Land Rover welcomed HRH The Prince of Wales to the company’s factory in Solihull on the 13th of May as it celebrated its 60th anniversary.

The Prince of Wales, who also celebrates his 60th birthday later this year, cut a specially designed Land Rover shaped birthday cake and unveiled a commemorative plaque to mark the occasion. The cake was donated to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Members of key engineering projects over the years were present as The Prince of Wales was given an overview of the manufacturing process at the plant. A number of historic and iconic Land Rovers were on show including HUE 166, the first Land Rover, and a Range Rover Classic used by the Prince himself.

The visit also enabled the Prince of Wales to get an insight into Land Rover’s approach to meeting future challenges. This included an in depth look at the LRX Concept. Land Rover is involved in a £700m investment in sustainable technology that includes the development of hybrid technology and the use of lightweight material.

Phil Popham, managing director of Land Rover, said: “It is a great honour to play host to the Prince of Wales at such a significant milestone for the company. Land Rover has played an important role within the British car industry for 60 years and we strongly believe that it will continue to do so for many years to come.”

Robin Colgan

Robin Colgan takes over from Andy Gawthorpe who had been with the company for almost five years. Robin has over 13 years experience working with Jaguar and Land Rover internationally in markets like the UK, Mexico, New Zealand and France.  

As the new Managing Director, Robin will spearhead the strong growth both Jaguar and Land Rover have been witnessing in the region. The Middle East is a key growth market for Land Rover globally and Jaguar is witnessing a strong resurgence with its new design direction.  

In his last role, Robin was the Global Brand Manager for Land Rover handling strategy, product definition and pricing for current and future vehicles. Prior to this, he was the Jaguar and Land Rover Regional Manager for London responsible for sales, marketing and distribution in the key market.

Adaptable, capable, indefatigable, unmistakable. Workhorse, tow car, law enforcer, status symbol, people carrier; few cars can claim to fulfil any of these duties with genuine conviction. Yet since 16 November 1989 – 20 years ago – one car has consistently met all those challenges and more, earning itself iconic status as the ultimate all-purpose vehicle. That car is the Land Rover Discovery now known in the Middle East and North America as the Land Rover LR4.

The Land Rover G4 Challenge was inaugurated in 2003, when Belgian fighter pilot Rudi Thoelen emerged victorious from a cliff hanging finale in the Moab desert, USA. The next Challenge, in 2006, went deep into rugged, remote locations in Thailand, Laos, Brazil and Bolivia, coming to an end at an altitude of over 4000m with South African Martin Dreyer emerging victorious.

The Finals of the next edition of Land Rover’s ultimate global adventure, the Land Rover G4 Challenge, will take place during 2009 in the most sparsely populated independent country on the planet – Mongolia. A blend of terrain offering arid steppes, mountains and the extreme climate of one of the world’s largest deserts, the Gobi, makes Mongolia a natural fit with Land Rover’s G4 Challenge.