It’s fitting perhaps, as we head into the Jubilee bank holiday(s) weekend – thank you Ma’am and congratulations on 60 years atop the throne – that British automakers, no longer British-owned, topped the news this week.
First up was the difficulties at Lotus which Dave Leggett explained in a blog. Then came some good profit news for Tata Motors‘ Jaguar Land Rover. And then came news that must have popped corks at many a Jag shop – Lexus beaten out of the top slot in the annual UK JD Power survey after 11 years. For those that can recall the once basket-case factories and quality of the great wood ‘n’ leather brand, this is transformation indeed.
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We took a look at the Yaris hybrid that Toyota Motor Europe has decreed we will have instead of the Prius C and learned that the whole Prius line – including C, or Aqua in Japan – was global third best model selling nameplate in the first quarter, proving the old marketing theory that he who is first to a segment usually laughs last as he is often unassailable.
We continued to keep an eye on developments at Saab and completed our chat with Delphi’s chief.
The jubilee – cue street parties and union jacks galore – means we get an extended weekend so we’re off from close of play Friday until first thing Wednesday. Our ‘heatwave’, and probably summer, has now left; I forecast what in LA they call June gloom…
You have a nice weekend, too.
Graeme Roberts, Deputy Editor, just-auto.com
