Land Rover received one award for International Trade for increasing export sales by 52% to nearly £4 billion a year, an increase of £1.3 billion in three years. It also won an award for Innovation for the patented Terrain Response System that sets up the vehicle's engine response and traction to maximise performance on all surfaces. It is the electronic equivalent of having an expert instructor next to the driver.
Presenting the awards on behalf of HM The Queen, HM Lord Lieutenant for Warwickshire, Mr Martin Dunne, described winning not one but two awards as "remarkable" and said the only previous occasion he had presented two awards at one time was to Land Rover in 2001.
He added, "This is a mark of recognition for something quite special by a team and not by one individual and there is a very strong team spirit here. This is a fantastic example of excellence becoming a habit."
Receiving the awards, Mr David Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of Jaguar Land Rover, said, "These awards are not only testament to the fantastic cars we are producing but also to the hard work of the teams that operate around the world in the face of fierce competition.
These are exciting times for Jaguar Land Rover. We're entering a new era, with new models and new directions. There really has not been a better time to be in the automotive industry."
Jaguar Land Rover has this month launched a major recruitment drive to attract up to 600 new employees. The focus of the campaign will be to recruit engineers to work on ambitious new technology and product development programmes.
Land Rover exports over 75% of the production of its Defender, Freelander 2, Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover vehicles to 147 countries around the world. Land Rover achieved a third successive year of record sales in 2007, with a total of 226,395 sales, versus 192,511 in 2006 and 185,120 in 2005. This represents a 17.6% increase on the previous year. Sales for the first quarter of 2008 are 57,859, up 13% on the same period last year. Emerging markets are helping to drive sales ‑ Russia is currently running 176% ahead of last year with 4,690 sales and China is ahead by 224% with 3,239 sales.
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Editors' Note:
• Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, Freelander 2, Discovery 3, Range Rover Sport and Range Rover each define the world's 4x4 sectors, with 78% of this model range exported to over 140 countries. Land Rover employs 8,500 people and supports a further 40,000 jobs supported in the supply chain.
• Land Rover takes its responsibility to the environment seriously. Emissions have been cut with all new models and, together with Jaguar, it is investing £700m on technology specifically aimed at reducing carbon dioxide emissions. Also, since September 2006, carbon dioxide generated by Land Rover manufacturing activities and UK customer vehicle use has been balanced through an industry leading offset programme run by Climate Care.
• The Land Rover G4 Challenge is run in support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies ‑ one of the biggest aid organisations in the world ‑ and Land Rover aims to generate more than £1m over the next two Challenges, with the winning team also given a Land Rover vehicle to donate to their country's National Red Cross or Red Crescent Society.