A new collaborative research and development programme funded by regional development agency Advantage West Midlands is set to boost the competitive edge of Europe’s strongest concentration of niche vehicle manufacturers – the West Midlands niche vehicle cluster.
The £2.5million Advantage Niche Vehicle Programme (ANVP) will create a competitive boost by promoting innovation through collaborative research and development and adoption of accelerated technology.
The ANVP will be managed and led by CENEX, the Centre of Excellence for Low Carbon and Fuel Cell Technology, and supported by Coventry University, which will host a project office for CENEX, creating a West Midlands presence and acting as a hub for manufacturers to develop partnerships with the region’s universities and research and technology organisations.
The Niche Vehicle Network, an association of around 25 specialist car and chassis manufacturers from around the region, which is sponsored by Advantage West Midlands, has been a key part of developing the project and will be an important part of its delivery.
Dr Richard Hutchins, Corporate Director of Economic Development at Advantage West Midlands, said: “The West Midlands has a vibrant and healthy niche vehicle cluster, which includes leading brands like Modec, Morgan Motor Company, Westfield, Lotus Lightweight Structures and Microcab, and which is arguably the World’s strongest concentration of niche vehicle manufacturers.
“The base of specialist technology organisations is a distinct regional asset, actively generating new automotive technology. Making this accessible to independent niche manufacturers in collaborative groups will promote growth in the cluster through improved competitive advantage, while spreading costs will help overcome the financially driven aversion to take risks in adopting new technology.
”At the same time, the ANVP will show a wider audience that the niche companies have the ability to innovate through collaboration and can therefore participate in larger national and international programmes.
“The new programme is a key project in the Automotive Cluster Plan and aligns with the West Midlands Economic Strategy by seizing market opportunities and improving competitiveness.
“Collaboration will lead to the sharing of best practice in innovation and new technologies, an overall increase in sales and the creation and safeguarding of jobs. At the same time, gains in Gross Value Added are also expected, which is at the heart of helping to reduce the region’s productivity gap, the single largest challenge facing the West Midlands economy.”
Brendan Connor, Chairman of CENEX and Board member of Advantage West Midlands, said: “We have worked closely with the niche vehicles sector to identify its precise needs and have seen an overwhelmingly positive response. We have already received more than 30 expressions of interest, with a number of projects earmarked for immediate start.”
For more information about CENEX visit: www.cenex.co.uk
The photograph available shows Advantage West Midlands Chairman Nick Paul and Chief Executive Mick Laverty next to a Morgan Motor Company LIFECar at the national Low Carbon Vehicle Event, which took place on 28 October.
In the face of new legislation, technology and customer demand, car markets are changing and fragmenting. Mainstream models continue to be important, but increasingly there is a call for more specialised, imaginative cars – niche vehicles.
The ANVP will achieve its aims by establishing a system to facilitate collaboration between manufacturers and through a contribution to the cost of research and development.
The ANVP launched officially at the national Low Carbon Vehicle Event.
The national Low Carbon Vehicle Integrated Delivery Programme (LCVIDP) also launched at the national Low Carbon Vehicle Event. Advantage West Midlands has made available up to £30 million for the LCVIDP, to support this region’s industry led projects and needs.
The £2.5 million ANVP is in addition to that £30 million commitment.
The ANVP will provide:
• New product development capability for niche vehicle manufacturers
• Ventures into overseas markets by providing several common components that are tested to a countries standard and therefore reduce the overall cost of new country homologation (type approval).
• Expansion of the skills base, with graduates being drawn into research and development projects and being employed and retained by the manufacturers, as well as new technology deployment leading to the up-skilling of the wider workforce.
• Promotion of the region as an area of high innovation.
• The building of a specialist knowledge base that will connect with other West Midlands initiatives such as Birmingham Science City and Warwick Manufacturing Group.
The themes of the research and development projects will be as follows:
• Improved fuel efficiency and carbon reduction (electric vehicles, hybrid technologies, reducing emissions from existing petrol engines, alternate fuels including bio-fuels, aerodynamics)
• Weight reduction and capacity to recycle (aluminium chassis technology, vehicle interior plastics, composite/plastic body panels/structures)
• Vehicle safety (advanced vehicle dynamics, vehicle telematics/electronics systems, crashworthiness)