Force Protection Europe has been invited by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) to tender for the Light Protected Patrol Vehicle Programme – Demonstration, Production and Support Phases.   

The invitation to tender follows a recentlyawarded contract placed with Force Protection Europe by the MoD for the supply of two Ocelot light protected patrol vehicles. An all-new concept, all-wheel drive Ocelot has been developed by Force Protection Europe and Ricardo to provide levels of survivability comparable with the Cougar family of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles, together with exceptional cross country mobility, _ exibility and, importantly, value for money.

Taiwan’s first passenger car brand Luxgen has launched its second model, the Luxgen7 SUV, following its successful MPV. 

For the powertrain, the Luxgen7 SUV comes equipped with 10-mode, fivespeed automatic transmission with manual shifting function co-developed by Aisin. The intelligent three-mode 4WD system can actively divide engine torque between the front and rear axles based on the road condition and driver input.

Emily Llewellyn, the UK’s top young female eventer and London 2012 Olympic hopeful, has become an official Subaru Brand Ambassador.

Based in East Sussex, Emily is the only rider to have ridden in seven consecutive European Youth Championship teams, winning a grand total of five gold medals. She finished in 15th position (out of 84) at this year’s Badminton Horse Trials, and won last year’s Under-25 Championships.

As part of the deal with Subaru, the 20-year-old has been given a liveried 2.0D XC Forester featuring Union Jack decals.

Northern Off Road Club’s Ashley Short took his  rst career win at The David Simmonite Memorial Safari, held at Baden Hall, over the Spring bank holiday weekend, writes Gavin Lodge. The event, a round of both the NORC and All Wheel Drive Club’s cross country championships, attracted over 80 crews.

Conditions changed from slippery to dry and dusty as the race unfolded and Short drove his BMW-powered TP 4×4 hard, narrowly beating veteran offroad racer, Chris Hammond, in his Milner R5, by a margin of just 11 seconds over the two-day, sixty-mile event. Robert Simmonite, driving the Simmbugghini Motorsports car, finished third.

With a pedestrian 0-60mph time of 12 seconds and a 105mph top speed, the 1830kg 3.0-litre D4D Toyota could benefit from a power boost, but the problem, until now, was that the Hilux has been viewed as ‘unmappable,’ using traditional OBD-based methods.

But Unichip Europe has now launched a new Uni-Q upgrade for the Toyota, designed to put a spring in the Hilux’s step. Manufactured in South Africa, the Uni-Q is a piggyback ECU that refines and increases performance of any petrol or diesel vehicle.