Land Rover Monthly December 2019

SAM McMurray, the Art Editor of this magazine, uses an old Nokia 3310. All it does is make calls and send text messages. I don’t think Sam knows what WhatsApp or Facebook is. Sam is generally a happy chappy and is very good at his job. What does Sam’s old mobile phone have to do with Land Rovers? Well, it demonstrates life is all about choices. You can either have the latest smartphone, or like Sam, you can go old school. And it’s the same with cars. To that end, the reaction to the New Defender has been varied to say the least. Turn to page 70 to find out how LRM readers and other significant people in Green Oval circles reacted to the global reveal. In particular I would…

JUST weeks after Land Rover broke cover with its new Defender, INEOS Automotive made the headlines with its own news: its 4x4 is to be named Grenadier. It will be assembled in a new manufacturing facility in Bridgend, and INEOS has made a significant commitment to UK manufacturing, creating up to 500 jobs. In fact, INEOS has made a not so insignificant £600 million investment to bring the Grenadier to market by 2021. Site development is now underway on a South Wales greenfield site to support the planned start of production. This will create 200 jobs initially, and a further 300 down the line. It also announced that its utilitarian 4x4 will be named Grenadier after the pub in which it was conceived, with over 6000 international fans and followers…

RETAILER Farnell Land Rover’s Philippa Haigh has been named a Rising Star at the 2019 Barclaycard Everywoman in Retail Awards. The senior sales executive at the Vertu Motors’ Farnell operation in Guiseley collected the prestigious national award which recognises women under 30 who are excelling in their career, and making a valuable contribution to their organisation. Having started her career when she was 19 as a customer support assistant, she has progressed through various roles and is now a respected and successful member of the sales team. At just 23, Pippa is now the company’s top-performing premium franchise sales executive and has been fundamental in helping the business achieve an 82.3 per cent CSI score, with the national average sitting at 73 per cent. The judging panel of industry heavyweights…

JLR has unveiled new facilities at its Gaydon site in Warwickshire, creating one of the UK’s most sustainable non-domestic buildings and the country’s largest automotive creation and development centre. The Gaydon site forms part of Jaguar Land Rover’s Destination Zero mission; an ambition to make societies safer and healthier, and the environment cleaner. It hopes to do this by achieving a future of zero emissions, zero accidents and zero congestion – across its facilities, and through its products and services. Gaydon is home to almost 13,000 highly-skilled engineers and designers who are developing the current and next-generation Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles. The industry-leading centre is also creating future autonomous, connected, electrified and shared mobility technologies that will enable Jaguar Land Rover’s long-term, sustainable growth. The advanced product creation centre…

DID you know musculoskeletal disorders make up about 30 per cent of all workplace injuries? Well, as part of Land Rover’s pledge to deliver a safer, more intelligent workplace, engineers are working on the next generation of protective workplace clothing – in particular a lightweight 3D-printed glove. Designed for people working on the production line, for example those required to fit clips or fasteners into the chassis during assembly of Land Rover’s vehicles, the unique 3D-printed glove would provide support to reduce muscle fatigue, but also be flexible and comfortable enough to wear during an eight-hour shift. With Gaydon home to one of the largest 3D printing facilities in the UK, JLR saw an opportunity to use its advanced manufacturing expertise to design and 3D print a lattice-style structure. Having…

WITH the launch of what is probably one of the biggest rebirths of a motoring icon in history, one announcement went under the radar. And that was the small matter of a 2573-piece LEGO Technic New Defender model and New Defender-inspired Musto clothing and technical equipment. I know, exciting right? In all seriousness, with Christmas coming up, you’ve now got the perfect wish list to give to relatives. Who needs socks when you can have tough flasks and bottles, a pen engineered to go to extremes, or an activity belt with a quick-release buckle and ultra-robust webbing? With the New Defender pushing the boundaries of automotive design, Land Rover chose to work with Musto to create a specialist range of clothing and equipment that was equally as advanced, technical and…