: Yorkshire
Ginetta was founded in 1958 and developed a strong following in the 1960s, both on road and track, for its great-value, charismatic sports cars. The company floundered in the 1990s, but was revived by race driver and businessman Lawrence Tomlinson. Now based near Leeds, the company has a range of road and race cars, and is on the BTCC support race bill for top-line motorsport kudos. Nearly 60 years on, Ginetta has never been stronger.
Honda: Swindon
Honda first came to the UK in the early 1980s, in a joint venture with British Leyland firm Triumph: the Acclaim was a rebadged Japanese-market Honda. It built its own factory in Swindon, which opened in 1989 and today builds the Civic and CR-V. It’s been confirmed as the lead factory for the new Euro-spec Civic, production of which begins in 2017.
Jaguar: Castle Bromwich and Solihull
Jaguar was founded by Sir William Lyons in Blackpool in 1922 (it was initially called the Swallow Sidecar Company) but he soon moved to the heart of the UK automotive industry: Coventry. The traditional home for Jaguar was Browns Lane, but today its production HQ is Birmingham’s Castle Bromwich, alongside the M6 motorway, with its engineering HQ at Whitley in Coventry. Jaguars are also now built at the Land Rover plant in Solihull – a ‘plant within a plant’.
Land Rover: Solihull and Halewood
Land Rover, of course, has been based at Solihull since its inception in 1948. The site has grown enormously since then and, in 2007, the Freelander was moved to the Halewood, Merseyside factory, freeing up space to build more Land Rovers and Range Rovers. Halewood also makes the Range Rover Evoque, and the Land Rover Discovery Sport replaced the Freelander in 2014.
Jaguar Land Rover: Wolverhampton
The most recent Jaguar Land Rover factory was also opened in 2014, by Her Majesty The Queen – but to produce engines, not cars. For the first time in decades, JLR now produces its own engines, under the Ingenium brand. Eventually, the factory will cover more than 200,000 square metres.
John Dennis Coachbuilders: Guildford
The third ‘Dennis’ in our group: John Dennis is the specialist fire truck division based in Guildford. It’s independently owned (by the grandson of John Dennis himself) and holds the acclaimed BS EN ISO 9001 accreditation – one of just a few suppliers to the UK fire service to do so. It doesn’t make its own vehicles anymore, but does produce fire trucks based on other manufacturers’ chassis.
Leyland Trucks: Leyland
Leyland Motors was a former giant of the British motor industry, owning Austin, Morris, Triumph, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rover… Of course, British Leyland famously disintegrated, crippling the British automotive sector for years, but the Leyland truck division that started it all survived. Leyland Trucks merged with DAF in 1987, was bought out by management in 1993 when DAF went bust. Since 1998, it has been owned by US truck giant, PACCAR. Still using the DAF brand, 800 people build around 14,000 trucks a year.
Lightning Car Company: Coventry
The fledgling Lightning Car Company has been around since 2007 and has been based in Fulham, Peterborough and now Coventry. The Lightning GT is an ambitious EV using twin motors and a fast-charge lithium titanate battery pack. It looks beautiful, but has been much delayed. The latest news is simply of an update in summer 2016. Which is, er, now.
Lotus: Norfolk
Lotus Cars, the perennial innovator and producer of sublime drivers’ cars that often seems to be in a slightly perilous business state. The Dany Bahar era was a recent low, but stern new chief Jean Marc-Gales is trying to turn things round by returning Lotus to its roots – and the cars launched since his inception have been superb. Original founder Colin Chapman, who created Lotus in 1952, would be proud.
London Taxi Company: Coventry
The London Taxi Company boasts a very diverse history. Former parent company Manganese Bronze Holdings acquired the Carbodies company in 1973 and the rights to the British Leyland FX4 taxi it built in 1982, renaming it LTI Fairway. It developed a new cab, the retro-modern TX1, in 1997 and the latest TX4 still meets the strict Transport for London regulations for taxis. Manganese sadly went bankrupt in 2012 and the future of LTI looked bleak – but a buyout by Chinese giant Geely has seen production recommence. It’s now investing £250 million in building a new plant for the London Taxi Company near Coventry, due to open in 2017 and produce a radical new plug-in hybrid London black cab.
McLaren Automotive: Woking
The seeds of McLaren Automotive were sown when F1 boss Ron Dennis and his designer Gordon Murray were waiting for a delayed flight in the late 1980s. The new company was called McLaren Cars and its first car, the F1, is a legend. Modern McLaren Automotive was created in 2010 by Ron Dennis as a stand-alone division to challenge Ferrari with high-tech British sports cars and supercars. It’s succeeded – several years of profits and some amazing cars, including the 675LT, P1 and new 570S, are testimony to that.
Metrocab: Coventry
Metro Cammell Weymann (MCW) was a major bus manufacturer that, in the 1980s, created a rival to the traditional London Taxi, called Metrocab. It went out of business in 1989 and Reliant bought the rights to the cab. Reliant then went bust in 1991 and coachbuilder Hooper bought the rights. It went bust in 2000, with modern owners Kamkorp buying the rights. The Metrocab was produced again for a year in April 2005 and now the firm is readying a radical new Metrocab, pictured above. It promises 99mpg, sub-65g/km CO2 and running costs so low the typical London cabbie will save £40 a day.
MINI: Oxford
When BMW bought Rover Group, it originally wanted to make the Rover 75 at Plant Oxford. But when BMW sold Rover, it kept MINI. The answer? Swap the Longbridge-built new MINI and Oxford-built 75 around. And MINI has been built there ever since its relaunch in 2001. Around 3,500 people work at the plant and it’s even been the star of the BBC’s ‘Building Cars Live’ TV show, starring James May.
Morgan: Malvern
The Morgan Malvern factory is a step back in time to traditional hand-craftsmanship. In fact, the company makes as much money from tours as it does from building cars. Around 160 people work there and the firm makes, by hand, around 1,300 cars a year. And yes, the cars are made from wood; ash is used to construct a frame, upon which the body is hung. Morgan’s most recent success has been the delightful Three-Wheeler. Later this year, an all-electric EV3 version will be launched.
New Holland: Essex
New Holland in Essex is the only agricultural tractor plant in the UK. It opened in 1964, originally as a Ford plant until the company sold its agricultural division to Fiat in the late 1990s. Today, it’s owned by CNH Industrial, an Italian firm headed by Sergio Marchione. Around 100 tractors a day roll off the production line.
Nissan: Sunderland
Bringing Nissan to Sunderland was one of the biggest industrial success stories of the 1980s. Nissan could have chosen anywhere in Europe to set up shop. It chose the UK, and the plant has thrived ever since it opened in 1986. More than half a million Nissan Qashqais, Notes and Jukes are produced there each year. It also builds the electric Nissan LEAF, including its batteries.
Noble: Leicester
According to Jeremy Clarkson, Nobles are built on an industrial estate in Leicestershire. Technically, he’s right: Lee Noble set up shop there in 2000, making specialist supercars that were raw but wonderful to drive. Then, new investors arrived to help the company take the next step, and Damon Hill’s former manager, Peter Boutwood, became MD. Lee Noble left, Noble set about designing a new premium-price supercar and, in the process, moved to a flash new HQ on the Meridian Business Park next to the M1 in Leicestershire. So, Clarkson is half right.
Norton: Castle Donington
Norton, a famous motorcycle name from the 60s and 70s, made its first bike in 1902. It thrived until Japanese motorcycles showed up British-built machines and went out of business in the early 80s. Revival attempts begun in 1988 but it wasn’t until 2006 (and several owners later) that things began in earnest. Norton acquired its new corporate HQ, Donington Hall, in 2013 and today aims to produce 1,000 retro-look motorcycles a year.
Optare: Leeds
Bus maker Optare was created in 1985 when Leyland closed down a vehicle bodywork business in Leeds. Backed by the local enterprise board, the plant’s former director, Russell Richardson, created Optare and, after slow beginnings, started producing buses in earnest. Today, after several takeovers, it’s majority-owned by Ashok Leyland – the former Indian subsidiary of British Leyland. Only this time, Leyland is helping the maker thrive, from a brand new 13,000 square metre factory in Sherburn-in-Elmet.
P50 Cars: London
The original Peel P50 was a tiny car made on the Isle of Man in the 1960s, entering the Guinness Book of Records as the smallest production car ever in 2010. By then, the original firm was long out of business, but an enterprising London company is now producing a recreation, which you can buy in kit form from £3,000, or fully-assembled from £8,499. You can even get it as a full EV. Tempted?
Plaxton: Scarborough
Plaxton is a brand with history. It was set up as a joinery in Scarborough in 1907 and, thanks to the region’s popularity as a holiday resort, gradually found its key market to be coach bodies. It grew and prospered – a Plaxton Panorama was used in The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour film – and became a dominant coach brand, before events took over and the business stumbled. After several owners, it’s now part of Alexander Dennis and produces both buses and coaches. Once again, it’s the centre of coach excellence for its Scottish owner.
Radical: Peterborough
Radical was founded in 1997 to build simple road-going cars that could be driven to track days and races. Clearly, it’s a formula that worked. Today, Radical has a huge range of models including a Le Mans prototype – and one of them even held the record for fastest lap around the Nürburgring Nordschleife – in a barely believable 6 minutes 48 seconds.
Riversimple: Wales
Riversimple is an enterprising start-up company based in mid-Wales that’s built a hydrogen fuel cell car called the Rasa. It’s just as ingenious as the Toyota Mirai, but has been developed without the vast resources or budget of the Japanese giant. It’s a clever little zero-emissions city car that the firm hopes early adopters will take to. It could be the start of something big.
Rolls-Royce: Goodwood
The late-1990s battle for Rolls-Royce and Bentley between Volkswagen and BMW was fascinating. While Volkswagen ‘won’ Bentley, and the Crewe works, it didn’t get the Rolls-Royce name. BMW won the rights, so set about designing a new range of cars and building a factory to make them. Chichester was chosen, on a site over the road from the Goodwood circuit. Today, it has built more than 1,100 ultra-pricey luxury cars in the previous three months alone.
Toyota: Burnaston and Deeside
Toyota followed Honda and Nissan into the UK, setting up shop at Burnaston in Derbyshire in 1989. The first car left the line in 1992: a Carina E – that’s ‘E’ for Europe. An engine plant in Deeside was subsequently built and today the two sites employ almost 4,000 people. Burnaston builds the Toyota Avensis and Auris, including hybrid models. Deeside makes a range of 13 petrol and diesel engines for the Auris and Avensis, plus models for export. It’s also to build the new 1.8-litre hybrid engine going into the Turkish-built C-HR crossover.
Triumph: Hinckley
Everyone’s dad, granddad or uncle probably rode a Triumph back in the day, but the original company went bust in 1983. Housebuilding millionaire John Bloor bought the rights and, after developing a new range of bikes and a factory in Hinckley to build them, relaunched Triumph in 1990. A dramatic fire destroyed the factory in 2002, but determination saw it rebuilt. Today, a prospering Triumph is Britain’s largest motorcycle manufacturer and a genuine rival to brands such as Honda, BMW and Suzuki. It builds around 50,000 motorcycles a year, more than 80% of which are exported.
TVR: Ebbw Vale, Wales
TVR is back, with a rumbling new sports car true to the spirit of TVR but based on an advanced chassis designed by McLaren F1 genius Gordon Murray. And it’s planning to assemble it in Ebbw Vale, Wales – despite the collapse of the Circuit of Wales project that originally tempted it to the region. It’s even recently announced a sponsorship deal with the local rugby team. We look forward to finding out more in the coming months.
Vauxhall: Ellesmere Port and Luton
Vauxhall, started making cars in 1903, initially in London’s Vauxhall before moving to Luton in 1905. Vehicles are still built there today, as it’s the home of Vauxhall’s commercial vehicle operations (famous cars from the past such as the Cavalier were also built there). Vauxhall also has a big factory in Ellesmere Port, building the Astra hatchback and Sports Tourer estate. It employs around 1,900 people, making it twice as big as Luton.
Westfield: Kingswinford, West Midlands
Westfield Sportscars was founded in 1983, building a replica of the 1956 Lotus XI. It then created the Westfield 7SE kit car, a model very similar in appearance to the Caterham. Too similar for Caterham’s liking, in fact – it threatened Westfield with litigation. The West Midlands cars were thus redesigned, with glassfibre bodywork and independent rear suspension. The Rover V8-engined SEiGHT put it on the map in the 1990s and it’s also developed track-ready racers. More recently, the Kingswinford maker has worked on an all-electric racer and a hybrid version of its European Small Series Production Status-accredited Sport Turbo.
Wrightbus: Ballymena, Northern Ireland
Wrights Group has operations in Ballymena and Antrim, Northern Ireland. A leading independent European bus manufacturer, it was established in 1946 and today builds 1,300 buses a year, plus 350 kits. Turnover tops a quarter of a billion pounds and it employs 2,000 people. Products range from small buses to full-size single and double deckers, plus articulated buses.
The future of Chrysler has been up in the air in recent days. Currently, it only sells two models, the 300C and Pacifica, and appears to have been starved of development investment (despite promises from management). Some have even speculated Chrysler could be killed off entirely.
Which is why this week’s surprise announcement that Google’s self-driving vehicle division, Waymo, is to buy 62,000 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrids over the next few years is so significant.
Does it signal this long-running and innovative premium brand could be one of the world’s first to merge into a fully autonomous car company?
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The FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and Waymo announcement itself hinted as much. The two “are beginning discussions about the use of Waymo self-driving technology, including potentially through licensing, in an FCA-manufactured vehicle available to retail customers”.
Why couldn’t Chrysler – the brand that has already helped reinvent the car several times with models such as the 1934 Airflow and the 1984 minivan range – become the first car company in the world to only sell autonomous vehicles?
The amount of learning that the company will benefit from given its close and growing relationship with Waymo will be considerable. Right now, Waymo is the only self-driving car company with a fleet of genuinely autonomous vehicles on public roads. Later in 2018, it will launch the world’s first self-driving transportation service, so people can use the Waymo app to book a ride in an autonomous car. And that car will likely be? Yes, a Pacifica Hybrid.
“Waymo’s goal from day one has been to build the world’s most experienced driver and give people access to self-driving technology that will make our roads safer,” said Waymo CEO John Krafcik. “We’re excited to deepen our relationship with FCA that will support the launch of our driverless service, and explore future products that support Waymo’s mission.”
Chrysler: a modern luxury car company
Anyone who’s seen a car company’s dreamy corporate video on its autonomous future will likely have watched happy people enjoying the journey in a decadent open-plan living room-style cabin, decked out with large screens, luscious seats and little evidence of actually accommodating a driver. They often have steering wheels that retract into the dash. They invariably have front seats swivelled to face the rear.
This is the future of luxury motoring: moving spaces on wheels, rather than what we know as car interiors today. It’s going to be a big leap for traditional luxury brands, particularly those that still emphasise driver-focused traits. Chrysler doesn’t have such baggage. It hardly has a model range at all these days – but it does have two feet firmly in the autonomous car camp, with arguably the best player around right now, well ahead of any rivals.
And the Pacifica Hybrid’s interior? It’s already more like a living room on wheels than many other conventional cars. The attributes that make it such an acclaimed minivan would develop perfectly into being a desirable autonomous mini-room.
If ever this was an opportunity to revive its former mainstream-luxury status, once again make it an innovator, this is it. FCA could kill Chrysler, certainly. Or it could cash in on all the free publicity it’s getting with its future-tech association with Waymo, all those people being wowed by Pacifica Hybrids that drive themselves, and reinvent Chrysler as a luxury car company of the future. With the tech-leader profit margins that presumably could come with it.
Doing so needn’t cost a fortune. It would steal it a march over all its rivals. It would help FCA double down on its association with the autonomous car industry, and help spread this tech through to other brands in its range. Go on, Sergio Marchionne, throw the dice. What do you have to lose?
Bugatti and Lego have revealed what could be the world’s fastest Lego Technic model: the 1:8 scale Chiron hypercar kit. On sale now through Lego stores, it arrives in all retailers from 1 August 2018. The price? £329.99.
Lego CEO Niels B. Christiansen and Bugatti president Stephan Winkelmann revealed the new kit at Lego House in Billund. It was first seen two years ago, but has only just reached production.
The Lego Bugatti Chiron kit is full of complex detail engineering, comprising of no fewer than 3,599 pieces. Christiansen reckons “our Lego designers have done an amazing job capturing the details of this iconic Bugatti design. It truly stands as testament that with Lego bricks you can build anything you can imagine… it’s a huge model that I can’t wait to start building myself”.
When Christiansen says huge, he means it. The Chiron model is 560mm long, 250mm wide and 140mm tall…
Winkelmann said the Lego Technic Chiron “is an expression of a perfect relationship. I am impressed at the precision and refinement with which our super sports car has been translated into the Lego world and I am sure that fans of both Lego bricks and Bugatti will love this product.”
The attention to detail is wonderful. Lego has engineered an impressively convincing replica of the Chiron’s aerodynamic bodywork, including spoked rims with low-profile tyres.
The rear wing is a moveable active spoiler and – brilliantly – the kit includes a ‘speed key’ that lets model-makers twitch the position of the rear wing from the handling position to its more streamlined top speed setting.
Inside, the cockpit is super-detailed, with Lego even engineering moving paddle-shifters for the eight-speed gearbox. Behind, the mighty W16 engine is faithfully depicted, and this too has moving positions.
Under the hood of each Lego Bugatti Chiron is a unique serial number, which can be used to unlock special content via lego.com/technic. You’ll find another delightful feature hidden there, too – a Bugatti overnight bag.
If you need further justification to fork out £300+ on a Lego kit, check out the presentation set. All models come in an exclusive box, with a coffee table-style collector’s booklet that includes the instructions. Set aside plenty of time, but rest assured, your efforts will be worth it.
McLaren Automotive has taken control of its new £50 million facility in Sheffield, and is now getting ready to prepare it for production.
With the company having already delivered 15,000 cars since 2011, the new McLaren Composites Technology Centre is key to continuing production expansion to meet demand.
Following completion of the newly constructed building, McLaren now has the task of turning it into a factory for build its lightweight carbon fibre tubs. Once up and running, the MCTC will create the Monocage chassis used in the entire range of McLaren road cars.
Having used carbon fibre chassis technology as part of its Formula 1 race cars since 1981, the material is central to the future of the company. Once produced at the MCTC, the carbon fibre chassis will be transported to the existing McLaren Technology Centre in Woking, and turned into finished supercars.
McLaren currently sources its carbon fibre tubs from suppliers. Taking direct control of the process will give it much more flexibility and control, as well as significant cost savings.
At present 45 McLaren Automotive employees are involved in the set up of the new MCTC. Once fully operational next year, McLaren expects the new facility to support hundreds of new jobs throughout the Sheffield region.
Porsche Cars North America is set to roll out special smartglasses for all 189 dealerships across the United States. Combined with augmented reality software, Tech Look Live aims to make life easier for technicians and improve customer service.
The Tech Look Live system works by allowing Porsche technicians to work in real-time with experts at Porsche’s central technical support team. The high-definition cameras mounted to the smartglasses allow the experts to see exactly what the technician is looking at – despite the dealership likely being hundreds of miles away from Porsche’s North American headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
From seeing the live feed, the technical centre experts can then suggest fixes in a number of ways. This can include projecting step-by-step guides onto the screen within the smartglasses, allowing the technician to follow instructions hands-free.
In addition, the smartglasses also allow for screenshots to be taken, allowing technical experts to investigate novel new problems in more detail if needed.
The Tech Look Live system is said to rapidly speed up the diagnostic process, eliminating the need for technicians and experts to exchange countless phone calls or emails to try and get to the root cause of a problem. In worst-case scenarios, dealerships would previously need visits from Porsche’s Field Technical Managers, taking even longer to get cars back on the road.
Porsche began piloting the augmented reality software in 2017. Trials found time savings of up to 40 percent in diagnosing complex repair problems.
A total of 75 North American dealers will be online with Tech Look Live by the end of the year, with the remaining set to be included in 2019.
It looked like BBC had finally found a presenting lineup that was working for Top Gear, but now it seems set to change again.
Matt LeBlanc has announced that the next series of Top Gear will be the last one to feature him, with BBC executives already claiming to have ‘great plans’ for his replacement come 2019.
The American actor stated that, although he has found working on the BBC Two show ‘great fun’, the extensive travelling and time commitment has taken away too much of the time with friends and family.
LeBlanc joined the show in 2016, following the departure of Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May in the wake of the steak fracas. LeBlanc was initially partnered with Chris Evans, and the US star was arguably the highlight of the challenging 23rd series of the hit show.
Once Chris Evans made his departure, LeBlanc was featured alongside Chris Harris and Rory Reid, with a fledgling ‘bromance’ that appeared to be recreating the glory days of Top Gear again.
His time on Top Gear has not been without controversy, with his involvement in a segment which involved Ken Block’s modified ‘Hoonigan’ Mustang performing drifts near the Cenotaph in London. The tabloids were whipped into a frenzy, with the BBC forced to issue an apology.
The loss of LeBlanc from the show is notable in that he had proved himself to be more than just a successful comedic actor. As a man with a genuine passion for cars, and the bravery to own a scary Porsche 911 GT2 RS, LeBlanc was knowledgeable enough to move beyond simply being typecast as ‘Joey from Friends’ to viewers.
The fourth series of Top Gear to feature LeBlanc will air later this year, but the speculation about his replacement will undoubtedly begin much sooner.
Virgin Trains wants motorists to cut out car use entirely when catching a train – and has partnered with Uber to offer more seamless door-to-door travel. As an incentive, early adopters will get 50 percent off their first Virgin Trains-facilitated Uber ride.
The idea is to help passengers more easily request an Uber either to the railway station, or away from it upon arrival at their destination.
Initially, those booking a Virgin Trains ticket online will be able to get an SMS reminder sent to their smartphone; this will contain a link to book an Uber in time to get them to the station without missing their train – and get another one at the end of their trip.
But Virgin Trains has further plans afoot, to “continue optimising passenger journeys and [improve] customer satisfaction before, during, and after they travel”.
The firm’s executive director Sarah Copley says evidence shows “taking the first and final mile is critical to opening up rail travel to new customers.
“Our exciting new partnership with Uber is the next step in making this end-to-end journey easy and seamless for our customers.”
Ubers head of cities, Fred Jones, agrees. “In order to make it easy to leave your own car at home, we want door-to-door experiences to be as seamless and convenient as possible.
“This partnership with Virgin Trains is an exciting first step towards offering customers an easy way to combine train and car travel at the touch of a button.”
Opinion: Every little helps
It doesn’t sound like a major advance, letting people book Ubers when they book a train ticket. But it seems Virgin Trains has evidence it’s not the actual train journey itself that puts people off using them, it’s the hassle that comes either side of it.
By making this bit easier – basically, sorting it out when the ticket’s booked, not just before you have to depart – the train operator believes it can offer motorists one less excuse to try out the train.
Few of us live within walking distance of major train stations. Many of us would thus consider driving there and, once we’ve gone so far, why not drive the rest of the way? Result: one ticket booking investigated, but not taken up.
If Virgin Trains’ ‘door-to-door’ offer can ease this pain point, more people may be encouraged to catch the train. Will it work? We shall see: sometimes, it’s the smallest nudges that can make the biggest difference…
Instagram continues to be one of the fastest growing social media platforms, and it’s therefore only natural that cars find their way into your feed. Vehicle supplier OSV has investigated which brands have been hashtagged the most, and also which particular model gets the most attention.
Unlike comparing which Instagram brand has the most followers, this list should ‘keep it real’ with what cars social media users are actually tagging. This is the top 20 in ascending order.
20. Mitsubishi #3.55 million
The Mitsubishi brand actually applies to everything from banking to industrial machinery and even air conditioning units. We’ll give the Japanese brand the benefit of the doubt and assume people are more inclined to post about their new car, rather than the latest forklift truck.
Less surprising is that the Lancer Evo tops the table for the most hashtagged Mitsubishi. Covering ten versions, and with a huge following in the tuning world, it would always be a winner.
McLaren Automotive has just delivered its 15,000th car in just seven years of production. It’s a far cry from the ultra-limited-edition world of the legendary F1 road car, but proof that the brand is certainly buoyant. Attention on Instagram can only help build that following.
The 650S might now be out of production, but currently holds the most tags. Expect the newer 720S supercar to overtake it in the near future.
The olde-world image of MG and the shiny modern style of Instagram seems something of a juxtaposition, but the brand sneaks into 18th place on OSV’s list.
Maybe it’s all those hipsters finding a car like the TA Midget really suits a black and white photo filter, especially when combined with a beard and tweed jacket.
Lexus used Will.i.am to promote the crazy angular lines of the NX when it was first launched back in 2015. Still, that association hasn’t stopped fans of the company from posting about Lexus on Instagram today.
OSV claims that ‘lexusfsport’ is the most popular hashtag associated with the Japanese premium brand. With Lexus now applying the F Sport badge to a number of models, we’ve picked the handsome RC F Sport coupe to highlight here.
As one of the world’s leading luxury car companies, this again should not be too much of a shock. Instagramming Bentley products could cover anything from the brand’s participation in a variety of motorsport events, through to excitement at spotting the latest model on the street.
It’s the Bentley Continental GT that attracts the most attention, and we imagine that the all-new third-generation car will be driving the hashtags.
Although not one of the outright largest car manufacturers in the world, Mazda does have a loyal and devoted fanbase. Enthusiasts love the MX-5, whilst the rotary Wankel-engined cars will always hold cult appeal.
Which is why we were somewhat surprised that the humble Mazda 3 is the one which apparently gets the most tags on Instagram, with more than 600,000 at present. Perhaps it’s those pesky hyphens in the RX-7 and RX-8 names ruining the hashtags…
As with many of the companies here, #Suzuki could easily apply to cars, motorbikes, or even all-terrain vehicles. However, as the third largest seller of cars in Japan, we’ll go with the assumption that it’s all about the automobiles with this one.
The global appeal of the Swift helps make it the most popular model to be hashtagged. We imagine the Swift being produced locally in India under the Maruti subsidiary brings substantial hashtagging potential.
The UK may have fallen out of love with performance Subaru models like the WRX STI, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world has too. Subaru’s performance brand is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and North America has just received the latest version of the STI saloon.
It’s the WRX model which steals the most hashtag attention on Instagram though. Probably not the ‘bug eye’ second-generation model from 2000, though – filters can only do so much.
It may well be the ‘people’s car’ but Volkswagen needs more hashtags from fans to push it inside the top 10. Despite the Vee-Dub scene being eminently popular, perhaps those in it are just too cool for social media.
With more than 30 million examples built since 1974, the Golf is the most popular model to be hashtagged. Even dieselgate cannot kill the enthusiasm for the ever-present VW hatchback.
A classic British marque, or a modern brand within the BMW empire? Whichever way you choose to view Mini, it is at least popular on Instagram. More specifically, it’s the Mini Cooper that gets the most tags.
This does leave us with one of the great social media mysteries of our time, though. Is Mini Cooper Instagram equivalent to Fiat 500 Twitter (look it up)? And, more importantly, do we really want to know the answer to that?
Even people with virtually no interest in cars can identify a Jeep, or at least use the brand name to describe any number of different 4×4 and SUV models. Perhaps that generic association with off-road vehicles helps push #Jeep higher up the rankings.
Branding is all about being easily identifiable, and despite the Jeep Wrangler being into its fourth-generation, the link to past models is clear to see. It still proves popular with buyers, too, notching up annual sales of more than 200,000 across the world.
We’ll admit that we expected this particular Italian supercar brand to be higher up the list than ninth place. Tellingly, #Lambo has more than two million hashtags alone, so the company could be even higher if people would stop being lazy and use its full name.
The Aventador might be one of the newest models to emerge for Sant’Agata, but it has also combined with a enhanced social media presence from Lamborghini. Perhaps Instagram is just the modern replacement for sticking a poster of a Countach on your bedroom wall.
Identified as one of the most profitable companies in the world, Porsche still manages to somehow avoid appearing too corporate to be liked on Instagram. The brand is booming, and a long way from the potential collapse of the early 1990s.
Enthusiasts will be pleased to note that the 911 is the most hashtagged Porsche according to OSV, rather than the Cayenne or Macan SUVs.
It’s the second-largest car manufacturer in the world, so the placing of Toyota on the list is a formality. However, that the company is so far up the rankings suggests we shouldn’t automatically assume that it’s products are so anodyne to discourage people from hashtagging them.
Also forget the Corolla, Supra, or MR2, as it’s the American-built Tacoma that gets the most attention on Instagram.
We had to double check the figures on this, and we imagine the Italians will be running to the stewards in protest, as Ferrari has been edged out by Mercedes again. Still, sixth place in the rankings isn’t too much to complain about.
OSV’s figures had the 599 as the most popular Ferrari model on Instagram, although our research suggests the iconic F40 actually has more tags. That’s all the excuse we need to roll out the retro model from the 1980s again.
Simply using the hashtag Mercedes on Instagram can open the door to a wide array of contenders. Be that the Mercedes-Benz name itself, the racier Mercedes-AMG sub-brand, or simply people bestowed with the name Mercedes.
The most popular model is also #MercedesAMG it seems, which leaves the door open for a number of cars. We’ve gone with the thundering Mercedes-AMG GT R supercar here.
German behemoth Audi sneaks ahead of Mercedes, even though we can’t imagine many children sharing a name with the Ingolstadt brand. As such, this must be on pure car popularity alone, and a reminder of how far the company has come in recent years.
On the data supplied by OSV, the Audi Q7 SUV was listed as the most hashtagged model. However, our own research suggests that the R8 supercar gets far more attention. It’s also prettier, too.
Taking the bronze medal in the list of the most hashtagged car brands is one that has a truly global appeal. The scale and reach of the Ford name is staggering, so that fans are happily taking photos and tagging the Blue Oval should be a certainty.
The Mustang being the most popular model should also be no surprise. Immediately identifiable, and now offered in more markets than ever, muscle car love is a given.
As another vast corporation producing virtually anything with an engine, and even some things without, Honda has the potential to attract a lot of attention with ease. But let us not underplay the following that cars like the NSX and Civic Type-R have with enthusiasts.
Tellingly it’s the Civic that gets the most hashtags. A long time favourite of the modified car scene across the world, the keen marketing of the latest Civic Type R will undoubtedly have helped channel attention to Instagram.
We’ve reached the end of the list, and BMW is a clear winner with almost 30 million individual hashtags on Instagram. Maybe the short name helps avoid typographical errors, or maybe it’s that owners really do just love the ‘ultimate driving machine’.
We’ve departed again from OSV’s most popular model data, which suggested that ‘bmw5’ was the winner. A little digging finds over a million hashtags for the BMW M3, and this eye-searingly orange M3 GTS seems a much better place to end.
Land Rover sold 126,078 Discovery Sport vehicles in 2017: this is more in a single year than any Land Rover in the firm’s 70-year history. To mark this, the 4×4 company has decided to launch a new Landmark special edition, priced from £40,400.
The Discovery Sport Landmark is offered in three colours, Narvik Black, Corris Grey and Yulong White. All three get a unique Carpathian Grey contrast roof and Graphite Atlas detailing.
Unique Gloss Dark Grey 19-inch alloys are fitted, as is a more dynamic front bumper (the air intakes are larger); inside, grained Ebony leather seats are standard, along with a dark Ebony roofliner. Land Rover’s also chucked in dark satin grey aluminium dash trim, a panoramic roof, heated steering wheel and a Meridian sound system as standard.
All Discovery Sport Landmark models are powered by the same 180hp 2.0-litre TD4 engine, and come with a nine-speed automatic gearbox as standard. Average economy of 43.5mpg is claimed, and both five- and seven-seat variants are offered; the former does 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds, the latter dipping a little to 9.2 seconds.
Why are people flocking to the Discovery Sport? Because, says Land Rover’s global product marketing director Finbar McFall, “it demonstrates the breadth of Land Rover’s ability, offering unrivalled all-terrain capability with the versatility for up to seven people and a premium interior”.
Since its launch in 2014, he adds, more than 350,000 Discovery Sports have been sold globally: the 2017 production record was marked on 30 April, Land Rover’s official 70th birthday, when the Discovery Sport became the first Land Rover built that day.
The vehicle will now be used to support a number of Land Rover community projects, the first of which will be in Scotland starting in June.
Learner drivers are now legally able to take driving lessons on motorways in England, Scotland and Wales, as part of government plans to help ensure rookie drivers know how to use motorways safely.
The future of Chrysler has been up in the air in recent days. Currently, it only sells two models, the 300C and Pacifica, and appears to have been starved of development investment (despite promises from management). Some have even speculated Chrysler could be killed off entirely.
Bugatti and Lego have revealed what could be the world’s fastest Lego Technic model: the 1:8 scale Chiron hypercar kit. On sale now through Lego stores, it arrives in all retailers from 1 August 2018. The price? £329.99.
It looked like BBC had finally found a presenting lineup that was working for Top Gear, but now it seems set to change again.
Virgin Trains wants motorists to cut out car use entirely when catching a train – and has partnered with Uber to offer more seamless door-to-door travel. As an incentive, early adopters will get 50 percent off their first Virgin Trains-facilitated Uber ride.
Land Rover sold 126,078 Discovery Sport vehicles in 2017: this is more in a single year than any Land Rover in the firm’s 70-year history. To mark this, the 4×4 company has decided to launch a new Landmark special edition, priced from £40,400.