This post was originally published on Autocar
These five home-made heroes show why the UK remains a key volume car maker
It’s all bad news these days, isn’t it? Or it certainly feels like it if you dare to pay attention to global politics. Step away from the doom-mongering, though and you’ll find good news aplenty when it comes to UK automotive manufacturing.
And much of that hinges on the eclectic crew of cars assembled here.
These cars play a key role in the success of the UK automotive industry – an industry that was responsible for a turnover of £93 billion in 2023, up from £78bn in 2022, according to the SMMT.
In fact, only food production tops the automotive industry for economic value in the UK’s manufacturing sector.
So let’s take a closer look at the cars that drive that industry and the ongoing success stories that we should be proud of.
Mini
Mini is a good place to start. Nosing into the car park above the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, our Mini Cooper S – all smooth-surfaced and aquamarine – is an instant hit. Not only is the colour pretty remarkable, but the car also has an instant draw to it.
From the chunky yet dinky proportions to the wide-eyed gaze and the certain promise that it’s going to be as fun to drive as it is to look at, the Mini’s hold on car buyers isn’t hard to fathom.
Nor is it difficult to work out why that hold has been constant since BMW first revealed the ‘new’Mini back in 1997 as a concept car at the Frankfurt show. Would people really be willing to pay a premium for a small but ‘posh’ car? Aren’t small cars purely for the budget realms?
Well, yes, people would and, no, small cars are not. And boy, did Mini prove that. Still is, in fact.
As I whizz (the Mini definitely whizzes in a distinctive fashion) around the Warwickshire countryside, the burbling 2.0-litre turbo petrol engine boosting us along and the quick steering giving that characteristic darty, urgent response, it’s easy to see why the Mini has been such a lasting success story.
There really is nothing else like a Mini. From the colours and personalisation to the plush interior finish, the immediacy of the driving style and the sheer desirability of it, BMW was onto a winning formula from the off.
And it’s had the good sense to stick to that formula for all of the four generations of this modern classic since its showroom debut in 2001.
Naturally, the Mini has had to evolve along the way and it was something of a pioneer with electrification after BMW introduced the battery-powered Mini E as a limited-production vehicle in 2010, before launching the rather more polished and effective Mini Electric in 2020.
Our Mini Cooper S is here because it is built in Cowley, but give it a year or so and the all-new electric Mini Cooper E and SE will join it at the Oxfordshire plant – which celebrated its 110th anniversary as a production facility last year and was responsible for more than 20% of the UK’s vehicle manufacturing output in 2023.
For some context, that’s nearly 185,000 cars, which happens because Cowley can produce up to 1000 cars per day – one every 67 seconds.
This model has dominated the small, premium car class since it arrived in 2001, and its enduring appeal is testament to the Mini’s consistent design brilliance – all of which is, of course, directly responsible for the ongoing success story at Cowley.
And talking of ongoing success stories…
Range Rover Evoque
Let’s turn to another British brand represented here next. We’re all about patriotism right now, after all. Our Range Rover Evoque sits adorned in gentle, rose-gold accents and exudes a sense of ‘want one’ that few cars costing twice as much could lay claim to.
Even though this is the ‘baby’ Range Rover, it’s still got a surplus of swagger and premium lustre, much of which is, of course, down to that design.
Ever since the original Evoque arrived in 2011, it has proven that prestige appeal can translate very well indeed to a more affordable, compact SUV. In many ways, in fact, it did a similar thing to that class of car as the Mini did to the small car segment: prove that there was an army of buyers out there who were happy to pay – and pay well – for a compact yet premium product.
You will see plenty of Land Rovers and Range Rovers around Gaydon, of course, with this being the company’s headquarters. But I bet you still notice every one of them. I know that I do.
And I know that, pointing our plug-in hybrid Evoque P300e at the countryside and enjoying the wafty silence of the electric running, there is smug factor to spare despite this being the entry-level Range Rover.
There is something unique about the way any Range Rover drives and that’s all the more impressive these days, given how competitive the class is. But between the driving position, the oily smoothness of the steering and the long-legged ride comfort as it eases around Warwickshire’s motorways and B-roads, there’s no doubting that the Range Rover Evoque is a class act.
Interestingly, it also occurs to me that it is, in a cold, clinical sense, ultimately a rival to the Nissan Qashqai that we have also gathered here. Yet it’s not really, is it? True, the Qashqai is more premium than ever, and actually a delight to drive – more on that in a moment.
But the Evoque, even though it sits in the same mid-sized SUV sector, feels like a completely different prospect. It’s that weirdly intangible essence of Land Rovers; you could sit blindfolded in a Jaguar or Land Rover and you’d know what it was.
I doubt it’s being bought by the same people as the Qashqai either, and it’s a credit to both cars that they have so successfully captured the hearts and ongoing PCP finance obligations of their respective audiences.
A quick note on the manufacturing stuff too: JLR, of course, has production plants at both Halewood and Solihull. The Castle Bromwich facility was, sadly, closed in May this year, but output from all three of JLR’s sites in 2023 was an impressive 238,422 cars.
There are also plans under way for new electric models, with a battery-powered Range Rover due soon, and a four-door electric Jaguar following not long after, so this is not a company that’s standing still. And it remains a brand – and an array of products – that the UK can and should be very proud of.
Nissan Qashqai
We’ve already mentioned the Qashqai, but before we talk about why this rather lovely e-Power test car proves to be such a hit, let’s put Nissan’s success and manufacturing productivity into context.
Poster child of the crossover era, the Qashqai and its equally genre-defining sibling, the Nissan Juke, are both straight out of the Sunderland plant. You thought BMW’s Cowley figures were impressive? Nissan’s Sunderland plant produced 325,218 vehicles in 2023 – nearly 88,000 more vehicles than were churned out at Cowley.
During that year, the Nissan Leaf was also in production alongside the Juke and Qashqai, but that came to an end earlier this year to allow Nissan to tool up for the start of production of its forthcoming new electric cars.
They really are a phenomenon, Nissan’s crossovers. We motoring hacks might roll our eyes at the rash of SUV-ish cars that have appeared in the wake of Nissan’s decades-long mic drop – which started when the original Qashqai arrived in 2006.
But as I sit in the rather lovely Alcantara-clad cabin and whir smoothly around courtesy of the clever e-Power drivetrain that arrived with the third-generation Qashqai in 2021, it’s not hard to see why it’s such a perennial favourite.
It’s solid, comfortable, dependable, efficient and a completely known quantity. Yet the Qashqai has never felt boring and beige, which is its real magic.
This powertrain is also a great example of Nissan’s ingenuity when it comes to how it’s evolved to cater to the masses over the years. With power streaming directly from the electric motor, the set-up gives the eerily delightful, uninterrupted progress of an EV with all the convenience of petrol power and low emissions.
The car also handles with impressive control, keeping its body from leaning too much and giving an enviable sense of composure whether you’re winding through a torturous urban school run or threading down open countryside as I am.
It is one of those cars that just feels instantly friendly and intuitive. Between that and an interior that now feels genuinely very classy as well as solidly built and roomy, you can see why this is a default option in the family SUV world.
It’s absolutely no surprise, then, that both the Qashqai and the Juke were among the top five best-selling cars in the UK last year – the Qashqai being at number one, with 42,704 sales.
It’s great news all round really as Sunderland’s prosperity looks set to continue, even as it gears up to introduce its new EV line-up.
Toyota Corolla
Is there anything more delightfully common sense than a Toyota Corolla? I’m not sure.
The Vauxhall Combo Life that we’ve got here may give it a run for its money on the humble-but-useful front, but in the scheme of cars rather than van-based goodness, the Corolla is a pillar of honest, reliable value. You want a car that will work, won’t cost a fortune to run and will accommodate all your stuff? Buy a Corolla.
But in truth, that may be doing the Corolla a disservice these days. If you haven’t driven one, find an excuse to, because they’re surprisingly wieldy and even – dare I say it – fun.
The 1.8-litre hybrid powertrain in our test car is the one that most people will go for, over the 2.0-litre option that’s also offered, because it’s the more affordable and more efficient engine in the line-up.
The 1.8 set-up also thrums along nicely and the steering is surprisingly enjoyable – pleasantly weighted, responsive without being nervous, and allowing you to make good use of the grip. Basically, this is a well-sorted car.
One that’s weirdly satisfying to fling about as you can make full use of all its potential, and because nobody expects to be harried by a Corolla.
It’s not just about the warranty (10 years if you keep it serviced with Toyota) and sensibleness. It’s comfy and decent to drive too. Even the police force want them, with 20 constabularies across the UK now running Corollas on their fleets.
So maybe we should actually start worrying about being harried by Corollas…
So stop sniggering about Ubers and remember that the Corolla is a legend. A global phenomenon of straightforward mainstream goodness.
And one that’s made right here at Toyota’s Burnaston plant, which produced 121,871 units in 2023, including the Corolla hatch and Touring Sports, with Toyota’s engine plant in Deeside also adding to the Japanese brand’s productivity in the UK.
But if even the Corolla Touring Sports isn’t useful enough for you, how about our next British-made delight?
Vauxhall Combo Life Electric
So, to the final bastion of sensibleness in our celebration of UK manufacturing. The Vauxhall Combo Life Electric is produced at Stellantis’s Ellesmere Port plant together with other variants of the electric ‘EK9’ compact van from Vauxhall, Peugeot, Citroën and Fiat Pro.
It’s 62 years since Ellesmere Port began production of the Vauxhall Viva and in recent years it has received a £100 million investment to turn it into a manufacturer of electric vans and – with the Combo Life – passenger vehicles.
In fact, the Combo Life Electric and other passenger variants of Stellantis’s compact electric van series are set to go into full mainstream production from this week (starting on 14 October).
Production numbers at Ellesmere Port are currently still low. With the transition being made last year, only 4308 vehicles were produced in 2023, although that’s inching up in 2024.
Let’s not forget Luton too, where Stellantis still manufactures ICE versions of its medium van, including the Vauxhall Vivaro. Passenger versions of these are in the works for the near future at the Luton facility, although there’s no confirmed date yet for when they will begin.
The space, though… Every time I get reacquainted with van-based family cars, I wonder why anyone who values practicality as a priority thinks that an SUV is the answer. A van is the answer. A van is the answer to most things in life, in fact.
And the Combo Life has that tidy, soft-edged utilitarianism of a van that was always designed to carry people as well as stuff. There’s a vast boot, cushy seats, sensible dashboard, plenty of light and surprisingly smart material finishes.
Even in our brief acquaintance, this feels like one of those sensible cars that will only become more charming and lovable as the miles and years tick by, in the way of well-worn slippers and favourite armchairs.
So there you have it: a buffet of British-made wonders, ranging from the resoundingly sensible to the truly aspirational, and everything in between. It’s really not just the sheer volume of UK vehicle production that we should be proud of, but also the fact that these are world-class cars in their own right