- Land Rover marks the production of its 100,000th Discovery Sport in Halewood, UK, with a surprise for one lucky mum on Mother's Day
- Land Rover designers and engineers go undercover with Lipton family to produce a Discovery Sport filled with unique, personalised touches
- Milestone for Land Rover's versatile compact SUV produced exactly 500 days after production commenced in October 2014
- Success ensures three shift production continues at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood plant
Halewood, UK, March 6th: Land Rover today marked the production of the 100,000th Discovery Sport with a special surprise for one mum, Natalie Lipton, on Mother's Day. The Lipton family had unwittingly purchased the milestone vehicle which was built at Jaguar Land Rover's Halewood manufacturing plant, just 10 miles from their family home. To celebrate the milestone, which was reached just days before Mother's Day in the UK, Land Rover went undercover with 7 year old Jacob and 5 year old Noah to find out just how this car could be made even more special for their mum.
Accompanied by Paul Cleaver, Discovery Sport Vehicle Programme Director and Andy Wheel, Land Rover's Chief Design Manager for Exteriors, the Lipton boys had an access‑all‑areas tour of the company's Design and Engineering Centre at Gaydon. From experiencing driving virtual cars to developing clay models, Noah and Jacob provided the team with lots of inspiration and ideas for making this car special for mum Natalie.
Paul Cleaver said: "It's fantastic that the Discovery Sport has reached this significant milestone. To know that this car has resonated with customers across the world is a testament to the whole team involved in its creation and delivery.
"The Discovery Sport is a truly versatile family car so it's fitting that we are celebrating with such a special project from the Land Rover family to the Lipton family. It was fantastic meeting Noah and Jacob, they were enthusiastic, energetic and full of great ideas ‑ definitely budding future car designers!"
To bring the boys' ideas to life, a team of designers, suppliers and experts from Jaguar Land Rover's Special Vehicle Operations worked to create special touches which were delivered lineside and placed in the car during production by the team at the Halewood manufacturing plant in Merseyside. Halewood officially began production of Discovery Sport in October 2015 thanks to a £200mn investment which bought an additional 250 jobs to the plant, ensuring three shift, 24 hour production. The 100,000th car, a Corris Grey HSE, rolled off the production line on February 29th, exactly 500 days after the first.
Richard Else, Halewood Operation Director said: "It is with an enormous sense of pride that the team here builds the Discovery Sport alongside the Range Rover Evoque. The introduction of these models has seen production at the plant quadruple and our workforce treble since 2010.
"This milestone, just like the 500,000th Evoque which came off the line in February, is a reminder that the Halewood manufacturing plant is responsible for bringing exceptional cars to customers in all four corners of the globe. I am however delighted that it is a mum, and her family, who live only a stone's throw from our plant that have taken delivery of this very special car".
The Discovery Sport which went on sale in December 2014 is now sold in over 170 markets, with the UK, Europe and China leading the charge. The car has already claimed more than 40 international awards including, most recently, Large SUV of the Year as determined by the What Car? Car of the Year jury.
Editors' Notes:
Since 1948 Land Rover has been manufacturing authentic 4x4s that represent true 'breadth of capability' across the model range. Defender, Discovery, Discovery Sport, Range Rover Sport, Range Rover and Range Rover Evoque each define the world's 4x4 sectors, with 80% of this model range exported to over 170 countries.
List of Mum's Personalised Gifts
‑ Personalised scarf designed by children Noah, Jacob and Mila (featuring their hand prints and drawings) and produced by Land Rover design
‑ Personalised picnic blanket with the family name on, requested as the children love family picnics with their mum
‑ Personalised seat‑back tidies for the children, to ensure it is kept clean for mum and dad
‑ Personalised tread‑plates featuring 'The Liptons' name
‑ Personalised water bottles for all the family written in the children's handwriting
‑ Personalised child‑seats for Noah and Jacob, with their names stitched on in their handwriting
‑ Rear‑seat entertainment screens, to entertain the children on long journeys
‑ A signed cookbook from James Martin, as mum loves to cook
‑ A set of wellies for each member of the family, for their family walks
‑ A Barbour for Land Rover Jacket for mum
‑ A keyring featuring a favourite family snap
About Discovery Sport
The Land Rover Discovery Sport is the world's most versatile and capable premium compact SUV. The first member of the new Discovery family, Discovery Sport, features 5+2 seating in a footprint no larger than existing 5‑seat premium SUVs. To read the full press kit please visit www.media.landrover.com
‑ One in every four Land Rovers produced is a Discovery Sport
‑ It would require a fleet of 36 seven‑seat Land Rover Discovery Sports to accommodate the additional 250 people working at Halewood with jobs created by the introduction of Discovery Sport production
‑ A new Discovery Sport rolls off the production line every 2mins and 40 secs. That's 33 brand new Discovery Sports in the time it takes to play a football match.
‑ 500 days of Discovery: The 100,000th Discovery Sport rolled off the Halewood line on 29 February 2016, precisely 500 days after the commencement of production.
For further information, contact:
Nicola Rzeznik, UK Manufacturing Communications Manager
nrzeznik@jaguarlandrover.com
+44(0) 7736 912
266
Carmel Digweed, Senior Product PR Officer
Cdigwee1@jaguarlandrover.com
+44(0) 7990 084
909
Neil Roscoe,
Senior Communications, Halewood Operations
nroscoe@jaguarlandrover.com +44 (0) 7500 814
114
