Starts production of the new Range Rover Evoque

The new Range Rover Evoque passed an important milestone today when the first production vehicle was driven off the line at Land Rover’s Halewood manufacturing plant in Liverpool.

Jaguar Land Rover's CEO, Ralf Speth together with JLR executive officers, union representatives and employees, gathered to celebrate the start of new Range Rover Evoque production. The first car to come off the line will be donated to the British Motor Industry Heritage trust.

Gallery: Range Rover Evoque

"The Evoque is an incredibly exciting vehicle that joins a product range which across both of our brands is the strongest we have ever had – and it fits in perfectly." commented Dr Ralf Speth, Jaguar Land Rover Chief Executive Officer." The teams that have designed engineered and built the new Evoque, working together with our research and supplier partners, can be immensely proud of their achievement. Worldwide interest in our new car has been exceptional, with 18,000 customer orders received from customers eager to be among the first to own the new Range Rover.

Halewood Operations is central to the success of the Evoque, with the workforce doubling to more than 3,000 employees in order to deliver the new model. Seventy-five per cent of production is destined for export to more than 170 countries around the world, adding around £2 billion to the UK economy. Moreover, 50 per cent of the components in new Evoque are made in Britain, with contracts worth another £2 billion awarded to more than 40 UK supplier businesses.


“It is a groundbreaking product, a Range Rover with concept car looks, lightweight technologies and the capability to deliver 50mpg fuel economy. At the same time it’s still a true Range Rover that’s agile, nimble, designed to survive in the urban jungle and capable of tackling the toughest climates and terrains thanks to Land Rover’s legendary all-wheel drive expertise.” Speth added

The launch of the Range Rover Evoque is just one of 40 new product actions that Jaguar Land Rover will carry out in the next five years in the most ambitious market offensive in the history of its two brands. This product creation programme is supported by annual investment of £1.5 billion in developing new models, engines, technologies and vehicle lines.

| Land-Rover

La planta de BMW de Carolina del Sur, en el puesto número 4 del ranking de la EPA

BMW announced today that its South Carolina plant has increased its ranking to No. 4 on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA's) Top 20 On-site Generation list of the largest green power users. In 2010, through BMW’s on-site landfill gas energy system, the company generated nearly 62 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of power. This represents about 37% of the company’s overall electricity use, the highest usage percentage of the EPA’s top 10 Green Power Partners. It also underscores the company’s decision to exchange the traditional sources of electricity generation in support of cleaner, renewable energy alternatives.

“This achievement confirms our company’s commitment to protecting the environment and continual implementation of sustainable methods of capturing renewable energy, including our landfill gas program,” said Josef Kerscher, President of BMW Manufacturing.


Since 2003, methane gas has been collected, cleaned and compressed from a local landfill and used to power more than 50% of the BMW plant’s total energy requirements. In 2009, the company invested $12 million in its landfill gas program to further improve overall efficiency. Implementation of the program has reduced CO2 emissions by about 92,000 tons per year and saves about $5 million annually in energy costs. More recently, the company announced the addition of a hydrogen storage and distribution center within their on-site 11 Megawatt Energy Center to facilitate on-site fueling of a hydrogen-fuel cell material handling fleet inside the new 1.2 million square foot assembly plant that produces the all-new BMW X3 Sports Activity Vehicle.

"BMW Manufacturing is leading the way by using renewable energy sources," said Elizabeth Craig, EPA Acting Director of the Office of Atmospheric Programs. "Their actions are helping to protect air quality and green our power supply."

According to the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes, the BMW Group is currently the world’s most sustainable automobile manufacturer. In 2010, the company was named industry leader in this important global sustainability index for the sixth consecutive year.

Earlier this week, the EPA updated each of its National Top Partner lists, highlighting some of America's largest green power purchasers. Each list highlights EPA Green Power Partners with the largest annual voluntary purchases and/or on-site usage through April 6, 2011. The ranking can be found at http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/toplists/.

| BMW

Estado de las operaciones de Nissan en Japón (a día de hoy)

We at Nissan express our deepest sympathy to those individuals and families still suffering from the disaster.

Please see below for the latest update regarding our production status in Japan:

Production in April
- Production volume in April is expected to be slightly above 40% of the actual production volume in April last year.

Production in May
-l In order to recover delays in April's production, Nissan is planning to operate at levels higher than planned, and we are requesting suppliers to deliver parts accordingly.
- Yet, actual production will depend on the actual delivery of parts, and we are confirming this on a daily basis.


Production in June
- Production levels will depend on the status of parts deliveries from suppliers.

Nissan is focusing all efforts to ensure swift restoration of its production operations. Additionally, the entire Nissan group is committed to quickly restoring its sales network in the regions impacted by the earthquake. We understand this has caused many inconveniences to our valued customers, but ask for their continued support and understanding.

| Nissan