Land Rover recently embarked upon a Journey of Discovery in order to celebrate the production of the one millionth Discovery model in the UK.

This journey is a gruelling 50 day, 8,000 mile jaunt from Birmingham’s Solihull to a planned triumphant arrival at the Beijing Auto Show on 23 April.

In doing so, they hope to raise £1million for The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

It’s quite a poignant moment of gravity, then, for this expedition to cross paths with Geneva – the home of the IFRC.

Jaguar Land Rover Director John Edwards explained exactly why they’re so keen to support such a sterling humanitarian charity:

“Land Rover is delighted to have launched the One Million Pound fundraiser in aid of the IFRC – an organisation we have had a relationship with since 1954.”

“It is truly incredible in this day and age that clean water – a basic human right and something we take for granted everyday – is still the most common and preventable underlying cause of disease and death today. The funds raised will be donated to a water sanitation project in Uganda, which we hope to help over 45,000 beneficiaries.”

Goli Ameri of the IFRC added: “We are pleased to welcome the Land Rover One Millionth expedition to the city of Geneva, home to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

“Just think, for only £22, we can provide someone with access to safe water and basic sanitation for ten years. If we raise £1m GBP, it will help us provide a further 45,000 people in Uganda with clean water and sanitation. This would be a fantastic achievement.”

And we wish them all the best, don’t we?

You can track the progress of this noble expedition on their website.

Are you a Land Rover or off-road enthusiast with a horrible yawning gap to fill this June?

Well, friend, your number’s just been called.

Land Rover will return to the South West on the weekend of June 23-24 at the Royal Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet.

They plan on using the showground’s facilities to bring together fans of controlled motoring over adverse terrain in a weekend of “high octane family fun”.

And the best part? You can take part yourself! Yes, you can be drive or be driven around one of the UK’s most challenging off-road courses – Xtreme Offroad – which can take around forty minutes to complete depending on the conditions.

Designed to cater for all different driving abilities and vehicle specifications, an off road course costs £10 per session; or £30 for four sessions (if they’re booked at the same time).

Or, if you prefer to just sit back and watch, there’s the Live Action Arena – where you’ll be able to see such spectacles as Land Rover parades, interactive games, and winching demonstrations from Goodwinch!

There’s even an option to set up camp for an entire weekend of wall-to-wall rugged fun. This option will come with evening entertainment, as well as “family fun with giant inflatables, sports activities and games”.

Sweet!

Bristol and West Rover Show is open from 9am until 4.30pm on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th June 2012. Adult ticket prices start from £8 when purchased in advance with children under 15s allowed in free with paying adults.

This week sees the Geneva Motor Show open up on Thursday (8th March) and go on until Sunday 18th (Mother’s Day – so don’t forget!) With 260 cars on show, some of the finest will be mixing with concepts that may not even have a chance of making it past this show, but which will be the stars that will shine brightest to the 700,000 visitors that are due there?

FERRARI

The Italian car maker will be showing off the fastest ever road car, the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, which was officially launched in February, but why let a little fact like that get in the way of a good rummage around its chassis and luxury?

A snip at £250,000 each

BUGATTI

If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the Bugati Grand Sport Vitesse is No 1 in the FHM charts. More Italian craftsmanship, it looks fantastic and is “the most powerful roadster of all time”, with 1,200 horsepower emanating from the 16-cylinder engine boosted by four turbochargers and intercoolers.

An upgrade from the imperious £1.2million 16.4 Grand Sport, no news yet on how much this will set any buyer back, but whatever it is, it’s worth it..

JAGUAR

The new XF Sportbrake will be making its debut. It’s based on the XF platform  and powering it will be a range of efficient yet powerful diesel engines in 2.2-litre four cylinder and 3.0-litre six-cylinder form.

More of a practical whistle than an open-mouthed WOW!

VOLKSWAGEN

They’ll be unveiling he most powerful production Golf Cabriolet ever at the Show, with the expected classic GTI design and an electrically powered fabric roof which can be folded away in just 9.5 seconds, even while travelling at speeds of up to 18 mph.

Personally, I can never resist a Cabriolet, so this is pretty damn exciting for me!

And then there are the versions of the new VW city car – the up! There’s the swiss up!, the winter up!, the x up! And the cargo up! Each have different uses, and colours, although VW is always there in design.

CITREON

They’ve been busy. Not only will the New Citroën C4 Aircross make its world debut alongside the newly restyled C1 and Berlingo Multispace, but there will also be a concept version of C3 Red Block

They’ll also be showing off the complete DS line, along with a new DS4 Racing concept and new special editions – DS4 and DS5 Paris Rendez-Vous and DS3 Racing S. Loeb.

VOLVO

I know; not the most exciting reputation. But they’ll be revealing the all-new Volvo V40, a Premium Hatchback with Volvo features that is apparently “ready to overtake the opposition.”

Look out for the world’s first pedestrian airbag on this one too!

BENTLEY

A new version of Bentley’s flagship, the Mulsanne Mulliner is to be displayed in Geneva, with 21-inch wheels and various other refinements making it a ‘sporting’ version.

To quote Bentley: “It is a luxury car that makes the joy of driving its central focus. In an era of mass production, it stands at the pinnacle of British luxury motoring.

LAND ROVER

Last year the Range Rover Evoque: this year the Range Rover Evoque Convertible Concept.

Building on the success of ‘the world’s first premium convertible SUV’, a fully retractable premium roof system with a Roll Over Protection System [ROPS] has been added purely to gauge reaction and assess potential

FORD

Ford are looking at introducing a new range of people movers, starting with the dynamic new Ford Tourneo Custom Concept, with an 8-seat concept, low-CO2 ECOnetic Technology and SYNC voice-activated, in-car connectivity system. Commercial vehicles to follow!

RINSPEED DOCK+GO

Basically a trailer that attached to the sides of small cars such as a SmartCar, it’s designed to be what the makers call a ‘backpack on wheels.’ Aimed towards compact electric cars that give very little boot space, among a number of designs in it is a dock that includes a heated box for pizza delivery boys and another for workmen that has an integrated toolbox.

Look at it as an add-on!

Obviously these are just some of the cars and concepts there, but it’s already looking like the aftershow parties from the Oscars!

Now, anyone got a spare ticket, and flight, and spending money…?

Jaguar Land Rover reached a significant milestone at their Solihull Manufacturing Plant near Birmingham in February – The 1,000,000th Land Rover Discovery made at the plant, rolled off of the production line.

And, to celebrate this fact, and to no doubt publicise it, that self same ‘car in a million’ will be embarking on a 50-day, 8,000 mile trip from its Birmingham birthplace to one of Land Rover’s fastest growing markets in Beijing, China.

And the name of this adventure? The cunningly titled “Journey of Discovery”. (See what they did there?)

All of this to “demonstrate the Discovery’s class defining versatility and all-round capability”,: and also to sell more Discoverys in China and Central Asia. The journey actually features  three Land Rover Discovery vehicles travelling through more than a dozen countries across Europe and Central Asia, and culminating in a triumphant arrival at the Beijing Motor Show on 23 April.

It will also be used by Land Rover to launch a fund-raising project in association with The International Federation of Red Cross and  Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to support a much needed water sanitation project in Uganda. The target? £1,000,000.

Mark Cameron, Land Rover Global Brand Extension Director said: “Land Rover is delighted to launch the One Million Pound fundraiser in aid of the IFRC – an organisation we have had a relationship with since 1954. The funds will be used directly by the IFRC, over a three-year period and will be donated to a water sanitation project in Uganda, with over 45,000 beneficiaries.”

Bekele Geleta, Secretary-General of the IFRC said: “Lack of safe water is the most common and preventable underlying cause of disease in the world today and Uganda is one of the countries worst affected. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) are working in Uganda to provide safe water and sanitation, reaching 90,000 in the last four years. This joint initiative between the IFRC and Land Rover aims to reach an additional 45,000 people in Uganda.”

The journey is already underway, and the expedition left with a ceremonial farewell attended by famous explorers and adventurers, all of whom have put their faith in the Discovery in some of the world’s most challenging environments. These included Bear Grylls, Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Ray Mears, Monty Halls and Polar explorer Ben Saunders.

The expedition will be following in the tyre tracks of ‘The First Overland Expedition’ of 1955, in which a team in Series 1 Land Rovers set out from Birmingham to Beijing, and will be crossing many of Land Rover’s major markets including the UK, Russia and China.

Phil Popham, Group Sales Operations Director, Jaguar Land Rover said: “Discovery is an extraordinary vehicle and it deserves to be unleashed on an extraordinary journey. There is no better vehicle to tackle all weather, all terrain than the Discovery 4. This gruelling expedition will be visiting 13 countries and covering 8,000 miles, and it’s a fitting initiative to celebrate the one millionth vehicle.”

And all this a mere 23 years after Land Rover introduced the first ever Discovery, sitting squarely between the Range Rover and the Defender models. And it hasn’t taken long to find its feet in the market, carving its own particular niche and becoming a success in its own right with more than 200 awards and sales of nearly 45,000 in 2011 across 170 worldwide markets.

The success of the Discovery alongside other Land Rover models has helped to create a positive momentum at the company’s Solihull operations. Alan Volkaerts, Operations Director, Solihull Operations said: “Many people are involved in the production of the Discovery, and many have been here for the whole journey, from car number one to car number one million. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank every one of them. They have done a brilliant job, and have displayed great dedication and service. These are the men and women who have made the Discovery the success story it is today.”

One million and counting. And the best of luck on the journey to raise money!

Ever since its release the Range Rover Evoque has been an outstanding global success; achieving huge sales in ever market it’s been released in its fair to say that it’s been quite popular.

So when Land Rover comes round to improve on their hugely successful design what can they do? Cram it full of technology? Give it a larger engine?

The answer is a lot simpler; taking a less is moreattitudeLandRover have simply lopped off the roof to create a radical new convertible Evoque concept.

A concept which is being billed as the world’s first premium SUV by Land Rover itself, although officially the new Evoque is just a concept at this stage with no concrete plans for it to go into production. Land Rover is hoping to judge public opinion on the new convertible when it is unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show next month and see whether there is a genuine market for the car. This bold move could allow Land Rover to break new ground in the SUV arena and pull ahead of its rivals.

The roof itself will be a folding soft top, which will be a lot lighter than a hard top convertible roof as well as meaning that Land Rover can keep much of the original lines of the Evoque. This doesn’t mean that the new convertible isn’t different however and the new model will have striking new looks with its open top, clean and uncluttered cabin without chunky roll bars. The new looks possibly enhance even further the Evoque’s already distinctive looks.

Still being post – production there is no word on what a new convertible Evoque may cost but it is expected to be higher than the current entry level Evoque. Whether the new Land Rover will ever hit the roads is entirely in hands of the public, and whether they approve.

In the wake of the cold snap, The British Red Cross have deployed their robust fleet of Land Rovers to assist vulnerable people in hard-to-reach areas.

In addition to loaning vehicles, Land Rover have also provided special winter drier training to volunteers from both the British Red Cross and the London Ambulance Services. The course has ensured that even those who find themselves utterly snowbound can rely upon assistance.

Over the last weekend, extensive snow coverage saw British Red Cross ambulance crews responding to 999 emergency calls in their Land Rover Defender ambulances. Working from bases in Redhill in Surrey and Winchester in Hampshire, vital support was given wherever it was needed. At the same time, supporting the East Midlands Ambulance Service were 4×4 ambulances on tireless duty in Derbyshire and Leicester.

Meanwhile, volunteers from the fire and emergency support service (FESS) in Surrey used a Land Rover support vehicle to tackle difficult snow conditions to reach a couple who had been forced to flee their home following a fire; whilst a team of Essex nurses were given a much-needed lift to work.

Finally, emergency teams in Kent and Surrey used their Land Rovers to take care workers to their clients and make house-calls to check on the welfare of vulnerable older people, making sure they received the personal care and hot meals on which their lives depend.

So, thank you, British Red Cross, and thank you, Land Rover.

If all of this fearlessly determined ice motoring has inspired you, you may be interested to learn that Land Rover are offering members of the public (that’s you!) the opportunity to receive the same winter driving training that Red Cross volunteers received in preparation for their work.

Land Rover Experience have launched a special winter driving course at its 10 centres across the UK, including Solihull in the West Midlands, Halewood on Merseyside and Gaydon in Warwickshire. The half-day course is delivered by trained instructors to prepare drivers for severe weather, advising on the best techniques to negotiate icy, snowy and wet conditions safely and effectively. There is also some timely advice on how to tackle deep water for when the thaw comes.

Topics covered include choosing the correct tyres, vehicle preparation, essential kit to carry and how to use the vehicle’s controls and make the most of Land Rover’s unique Terrain Response™ system in slippery conditions. Hands-on experience comes in one of the Experience Centre’s vehicles on suitable terrain.

For more details, click here.

If you want to know more about the excellent work undertaken by the British Red Cross at home and abroad, click here.

In 2011, new car sales in the UK fell to 1.94m (4.4% down on 2010), the lowest total since 1994′s 1.91m.

But these figures don’t truly reflect the manufacturing state of the industry. 80% of cars built in the UK are exported, and these figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) are therefore more of a reflection of the British buying economy.

Paul Everitt, chief executive of the SMMT, commented: “This [fall]  is what you would expect to see. Consumer demand is weaker, but at the same time we are seeing a strong performance in some key segments of the manufacturing economy.”

By that, I guess he means exports and fleet sales, boosted by hire cars and company cars. Consumer sales, in fact, actually fell by a whopping 14% fuelled by a lack of confidence in the economy, the VAT increase to 20%, the scrapping of the scrappage scheme and petrol prices.

Strong demand from China, the USA and India helped keep sales of Nissan, Toyota and Jaguar Land Rover afloat. and this is expected to continue throughout 2012. In fact, the SMMT expects the UK Industry to manufacture around 1.5m cars this year (up 5%) and 1.6m in 2013.

But Deloitte, the consultancy firm, expects a further decline in actual car sales in the UK to an actual figure around 1.84m as the economic crisis continues to bite around Europe.

So who do you believe? My money’s on the latter, but then my glass has always been half empty.

There were winners last year. No real surprise that the Ford Fiesta. a perennial favourite, was the best seller, but the Ford Focus, Vauxhall Corsa, Volkswagon Golf and Vauxhall Astra also sold well.

And worldwide, VW sold a record 5.1m, with Europe and China contributing 3.4m  of that. In fact, China’s overall ‘car consumption’ grew by 13.8%, especially in the luxury car market, with Daimler having a great year in the Far East market. Just think what the figures would have been without that! And surprisingly, considering the state of the US economy, VW sales there grew by over 26% (a possible head in the sand syndrome?) as well as more than expected in India.

So not all good news, and not all bad news. But there is no escaping from the fact that 2012 is going to be a tough year for the car industry as a whole.

Fasten those seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.

You can now save up to £26 a month on the popular Land Rover Range Rover Sport with Nationwide Vehicle Contracts.

Arguably the world’s most popular 4×4, the new Land Rover Range Rover Sport is hard to beat when it comes to style, luxury and driving capability.

The latest generation model features Land Rover’s patented Terrain Response system with five drive mode settings including general driving, grass, gravel, snow, mud and sand/rock, making it the perfect 4×4 for all weather conditions – including snow!

It also boasts one of the most generous equipment lists in its class with rear parking aid, leather seats, automatic climate control, Harman/Kardon audio system, HDD Premium navigation system and Bluetooth mobile phone connectivity all offered as standard.

Nationwide Vehicle Contracts has reduced the monthly leasing rates on the popular Land Rover Range Rover Sport with savings of up to £26 a month on selected models. Our best deal is on the Land Rover Range Rover Sport 3.0 SDV6 SE Auto available to lease from just £626.95 + VAT a month.

To take advantage of these fantastic winter Land Rover savings and to get an instant quotation on any model in the Range Rover Sport range, simply follow the above links or call Nationwide Vehicle Contracts on 0844 482 9595.

Prices based on a 4 year contract and excludes VAT, initial payment and processing fee. Limited Stock Available.  Terms & Conditions Apply.

The National Motor Museum at Beaulieu is currently playing host to an exhibition which celebrates those motorists who have explored the realms of possibility. You know. The ones who take vehicles on adventures of exploration of both terrain and machinery. Those who find the limits and beyond. Those who, along the way, learn a little about themselves. Those who have a story to tell. We who have a lesson to learn.

It’s called “Feats of Endurance” and, if you’ve not been yet, an upcoming event might just make you up-sticks and pay a visit.

On Saturday October 22 the museum will be hosting an evening which will focus upon two incredible feats: Those of Brothers Bob & Joe and of Duncan Mortimer.

Bob and Joe took part in the 1989 Camel Trophy in the jungles of Brazil where they drove a Land Rover 110 Diesel. They’re the only British team to have ever won the event since its 1980 inception. Bob has also acted as the vehicle consultant for the last two Top Gear Christmas Specials. Remember the journeys from Bolivia to Chile? Iraq to Bethlehem? Yeah. That was Bob.

Duncan Mortimer, meanwhile, has driven round the world on no less than three occasions in a 1978 Mini 1275GT. In doing so, he raised money for global cancer research charities including the Great Ormond Street Children’s Hospital. Being a better man than anyone, Duncan’s currently planning another pan-global Mini adventure. Good luck!

The evening will kick off at 8.00pm and will be held in the National Motor Museum Collections Centre’s Lecture Theatre. There’ll be a bar serving wines, soft drinks, teas, coffees and, best of all, beer. Yeah. You might even be able to share a beer with these brave, brave men. How ace would that be?

Before this, the Museum will open from 6.30pm for a private viewing.

Sound like fun? Yes, it does, doesn’t it. Well, tickets are but £10 and can be obtained through contacting Theresa Browning on 01590 614 792.

“If you really want to know about cars, ask the experts.”

So says Which? Car editor Richard Headland. But who are these experts? Manufacturers? (Bit biased.) Dealers? (Bit too profit making.) Garage owners? Mechanics?

None of the above. According to Richard, the experts are “… the people who drive every day.”

With (allegedly) no brand loyalty – although that is a touch difficult to swallow – it’s the everyday driver who can tell you what is good, and bad, about the cars that they drive.  Personally cars are like salad cream – it has to be Heinz – but in these economically frugal days, to paraphrase Joseph with his dreamcoat “Any car will do.”

So what did Which? Car find out in a Summer 2011 survey for new and used cars?

Makers of the most reliable cars

Hyundai; according to the survey, has a great range of cars, is value for money, reliable and offer transferable, five-year warranties at a time when everybody is looking to cut back and make their money go further. In fact, a Hyundai has, on average, a 20% chance of a fault in 12 months from new. That’s not the best – but more about that later.

Car that makes its owners happy

In first place, a car that was actually phased out 6 years ago, but still holds a place in its owners’ hearts – the Toyota Yaris Verso.

Second, the VW Passat CC

Third, Land Rover Discovery – but, as you’ll see later, that was the only good news for the Land Rover in this survey.

Most Loved cars

In the Top 10 of this list, there’s 4 Skodas – the Yeti, (Never seen one of them, although the apparantly exist ), Superb Estate, old Superb and new Superb.

But down there at the bottom…

Most ‘un-loved’ cars

Strictly not a true title but I didn’t really want to put ‘Most loved cars – well, not really’ as a title so, at the bottom of the most loved cars, with a satisfaction percentage of 49.4% (No; I’ve no idea how they were calculated but I’m guessing at a “How much do you love this car?” question) is the Renault Laguna Sport Tourer.

It’s in good company, as 7 out of the bottom 10 are built by French manufacturers (did they ask Al Murray to put this survey together?) with poor handling, performance, build quality and poor non-engine electrics cited as reasons for this particular poor performance.

So, it seems that Which? Car readers and members seem to like practical good-value cars (like Skoda, so it seems), aren’t keen on the “unreliable and fault-prone” Gallic cars like Renault and Peugeot and really can’t be bothered with the ‘satisfaction factor’ of so-called luxury brands like Mercedes, BMW and VW – giving them an average score, the same as Alfa Romeo and Citreon.

Says a lot more about them than any other statistic.

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The survey looked at over 67,000 cars – new and used – to get the results, and other ‘winners’ included:

Best Buy (Medium Sector aka ‘most popular car bought’ sector) – Kia Cee’d estate
Best value cars based on dependability and running costs (Medium Sector) – Honda Jazz and Skoda Fabia diesel
Best Medium Cars (Used) – Mazda 3, VW Golf, VW Jetta, Ford Focus
Best MPV (Used) – Honda FRV, Skoda Roomster, Toyota Previa

But the biggest winner of all, an undisputed winner in the Large Section (Used) – and every other Large Section sector – was the Toyota Avensis. Often called “dull” in description by the questioned drivers, the petrol version scored way ahead of many of its rivals in the majority of cases.

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And, if you want further proof of reliability. What Car? in conjunction with Warranty Direct released a report suggesting that, for reliability, Japanese and Korean makes are the best.

Honda vehicles, for the 6th year in a row, are top of the pile (That’s the power of dreams, eh?) with a mere 9% chance of developing a fault from new in the first 12 months. Toyota, Suzuki, Lexus and Mitsubishi fill the next four places.

And down at the bottom? Close your ears Land Rover – it’s you – with a 55% chance of a fault. And you won’t have to travel too far to have a chat with your fellow relegation favourites because they are all European. Alfa Romeo, Renault and Saab are all in the mid forties when it comes to chance of a developing fault from new.

Sorry Europe! Time to get those metaphorical socks pulled up!