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Today here at Shortfall we are taking a look into five of the very best built vehicles that have ever been built here in Great Britain. Britain has a good reputation for many manufacturers. Some of these include the likes of Jaguar Land Rover, Mini and Vauxhall. Other manufacturers who design vehicles here also include Nissan and Honda amongst many more. Some of the first manufactures here in Britain included Vauxhall and Triumph who are both still going strong to this day. The list we have compiled for you today consists of some manufacturers from here in Britain and other plants over here that produce vehicles for other manufacturers around the world. Some of the vehicles listed here today have proven to be key selling models for their respective brands and have sold a lot of units on a global scale. A lot of them have also gone on to be some of the biggest cars that their companies are known for also. So lets not wait any longer, here come the top five vehicles produced here in Britain.

 

The five best British made vehicles

 

So starting off our list here in fifth position is an SUV model that is well known all around the world. The Jaguar Land Rover company behind the car have proven that they know what goes into a great selling SUV and that has certainly been demonstrated by the vehicle that secures our fifth place spot today. Many variations of this car have gone on sale over the years and it has delivered on some remarkable success. Our fifth spot vehicle....

 

  1. The Range Rover Evoque

The very first Range Rover Evoque went on sale in 2011 and has since been produced in both three door and five door variants. Two wheel and four wheel drive variants have gone on sale over the years but the four wheel has proven to be one of the most successful in regards to sales. Two of the main features that Range Rover Evoque models have benefited from include lower C02 emissions and great all round fuel economy. With success in mind, we saw that the first ever version of the car to be released around the world sold a total of 88,000 units in it's first year of production. One of the main things that the Evoque is known for is packing all of the power of a traditional Range Rover model into a smaller package. We believe their aim has been achieved very well. Up until the end of last year, sales figures spoke for themselves,a total of 255,600 units had been sold world wide from 2011 which is a very telling figure.

 

One of the latest models to see a launch was last years which seen a range of both petrol and diesel engines including a diesel which puts out 147 brake horse power with the option of a higher 187bhp deliverance also made available for the diesel. A turbo charged petrol engine also went on sale with last years Evoque which delivered on 240bhp. A nine speed automatic gearbox has also proven to be a key selling feature for the Evoque model. Its not just the power side of things that grabs attention though as we also see the Evoque come fitted with some nice additional equipment. Some of these added kit additions include a Meridian sound system,a panoramic glass roof and a digital tv tuner. Prices for last years Range Rover Evoque begin at £29,205 with the top of the range model coming in at £49,805. The Range Rover Evoque from the very beginning has been produced from the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Halewood Merseyside.

Range Rover Evoque Shortfall

 

 

 

The fourth place taker in our list comes from the minds over at Vauxhall and the vehicle has been produced in the companies Ellesmere Port plant ever since it was first introduced to the world back in 1979. Other countries also help develop these cars due to the sheer demand for them. Other countries such as Germany,Belgium and Poland help produce the vehicle which is currently in its sixth life cycle. This vehicle when it was first produced held the record for Britain's second best selling car just missing out on the top spot which was held by the Escort from American manufacture Ford. Without further or do, the number four best made vehicle in the UK...

 

  1. The Vauxhall Astra

The Astra is one of the vehicles that stands out to us when you mention the name Vauxhall. It is one of the most commonly used vehicles also in the Police force. For last year as a whole, we saw that Vauxhall sold a total of 198,449 Astra units world wide throughout the course of 2013. A total of 90,641 units were sold on a global scale for the year 20096 which held a lot of significance for the Astra. During that year the Astra was thirty years old and had sold nearly 2,500,000 over the course of the five generation models at that time. Therefore the Astra was known as the fourth biggest selling vehicle ever in the United Kingdom. Many variations of the Astra have seen a launch over the years perhaps one of the most popular though was the VXR sports version. This vehicle achieved the award of Scottish car of the year in 2012.

 

The latest generation of Astra was introduced in 2009 and has proven to be an ideal contender for the likes of Ford as it has done since the very beginning. A varied amount of both diesel and petrol engine ranges have also been put on sale with the car over the years some of the engines included were the 2.0 Bi turbo CDTi which boasted a big 192 brake horse power deliverance. A Standard 2.0 CDTi is also offered which develops 163bhp. As most cars do these days different trim levels are offered with the latest Astra range which sees additional pieces of interior and exterior equipment. Features like alloy wheels, electric windows,colour screens for the interior and chrome dials have all proven to be good selling points. The latest addition to the Vauxhall Astra range sees a starting price of £12,995 with prices rising for the highest spec model up to £25,285.

Vauxhall Astra Shortfall

 

 

 

 

 

Defining a generation now rolling in at the third place spot is a vehicle that has put SUV vehicles on the map once again. This line up of vehicle since it was originally launched around the world back in 2006 has proven to be a key seller for the Nissan brand and is now in it's second generation. It was first revealed to the public in 2006 at the Paris motor show and is developed to this day in Nissan's factory in Sunderland. The vehicle we are talking about if you have not guessed already is....

 

  1. The Nissan Qashqai

The first generation Qashqai model was sold from 2007 up until last year with the second generation model making it's presence felt last year. One of the latest versions of the car was released this year around the world and consisted of four different engine choices. These were both a 1.2 and 1.6 litre turbo petrol engine with your two alternatives being the diesel engines which were 1.5 and 1.6 litres. Three separate trim levels also found their way into the Qashqai which include Acenta,Acenta premium and the brands biggest seller the Tekna. We see standard features for the second generation Qashqai come in the form of LED running lights,wrap around LED tail lights and a panoramic glass roof. Every trim gains more features than the last with the range topping Tekna benefiting from 19 inch alloy wheels. The standard wheel size for the entry level model consists of the 17 inch alloys.

 

One of the key points worth mentioning here are also the added safety equipment that comes along with the Qashqai. NCAP ratings for the second generation Qashqai comes in at five stars. A lane departure warning system,drowsiness detection,traffic sign recognition and rear parking cameras are all standard pieces of safety technology for all trims of the car. Something that has been carried over from the previous addition to the family is the great amount of interior space that the Qashqai is known for. Prices for the latest Qashqai model begin at £17,995 for the Acenta entry level vehicle with prices rising for both the Acenta Premium model and the Tekna.

Nissan Qashqai Shortfall

 

 

Next up roaring in at number two just narrowly missing out on the top spot is one of Britain's icons in the automotive industry. We saw the very first edition of this car launched way back in 1959 and is still to this day one of the biggest selling cars ever to grace us with it's presence. Many variations of the car have gone on sale over the years with the most popular being the performance based version of the car, the Cooper. Some of the latest variations of the car to go on sale are the Clubman,Countryman and Paceman. All versions of the car benefit from their own attributes but the main differences of the cars are one is a five door crossover, the other an estate and a three door crossover. This vehicle is certainly one that has defined a generation and thanks to the take over by German brand BMW the car is still turning heads to this day.

 

  1. The Mini

The Mini model is currently produced in Oxford and over the years we have seen the look of the Mini changed rapidly. The current generation Mini model is now at its biggest size ever and BMW who bought out the range back in 1994 have announced plans to have a total of seven Mini models available on the road. In an investment of around £500 million was made into the Mini line up.

 

Across the range of Mini vehicles including the standard model, Cooper and Countryman amongst others we see a range of petrol and diesel engines are made available. Power outputs ranging from 74 brake horse power for the 1.6 petrol up to 208bhp for the John Cooper Works model are offered. Diesel powers vary from 89 brake horse power for the Mini one which carries a 1.6 litre engine right the way up to the 2.0 litre BMW engine which sees a development of 141bhp. Some exterior features that have certainly evolved over the years amongst the range include LED rear lighting,a brand new front bumper design and a chrome front grille which help the relevant vehicles stand out nicely.

 

Prices for the Mini line up begin at £15,120 for the One three door version. The highest of the range of Mini models comes in with a price tag of £24,320 which is the Mini Hatchback 1.6 litre,John Cooper Works model.

Mini Shortfall

 

 

 

 

 

Now coming in at the top spot for a number one built vehicle here in Britain comes a vehicle which began production back in 2007 and is still being produced to this day. The vehicle comes from the minds over at Jaguar who are famous for vehicles such as the F type. This vehicle is a luxury sports car which benefits from both power and performance and comfort too. In our minds these are the perfect combinations for a good all round vehicle and we are pleased to announce that our vehicle coming in at number one is..

 

  1. The Jaguar XF

The Jaguar XF was originally introduced to the car market back in 2007 and has proven to be one of the finest selling vehicles that Jaguar has ever had on offer. Overall we have seen six different variations of the car go on sale over the years which include, the very first model,the supercharged XF,the XF Sportbrake,the XFR-S and the face lifted model which was brought into the world back in 2011. One of the latest versions of the car to see a launch here in the UK is the model from 2013. Engine ranges for the XF are very powerful as we see the car benefit from a range of 2.2 litre,diesel engines. A 3.0 litre,supercharged V6 engine also comes as part of the package. The addition of a 5.0 litre supercharged V8 engine also comes as a welcome addition to the range. A huge power output of 510 brake horse power is delivered from the V8.

 

There are also some other pieces of equipment which help the vehicle stand out very well and some of these features include the likes of LED daytime running lights,an all new sportier front bumper and varying on which engine you decide to opt for you can expect to receive either 17 or 19 inch alloy wheels. Prices for the Jaguar XF come in at a starting price of £29,9445 with prices rising for the top of the range model to £79,995.

Jaguar XF Shortfall

 

 

Is the future bright for the British automotive industry ?

 

So with some great selling vehicles to see a launch onto our streets over the years, it would certainly take something special from manufacturers all around the world to help beat the success that these five vehicles listed have achieved. At this moment in time the Ford Fiesta is the best selling vehicle to ever be launched onto our streets here in the United Kingdom but is there anything on the horizon that can take it down from the number one spot which is something Vauxhall could not do even with all of their second,third and fourth best selling vehicles. We certainly think that given the success that some of these manufacturers have achieved over the years the Fiesta may very well have a big fight on it's hands in the years to come.