Business secretary, Vince Cable, is today conducting a tour of automotive sites in the West Midlands to observe the progress being made by the UK to enhance its low carbon vehicle capabilities.
Visiting the test track facilities at Gaydon near Warwick to meet apprentices and engineers from Aston Martin and Jaguar, Dr Cable will meet business groups, test products on the track and will tour the site’s multi-disciplinary research centre where he said he will witnessthe “high level of skills and engineering that go into making premium and niche cars in the UK”.
While at Gaydon, Dr Cable will test Jaguar’s hybrid car called the Limo Green which he says “shows Britain’s premium car sector is more than capable of rising to the environmental challenges facing the car industry.”
The Limo Green prototype project is a collaboration between Lotus, Caparo and research organisation MIRA and has received funding from the Technology Strategy Board.
Dr Cable’s next stop will be the International Digital Laboratories at Warwick University in Coventry where Jaguar Land Rover recently opened an advanced technology and research facility on the campus.
While at the university the business secretary will get behind the wheel of a racing car designed and made from sustainable and renewable materials that include chocolate, carrots and potatoes.
As the final part of his visit Dr Cable will take part in a roundtable at the International Digital Laboratories hosted by Business Voice West Midlands where he will hear their views on growth in the region and proposed plans for local enterprise partnerships.
