Good news from the West Midlands this month from Auto Styling Truckman. The company produces and distributes hard tops for pick-up trucks, and sales (both in the UK and export) has seen turnover increase from £3.5m to £5m in the last 12 months, an increase of 40 per cent.

Auto Styling UK was founded in 2002 by Mike Wheeler, and has grown to be one of the UK’s major distributor of accessories for 4x4s. The company now manufacturers the Truckman hard tops after rescuing the company from administration back in 2008 – at the time, Truckman had a 25 year heritage, but found itself in difficulty during the ‘credit crunch’.

Four new Land Rover cycle response units (that’s bikes to you and I) have been donated to the British Red Cross. This brings the total number of Land Rover bikes donated to 30. They work in tandem (that’s two bikes together, not a tandem…) with a Land Rover vehicle and aim to have more potential accessibility to get to vulnerable people in difficult locations. Each bike is equipped with a defibrillator, advanced First Aid kit and resuscitation equipment. The benefit of the bikes is they can navigate through urban and crowded areas and have already worked at events like the Great North Run and the Burghley Horse Trials. The programme is part of a collaboration between Land Rover and the British Red Cross in a global partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and currently covers some 15 countries.

Agreement has been reached between bespoke Land Rover modifying specialists Twisted and Silverline 4×4, to have the exclusive arrangement to supply the famous black and silver Sport range of wheels. Presently available in 16, 17 and 18inch sizes, Silverline’s Chris Dawson told us he was, “delighted that Twisted has chosen Silverline to work with them on their new wheel program and to further develop the range, the range will continue to grow with Twisted already asking for us to develop a 20inch version without delay.” For more details on these Land Rovers, go to: www.twistedperformance.co.uk. For more wheel details, go to: www.silverline4x4.com

More and more new 4x4s are arriving with rear view cameras fitted as standard. The bigger the vehicle, the more useful these cameras become. Indeed, reverse parking the Editor’s Hilux underlines the fact that, especially for pick-ups, it is very difficult to see what is behind you, low to the ground. There is now and aftermarket option available that, despite the product name, comes from the British company, Bierley. The new AmeriCam Reverse Camera can be installed to any vehicle in around 30 minutes. It includes a small flush-fitting camera to the rear bumper, linked to a slimline 3.5inc LCD screen that can be positioned wherever suitable inside your vehicle. The camera is waterproof (IP68 rated) and is certainly very subtle. AmeriCam retails at around £200 including fitting which seems pretty reasonable for this aftermarket addition that is often listed as a ‘luxury’ option on new 4x4s. You could also save by fitting the system yourself. For more details, and to see your nearest dealership, go to www.americam.co.uk

The comprehensive range of Aroura Light Bars are now available from Devon 4×4. They stretch from a tiny four inches to a massive 50 inches! Claimed to have the virtually indestructable Lexan lens, fully waterproofed (rated at IP68), these light bars are suberbly suited to off-road use. Prices start from £130.80 (inc VAT). To find out more, contact the guys at Devon 4×4. www.devon4x4.com.

With a lot of garage car washes refusing to take off-roaders, having your own pressure washer is a sensible option for most mud-lovers. Claimed to be the most environmentally friendly advanced pressure washer ever, Kärcher’s new Eco!ogic saves up to 20% water usage and energy consumption. The machine also has an ingenious suction hose and filter, allowing use of harvested water from a water butt. The eco mode is great for when you don’t need too much power. There’s a comprehensive range of Kärcher pressure washers, including fitments designed to wash the underside of your vehicle. Check out the full range by going to: www.karcher.co.uk

Bilstein is a company with some 135 years of suspension experience. For many, this is a company that concentrates on top class competition units for those involved in motorsport. Interestingly, the company also has an extensive range of original equipment replacement struts – worth remembering if you are considering DIY work on your off-roader, as they could well prove less expensive to factory parts direct from the manufacturer. Bilstein units will be available through many of the advertisers in this magazine, or check out direct on: www.bilstein.com

Replacement washers for pre-1986 Range Rover radius arm to chassis are now available from Extreme4x4. These are a direct replacement for the originals (part no 572245) and fit all pre-1986 Classic Range Rovers. Made from stainless steel, they are £3.94 each (plus VAT). Check out Extreme4x4 on +44 (0)1255 411411, or go to www.extreme4x4.co.uk

Claimed to be a professional quality at a DIY price, the Eastwood 175amp MIG welder will work on steel and aluminium, and produce excellent bead quality. It welds mild and stainless steel (24-guage to 8mm) and aluminium (14-guage to 6mm). The kit comes with a free spool gun, and a Tweco style torch with 9ft of cable. For that serious job, being able to do your own welding can seriously save money, making the £399 (inc VAT) a pretty good investment. Instruction videos and safety advice are available on the Eastwood website, so check it out on: www.frost.co.uk

Bosch has introduced a new navigation app for Apple users that the company claims will prove to be the premium mobile satnav app on the market. Key features in Bosch Navigation include ‘Intermediate Destinations’, which allows users to make a quick detour en-route, perhaps to stop at a service station or restaurant, without affecting the original destination when travel is resumed. It also highlights the innovative ‘Plus Routes’ tool, which offers real time suggestions of alternative routes during navigation that may offer time or distance savings – all of which are easily viewable and selectable from the main map. It has 3D graphics and for those who have iPhones or iPads, a decent mobile phone app has a lot of advantages – especially if you regularly drive more than one vehicle. The retail price for Bosch Navigation 1.5 is going to be £44.99, and its available from the Apple App Store. We will be testing this out ourselves.    To learn more, you can watch the demonstration video at http://iphone.bosch.com/navigation/en/index.html