LIFE THERE

London Press Service Informs

GREEN SPORTS CAR TO BE MADE IN WALES

A sports car maker with a tradition of producing winning models is going green – and setting up a new production plant in the United Kingdom.
The Connaught Motor Company – the team behind the world’s first high-performance hybrid sports coupe that is kinder to the environment – is setting up its global manufacturing and research and development (R&D) headquarters in Wales to produce many of its cars with petrol-electric engines.
Connaught is one of the renowned British marques dating from the 1950s and had the distinction of winning the Syracuse Grand Prix in Sicily in 1955, the first time a British driver, Tony Brooks, had won a Formula One grand prix in a British car.
The brand, which is still synonymous with innovative design and technology development, was revived in 2002 by Tim Bishop and Tony Martindale after a 40-year gap.
Under their direction Connaught has developed five leading-class prototype vehicles that have caused considerable excitement and interest in the auto industry and generating hundreds of enquiries.
Production of the Connaught Type-D starts in Wales this year, with the first customer vehicle expected off the production line in early 2008.
It will be the world’s first truly high-performance hybrid sports coupe and has been designed in-house, is patent protected and delivers 30 per cent reduction in CO2 emissions when compared with vehicles in its class. It will have a V10 petrol-electric engine making the car capable of 42 miles per gallon (67km/4.5litre), 0–60 (0–100km) in 6.2 seconds with a top speed of 150 miles (241km) per hour.
Connaught anticipates building 100 cars in the first year, 250 in the second year, rising to 1,000 in year five, targeting the UK and European markets. It expects to recruit 30 engineers in the first year and scaling up as production of its first vehicle rolls off the production line 2007/08.

Top green gear: The world’s first high-performance hybrid sports coupe (similar to the Connaught Type-D GT Syracuse pictured) with a V10 petrol-electric engine is to be made by the Connaught Motor Company.

Fred Page-Roberts, Connaught’s chairman, said the decision to establish its operation in Wales and manufacture in-house was taken in part because of the high level of support from the Welsh Assembly and its International Business Wales team.
He continued: “The Assembly government is proactively looking to attract the next generation of manufacturing jobs and technology to Wales – it is looking ahead and pursuing tomorrow’s technology today.
“It is this extremely positive attitude, its global outlook and the strong political will that impressed us tremendously and made this such an attractive option for us. Wales also has the available skills sets for the sector, a highly developed supply chain and considerable academic expertise that provides a winning combination,” added Mr. Page-Roberts.
Emeritus Professor Garel Rhys, of the Centre for Automotive Research at Cardiff University Business School, described Connaught as a solidly based company with a diversity of automotive-related projects in addition to car making.
“The high value-added technology focus of the company is especially relevant to the green demands being placed on the motor industry and is therefore placed squarely in a growth sector of the market,” he said.
“The demand for well-made ultra-specialist cars is growing and total UK production of such vehicles is approaching an all-time high of 25,000 a year. Given this and the growing demand for greener technological solutions, Connaught’s ambitions add up to a sustainable long-term enterprise.”
Altogether, eight companies make cars in volume in the UK, together with seven commercial vehicle and bus manufacturers. UK companies supply a comprehensive range of components to the global industry.
Of the 20 leading component makers in the world, 17 have established production facilities in the UK. The UK has the strongest independent aftermarket in Europe, with many small operators doing business alongside the big household names.
Another key UK strength is specialist design engineering. Total automotive exports currently exceed 20 billion pounds annually.

By Ray Cooling