Oxfordshire & Warwickshire technology on show at Frankfurt Motor Show

Published by

Nicky Godding

Oxbotica and the Coventry-based London EV Company were among a number of UK companies exhibiting for the first time at the Frankfurt Motor Show last week

Supported by The Department for International Trade (DIT). in the ‘New Mobility World’ hall, the companies showcased new emission-free and sustainable technologies, ranging from Oxbotica’s parking software and the electric Swifty Scooter, to the London EV Company Limited’s iconic, electric black cabs.

With more than £2bn invested by the UK Government in the automotive industry, the UK offers the ideal place to develop and manufacture future generations of electrified, low-carbon, lightweight and connected vehicles.

Other UK companies attending the show included, AMPLYFI, AVID Technology, AppyParking, EXEROS Technologies, Global Design Solutions (GDS), Gordon Murray Design, McLaren Applied Technologies and Reflexal.

Graham Stuart, Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade said: "We’re proud of the UK’s cutting edge automotive supply chain and its contribution to more sustainable transport, not only in Europe, but across the world.

"We are already home to Nissan’s volume battery factory for electric vehicles in Sunderland – the first in Europe, and Toyota’s European centre for the production of Hybrid Powertrains, while the Jaguar I-Pace was the first electric car designed in Europe.

"We believe collaboration and partnership are essential to meeting our common transport challenges and are delighted to bring UK and German expertise together.

"We continue to work with partners around the world as the industry embarks on the transition to a zero-emission, connected and autonomous future."

DIT will be hosting a reception with up to 120 senior automotive executives from around the world.

The UK has an advanced market for automotive manufacture and is one of the leading locations for the testing of self-driving cars. It was also the first to create a legal framework for the use of autonomous cars on all UK roads and to issue regulations for the insurance of these vehicles. The UK is also home to the world’s largest motorsport cluster – representing 6 of the 10 Formula One teams.

The UK and Germany are long-standing trade and investment partners with bilateral trade accounting for more than £130bn in 2018. The UK remains the number one investment destination in Europe and of the total £573bn invested in the UK by the EU, Germany accounts for £63bn. In turn, the UK has invested FDI stock of £23bn in Germany. Together UK and German companies employ over 1m people across both countries.

Nicky Godding

Nicky Godding is editor of The Business Magazine. Before her journalism career, she worked mainly in public relations moving into writing when she was invited to launch Retail Watch, a publication covering retail and real estate across Europe. After some years of constant travelling, she tucked away her passport and concentrated on business writing, co-founding a successful regional business magazine. She has interviewed some of the UK’s most successful entrepreneurs who have built multi-million-pound businesses and reported on many science and technology firsts. She reports on the region’s thriving business economy from start-ups, family businesses and multi-million-pound corporations, to the professionals that support their growth and the institutions that educate the next generation of business leaders.